Dr. Elizabeth Reilinger to step down as Boston School Committee Chairperson

BOSTON – After serving 11 consecutive years as Chairperson of the Boston School Committee, Dr. Elizabeth Reilinger has announced that she will not seek re-election next month. Dr. Reilinger was first appointed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino in 1994 and has been elected Chairperson every year since 1998. She will remain a member of the School Committee to complete a four-year term that expires in January 2010.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve on the Boston School Committee and to be part of a significant reform movement that has advanced academic opportunities and achievement for students in the City of Boston,” said Dr. Reilinger. “Throughout our nation’s history, the Boston Public Schools have been on the cutting edge of education reform, and over the last fifteen years, we have witnessed what can be accomplished when we work together around the critical agenda of improving education for our young people. Thanks to the commitment of Mayor Menino, to the leadership of top notch Superintendents such as Tom Payzant, Mike Contompasis and Carol Johnson, as well as to the dedication of my fellow School Committee members, staff, students and other partners, we have made a difference.”

Dr. Reilinger added, “It is essential that we continue this work with an even greater sense of urgency to ensure that every one of our students has access to opportunities for a first class education and can graduate with the tools for future success. I am grateful to Mayor Menino for affording me the opportunity to work as part of this team, and I will continue to be an active supporter of improving the Boston Public Schools.”

Mayor Menino said, “Over the last fifteen years, our schools have been building toward a system of excellence – one that has attracted much deserved national recognition. Liz Reilinger has played a key role every step of the way. Her clear vision and extraordinary efforts have truly made a difference for our students, for the Boston Public Schools, and for the City of Boston. I am extremely grateful for her work as Chair of the Boston School Committee and am thrilled that she will serve as a vital member of the Committee, where her wisdom, dedication, and incomparable energy will continue to support and advance our schools and city.”

During Dr. Reilinger’s tenure on the School Committee, the Boston Public Schools have won numerous awards and gained recognition for successful urban education reform, including establishing rigorous standards and accountability measures, expanding early education, implementing pilot schools, reforming high schools and significantly upgrading the system’s operational and management infrastructure. In 2006, Boston received the acclaimed Broad Prize as the outstanding urban school district in the nation. In 2004, under Dr. Reilinger’s leadership, the School Committee was selected as the inaugural winner of the national CUBE award for outstanding school board governance. In 2007, in recognition of her accomplishments as School Committee Chair, the Council of the Great City Schools awarded Dr. Reilinger the Richard R. Green Award, the nation’s highest honor in urban education.

During her tenure on the School Committee, Dr. Reilinger has been instrumental in recruiting two highly regarded Superintendents, Drs. Thomas W. Payzant and Carol R. Johnson.

“Dr. Reilinger's remarkable tenure as chair of the appointed School Committee demonstrates that continuity of effective leadership in governance creates the conditions necessary for continuity of executive leadership,” said Dr. Payzant. “It was my good fortune to serve as Superintendent during a time when the Mayor, School Committee and Superintendent shared the common goal of steady improvement in teaching and learning for all students and expected accountability for results. Dr. Reilinger’s leadership enabled us to keep the focus on children and the importance of making a positive difference in their lives.”

“Few people understand how critical School Board leadership is to the overall academic success of a school community and the Superintendent’s job,” said Dr. Johnson. “Dr. Reilinger has brought tremendous foresight and commitment to the Boston School Committee and sets the gold standard for keeping the work purposeful and student-centered. Boston continues to be fortunate to have her stable and dedicated leadership for more than a decade.”

Dr. Reilinger is Co-founder and Managing Director of LeadWell Partners, a firm that provides organizational and leadership development advisory services for senior executives and Boards of national foundations, high performing nonprofit organizations, public education and emerging businesses. She serves as a Senior Fellow at the Jonathan Tisch College of Public Service and Civic Engagement of Tufts University. Prior to her current positions, she was President and CEO of Crittenton Inc., one of Boston’s oldest not-for-profit multi-service organizations, recognized nationally for its cutting edge housing, education and employment programs.

Dr. Reilinger is a former Associate Dean of Allied Health at Boston University and held faculty and administrative positions at Cornell University, Ithaca College and the State University of New York. She earned a Doctorate in Public Policy, Management and Sociology from Cornell University, where she is also a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women and a member and former Chair of the College of Human Ecology Advisory Council.

The seven members of the School Committee are Boston residents appointed by the Mayor to serve four-year staggered terms. In November 1989, the citizens of Boston approved a referendum to replace the 13-member elected School Committee with a seven-member Mayorally-appointed Committee. In 1991, the Governor and State Legislature signed a Home Rule Petition submitted by the Mayor and City Council enacting legislation to create the appointed board. The first appointed School Committee was sworn into office in January 1992. In a November 1996 referendum, voters chose to maintain the appointed School Committee structure. The Mayor appoints members from a list of candidates recommended by a 13-member Citizens Nominating Panel composed of parents, teachers, principals, and representatives of business and higher education.

Members of the Boston School Committee elect a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson at the annual organizational meeting on the first Monday of every calendar year. The board is scheduled to elect new officers on Monday, January 5, 2009.