BPS Superintendent Finalist Outlines Attendance, Equity, and Data Plans at Community Panel

BOSTON — July 19, 2026 — A Boston Public Schools regional superintendent made the case for the district's top job at the second of a series of public community forums on July 19. The candidate, referred to throughout the session as Dr. Welsh and identified as a seven-year BPS veteran overseeing Region 1, which covers East Boston, Charlestown, and the North End, fielded roughly two hours of questions from educators and the public on teacher retention, chronic absenteeism, bilingual education, data transparency, and grade reconfiguration. Welsh cited a teacher cadet program that grew from one participant to roughly 40 to 50 students and a state grant that paid high school seniors $15 an hour to work in classrooms as evidence of a long-term diversity pipeline. On data, Welsh called for quarterly public superintendent evaluations tied to specific metrics and a simplified public dashboard showing school-by-school assessment participation rates. The Superintendent Search Committee had conducted final deliberations on June 16; two candidates withdrew before the public interview phase began. A School Committee interview with the finalists was scheduled for the same evening, July 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.