Candidate for Boston City Council District 1 and BPS mother Tania Del Rio released her vision for the future of BPS, crafted collaboratively with a coalition of community members, parents, and education experts, including former Chief of Education for the City of Boston Rahn Dorsey and community activist Elsa Flores.
Her plan outlines a pathway to ensure all students have equitable access to quality schools and safe learning environments by providing safe, quality, and sustainable learning environments; expanding mental health resources; guaranteeing safe, accessible environments for our immigrant students; streamlining our school transportation system; enriching our arts education curriculum; and charting a path forward for Charlestown High School.
She also includes her commitment to expanding Universal Pre-K for all 3-year-olds, her support for an elected school committee, and her intention to integrate community input into the process of appointing a new superintendent. To spread awareness, the Del Rio campaign will be hosting a series of collaborative round tables, open to all members of the public and the press, in support of envisioning BPS’ future. (Stay tuned for more details & RSVP information!)
“As a BPS parent, transforming the Boston Public Schools into an equitable, thriving system is personal to me. I have experienced the joys and challenges of BPS and advocated for our early educators and children throughout my career. Throughout the pandemic, chronic absentee rates have been very high and unenrollment from BPS threatens the success of the system. As a City Councilor, my focus would be to do everything we can to attract students and families back into our school system by providing equitable access to an excellent education for all,” said Del Rio.
“Justice and prosperity in Boston depend on having leaders, like Tania, who can act powerfully and produce results in the places [like our education system], where society’s contemporary challenges come together. Tania has [already] demonstrated the unique ability to work at [these] important policy intersections and turn aspirations into tangible progress, in her case increasing early education quality in Boston, increasing the economic sustainability of early childhood businesses and expanding opportunity for women in and beyond the workplace. I am ecstatic that she has chosen to run for Boston City Council,” said former chief education executive Dorsey.
“As a mother, activist, and education professional, I fully support and value Tania Del Rio’s plan to improve our education system, as part of her candidacy for District 1 City Council. It is important that our immigrant community feels represented and valued. All students need to feel recognized, like their culture is respected, like their teachers want them to succeed, and like their family is involved. I am excited to see this plan of instrumental and inclusive improvements that Tania has proposed for our education sphere,” said Flores.