Education

Councilor Louijeune knows the need to work towards equity and excellence in all of our public schools. Our students deserve an environment that is safe and supportive and there is a lot of work to do to get there.

As part of her work in her first year on the Boston City Council, Councilor Louijeune stood up for our public school students both through supporting strong legislative changes, and by showing up in community:

  • Councilor Louijeune firmly believes that spaces of learning should be safe and welcoming. Many concerns of school safety surfaced during her tenure, and her work to address this included demonstrating the dire need for additional resources and guidance counselors to meet the social and emotional needs of our students. When proposed by her colleagues, the councilor opposed adding additional law enforcement to our public schools. Data shows that the addition of a punitive framework, systemically harms our students, especially our Black and brown students. LINK 0380

  • Councilor Louijeune co-sponsored a hearing to discuss how BPS can better support the needs of our Muslim students as they make up the second-biggest religious group of students who attend our schools, and they are in need of support and services from culturally competent educators who are aware of how to honor their identities, allowing them to flourish at school. LINK 0254

  • Through constituent services efforts, the councilor’s office has cultivated relationships with residents and community leaders in the education space. Building this trust has resulted in the office working in partnership with BPS leadership to address critical issues of safety, student access to resources, and addressing the gaps students and parents face daily in our schools.

  • Councilor Louijeune testified against the receivership of Boston public Schools. The councilor stated, “Real transformative work must come from within. From within the families of BPS, from within the BPS advocacy community, from within BPS teachers and staff. To show respect for communities of color we must acknowledge the needs of their children better than outside state bureaucrats who have failed to deliver on promised results in other communities. Receivership is undemocratic. We cannot take cues from executives or free market-think tanks. We must work alongside parents, teachers, and students to transform our schools.”

  • In partnership with Mass. Safe Routes to School and the Boston Transportation Department, the councilor participated in Bike & Walk to School Day. This day is designated to promote safety when students are commuting to school by foot or by bike. The councilor greeted students at the Curley in Jamaica Plain and the Mildred in Mattapan. She heard firsthand about students’ academic experience and commute.  

  • Early in her tenure, Councilor Louijeune hosted the Boston Student Advisory Council at City Hall. Making City Hall accessible to the young people that it serves has been a priority of the councilor since taking office. She has hosted more than ten student groups and hosted interns from schools across the City.  

  • Advocating for those who interact with our students every day has been a focal point of Councilor Louijeune’s work.Whether that be demanding BPS employees receive overdue and contractually-obligated back pay or advocating for the increase in COLA base pay for our retired teachers. Councilor Louijeune knows our teachers, school counselors, and support staff have recently worked through some of the toughest years of their professional careers and deserve to live with dignity. 

  • Councilor Louijeune supported an elected school committee and student appointment. In 2021, Boston voters in every precinct and every ward, a first, sent a resounding message when they overwhelmingly (79%) voted in favor of a return to an elected school body. Elected school committees place the power of community representation back into communities, allowing for people from diverse backgrounds to have their voices heard and for those in power to be held accountable. Most importantly, those who know BPS best, are its students, and they deserve to have a vote. Councilor Louijeune also led the push on the Council to have two student members of the School Committee with voting power, compared to the current reality of just one student with no voting power.  If we really value and honor the time a student puts into School Committee and attending meetings, we must honor their time and talent with the ability to vote on the issues that come before the School Committee.  Furthermore, one student on a committee often experiences isolation and uncertainty in the strength of their voice.  Having another student would strengthen student voice and power.  LINK 0406 

  • Understanding that the climate crisis is at our doorstep, Councilor Louijeune co-sponsored a hearing order that would establish a climate change and environmental justice curriculum in our public schools. Our children will be most directly affected by climate change and it is vital to educate the next generation of leaders and to prepare them for professional opportunities that contribute to this fight. LINK 0147 

  • Similarly to Councilor Louijeune, many of our students have parents that are first-generation immigrants. Ensuring that these parents have access to information is critical to the success of their students. To address this need, the councilor co-sponsored an order for a hearing to discuss how BPS is addressing the needs of parents of English language learner students. LINK 0255 

  • Our Black and Brown students face much higher barriers to access in our public school system. To address this the councilor co-sponsored a hearing to discuss creating partnerships between colleges and high schools to create jobs and academic support for our students. Getting resources into the hands of our students and setting them up for postgraduate success will support thriving communities across the city. LINK 0256