Boston School Committee Applications Open for Two Seats

The City of Boston opened applications on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, for two four-year seats on the Boston School Committee, the appointed board that governs Boston Public Schools. Boston School Committee applications are due Friday, Nov. 13, at 11:59 p.m., and the new terms begin Jan. 1, 2027, according to a city announcement.

Which Boston School Committee Seats Are Open

The openings come from two terms that expire in January 2027, the city said:

• Jeri Robinson, the committee’s chair, a BPS graduate and retired vice president of early childhood initiatives at the Boston Children’s Museum, will step down after 12 years on the committee.
• Quoc Tran, a parent of four BPS graduates, former BPS teacher and retired deputy director of the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights at the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, is serving his second term.

The city’s announcement says the people selected will serve from Jan. 1, 2027, through Jan. 7, 2031. It does not say whether Tran will seek another term.

Key Dates and Requirements

• Application deadline: Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
• Interviews: virtual, in the early evening on Tuesday, Dec. 1; Wednesday, Dec. 2; and/or Thursday, Dec. 3.
• Eligibility: applicants must be Boston residents, and the city says the role involves a significant time commitment.
• How to apply: applications go to scnominatingpanel@boston.gov or to the Mayor’s Office on the fifth floor of Boston City Hall.
• Languages: the application is offered in English, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Cape Verdean Kriolu.

How the Nominating Panel Process Works

Boston’s School Committee has seven voting members, all Boston residents appointed by the mayor, plus a non-voting student member from the Boston Student Advisory Council. The mayor may only appoint from candidates recommended by the 13-member Boston School Committee Nominating Panel, which includes BPS parents, educators, school leaders and representatives of business and higher education.

According to the BPS nominating panel page, four panel members are mayoral appointees. The panel reviews applications, interviews candidates and sends a list of recommendations to the mayor. The page quotes the state law that created the appointed committee, which says the mayor “shall strive to appoint individuals who reflect the racial, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the city.”

The 2026-2027 panel roster posted by BPS includes representatives of the Boston Teachers Union, the Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Citywide Parent Council, the special education parent advisory council (SPEDPAC), the Boston High School Headmasters Association and the state’s commissioner of education and chancellor of higher education, along with four mayoral appointees.

What the School Committee Does

The city lists four core responsibilities for the committee: setting the vision, mission and goals of BPS; establishing and monitoring the annual operating budget; hiring, managing and evaluating the superintendent; and setting district policies. The BPS School Committee page says the board meets about twice a month during the school year. Meetings, other than executive sessions, are open to the public, include public comment and air on Boston City TV.

The two new members will join the committee as it oversees the budget and policy priorities that Mayor Wu and Superintendent Mary Skipper outlined this week. The Boston Report covered Wu’s 2026 State of the Schools address and the City Council hearing on services for English learners in BPS, two issues the committee will continue to handle.

Sources

• City of Boston: City of Boston Opens Applications for Boston School Committee (Oct. 21, 2026)
• Boston Public Schools: School Committee Nominating Panel
• Boston Public Schools: About the School Committee
• Boston Public Schools: School Committee Members

Featured image: The Josiah Quincy Upper School, a Boston Public Schools building. Photo by Daderot via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.