Josh Kraft unveils plan to revamp Boston Public Schools, says Michelle Wu has failed district

Mayoral candidate Josh Kraft rolled out a comprehensive plan to revamp the embattled Boston Citizens Schools and in doing so unveiled a third major area his campaign sees as a vulnerability for Mayor Michelle Wu Kraft distributed a five-page plan to provide current and future generations of Boston families the BPS tuition they deserve in contemporary times following other plans he s put forward to tackle the issues of housing affordability and Mass and Cass that he says the mayor has failed to resolve during her first term in office The state of the city s citizens school system which narrowly avoided receivership a insufficient years ago is another key area Kraft a son of the billionaire New England Patriots owner and longtime philanthropist says he would focus on should he be elected mayor this fall Under Mayor Wu and her administration BPS continues to fail our students and families Kraft s new plan states BPS lacks both academic excellence and the basic backing families need to ensure their children will learn and thrive let alone arrive at school on time Without an achievable plan and the ability to execute it BPS will continue to remain substandard Kraft s campaign contends that his plan puts students and families first prioritizes parent and group engagement nurtures and accelerates partnerships and returns strong competent management to the school district Per the plan Kraft would focus on improving the district s persistently low literacy rates by at least through a combination of high-dosage tutoring and community-driven partnerships and revitalizing vocational tuition as an alternative career pathway to at present s traditional college journey His plan calls for renovating Madison Park the city s only vocational school the right way through a community-oriented efficient process that prioritizes making this school a regional leader for vocational training though it doesn t get into specifics about how he would look to tackle such a massive project Renovations for Madison Park were tied into Wu s plan to move the highly-rated O Bryant exam school to West Roxbury killed by Wu after neighborhood blowback and have since been in limbo The estimated price tag for that rehab was shared earlier this year as roughly million a staggering amount that has the mayor saying she will seek funding from the state to help cover the costs rather than have the city pay for it with its own money as was her initial plan according to a Boston Globe statement Kraft s plan also calls for a reevaluation of the current exam schools admission agenda as well as the number of seats available to ensure that BPS students who meet the necessary requirements are able to attend one of these flagship schools His campaign contends that is not the episode in contemporary times To increase family and area engagement Kraft s plan calls for a switch from an appointed to a hybrid school committee which Wu opposes The hybrid committee would consist of elected and mayoral-appointed members rather than this day s entirely mayoral-appointed board He s proposing a leadership shakeup to bring a results-oriented management style back to City Hall He envisions two superintendents for the district that would split the job and document to the mayor A so-called superintendent of operational management would focus exclusively on the nuts-and-bolts of the city s school system and a superintendent of schools would maintain and guide the academic success of the district Related Articles Frank Baker looking at a return to the Boston City Council after past -year stint Battenfeld Disgraced Democrat councilor clings to seat despite guilty plea Boston joins cities suing Trump administration over housing homelessness funds Disgraced Boston city councilor s guilty plea leaves colleagues scrambling to restore trust Empty Boston office buildings could shift billion in taxes to homeowners WSJ description Kraft s campaign says BPS students and their families have been blindsided by latest school closures and he would develop and implement a long-term facilities plan within one year in office Kraft is also placing the blame for chronic school bus delays squarely on Wu saying that his plan would fix the district s broken transportation system but his plan doesn t elaborate on how he plans to do so His plan also calls for greater partnership with the state population organizations that work with youth and parents who he thinks should have a dedicated office in City Hall that would prioritize clear communication channels between families the BPS administration and the mayor s office