Mayor Michelle Wu has appointed Chantal Lima Barbosa to fill the open School Committee seat forward of the approaching college 12 months, metropolis officers introduced Wednesday, making her the primary Cabo Verdean lady to serve on the board.
“Chantal is a dedicated public servant whose education background, experience as a BPS alum from an immigrant family and love for BPS communities will benefit all BPS families, educators, and staff,” Wu mentioned within the announcement Wednesday.
Lima Barbosa will fill the seat left open after committee member Lorena Lopera introduced her resignation in June. Applications opened in mid-July and had been reviewed by the Boston School Committee Nominating Panel.
The new member will serve out the rest of Lopera’s four-year time period ending on Jan. 1, 2024, after which she could also be re-appointed to serve a full time period.
Lima Barbosa is the daughter of Cabo Verdean immigrants and lived there together with her mother and father till the household moved to Boston in 2010, town launch acknowledged.
Spoken by 7% of BPS households, Cabo Verdean Creole is the third commonest residence language amongst BPS households, behind English and Spanish, town launch famous.
She graduated from BPS’s Jeremiah Burke High School as valedictorian in 2012, occurring to earn a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Masters of Higher Education and Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the discharge mentioned.
Lima Barbosa went on to work at native nonprofit Kriola’s Professional Association, then was appointed liaison to the Dorchester and the Cabo Verdean communities within the Office of Neighborhood Services and liaison to the City Council within the Office of Intergovernmental Relations.
In July 2023, she was employed as a director of recruitment for Duet, the next schooling teaching nonprofit related to Southern New Hampshire University.
Both BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper and School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson praised the appointment and Lima Barbosa’s work in statements.
“Chantal is a BPS graduate, a dedicated public servant, and a tireless advocate for public education,” mentioned Skipper. “Through her work both for the City of Boston and for nonprofits, Chantal has devoted her career to improving the lives of Boston’s young people.”
The appointment comes on the heels of continued pushes to finish mayoral college committee appointment and transfer to an elected college committee. Boston’s is the one district in Massachusetts with an unelected college governing board and one among a handful of main cities left utilizing the mannequin.
Voters supported a nonbinding poll query on switching to an elected college committee by 88% in 2021, and the mayor vetoed the newest City Council plan to elect members in February.
In an announcement, Lima Barbosa mentioned she is honored to fill the seat.
“I still remember my first day at the Burke as if it was yesterday, and I’m humbled to now be sitting at such a critical table amplifying the experiences and voices of so many students, advocates, and families just like mine,” mentioned Lima Barbosa. “This is a huge responsibility that I do not take lightly.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”