Mary Skipper officially starts as superintendent of Boston Public Schools
BOSTON -- Monday is Mary Skipper's first day on the job as superintendent for Boston Public Schools. She spent the morning at Trotter Elementary School in Roxbury.
She greeted students walking into the building alongside Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Teachers Union President Jessica Tang.
Skipper told WBZ-TV that the day was exciting and emotional as she left her post in Somerville. She's been working closely with her team in the district over the course of the transition.
"It doesn't necessarily feel like this is her first day because we've already been on the phone early in the morning, late at night, troubleshooting issues, mapping out what will come next," said Wu.
"I feel well prepared and excited to get going on our mission on the whole child, making sure that academically, socially, emotionally, physically -- our well-being of students is our mission and our job," said Skipper.
The superintendent said her mindset coming in has been getting back to the basics and building a foundation for moving forward.
As part of the job, Skipper must ensure that the district meets a number of deadlines for improvements set forth by the state.
In June, the district narrowly avoided receivership by agreeing to an improvement plan with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
According to Skipper, all the current benchmarks have been met or exceeded.
One priority is reliable transportation for students. Last week, WBZ-TV spoke to a family who called on the school system to do better after their daughter who uses a wheelchair was almost stranded at school 35 minutes away.
"We know for our families it's very difficult when they can't rely on a bus, or a bus doesn't come, or a bus breaks down and we have to send a replacement. This is an area that we have to get right," Skipper said.