Gov. Healey signs bill to restructure Lawrence school board

Gov. Maura Healey on Thursday signed a controversial bill to restructure the Lawrence School Committee as the city prepares to exit state receivership, according to the Secretary of State's office.

The bill (H 5098) takes away some elected seats on the school board, replacing them with committee members appointed by the City Council. Under the new law, a hybrid school board will have three members elected by voters, three appointed by the City Council, and the mayor as chair.

Supporters of the bill, including Sen. Pavel Payano, Rep. Frank Moran and Mayor Brian De Peña, say that it will provide a more stable pathway for the school district as it transitions out of state control. Payano has pointed to mismanagement of the school system before receivership in 2011, including corruption and poor academic performance.

"There was a superintendent that was indicted. All of us knew what was going on with that superintendent. Yet that person kept getting bonuses, was never fired," Payano said, alleging that the elected school committee didn't do enough to stop mismanagement of the district.

Moran and Payano also said it was a local governance issue, as the city council voted 7-2 in favor of the petition, and that the city’s leadership should have the authority to determine its own educational future.

Opponents raised concerns about undermining local democracy. Rep. Francisco Paulino, Sen. Sen. Pat Jehlen, and Sen. Jamie Eldridge have said that the new structure would disenfranchise voters.

"Voters in Lawrence have already proven their ability to choose the right leaders for their community," Paulino, who represents parts of Lawrence, said. "This trust should be honored and upheld as we move forward."

Sen. Ryan Fattman, who represents another state-controlled district, Southbridge, warned that it could set a troubling precedent for other districts under state control, where voters might lose influence over school decisions. The Lawrence Teachers Union also opposed the bill.

"Local elected officials are turning back the clock on voter’s rights in Lawrence – denying families in neighborhoods throughout the City their democratic voice and preventing parents from having a real say in how their local schools are run," says a statement from the local union shared with the News Service.

"Lawrence families deserve the same power and voice in their schools that residents and parents in other communities enjoy. Instead, they are being told that they cannot be trusted to elect qualified people to govern the schools they send their children to."