I had the chance to speak with Ross Wilson, who heads the Boston-based Shah Foundation and cohosts a podcast called Last Night at School Committee, which describes itself as a “bite-sized summary of Boston School Committee meetings.”
Now in its 7th year, the podcast is one of those things that you don’t realize you need until you hear it — and then wonder why they’re not a regular part of every big-city school district board meeting in America.
Along with inadequate graduation requirements and enrollment losses that are part of nearly every discussion these days, two things that are on Wilson’s mind right now are the $200 million a year Boston spends on busing kids around the city — the most in the country, he says — and Mayor Wu’s little-noted decision to “non-renew” an outspoken board member named Brandon Cardet-Hernandez — a key decision that has not yet been reported, he says.
“You're getting me at a time where I'm quite frustrated by local media coverage of education,” Wilson says. “The media should be covering these things.”
In an effort to turn up the heat, Wilson says the recently non-renewed former board member Cardet-Hernandez will be coming onto his podcast as a regular guest.
The next Boston school board meeting is this Wednesday, January 21st. The podcast usually comes out the next day.
Watch the interview above (or on YouTube), listen to it on Spotify or Apple, or read the uncorrected transcript.
Previously from The Grade
Requiem for a parent-run education podcast
What Boston parents really want from education news (Boston)
In Boston, a veteran reporter steps in where traditional news falls short
How I unintentionally became an education reporter (Minneapolis)
What happens when a non-traditional podcast fills in to cover school board meetings?
