On Wednesday, May 29th, the Cambridge School Committee shared a community-wide notification announcing that CPS has “decided to seek a new superintendent for the 2024-2025 school year.” The decision signaled the premature termination of the current Superintendent Dr. Victoria L. Greer’s contract, with 90 days’ notice. After serving as Superintendent of Cambridge Public Schools for two years, Dr. Greer’s contract was set to extend into the 2024-2025 school year, but will now expire at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.
Rumors about Dr. Greer’s contract had been circulating since April 4th, after the Harvard Crimson reported that the School Committee was planning on asking her to resign. According to the Crimson, a parent who virtually participated in a School Committee meeting accidentally remained present online during the confidential portion, overhearing the School Committee’s decision before it was publicly announced.
Following a month of silence, the School Committee ultimately decided to not renew Dr. Greer’s contract in a 5-2 vote, with Mayor E. Denise Simmons and Member Richard Harding being the only ones to vote in favor of Dr. Greer.
School Committee Member Elizabeth Hudson explained the rationale behind the Committee’s decision: “If you ask the entire Committee, you’re going to get 7 different ways of thinking of things,” she told the Register Forum. “What I’d love to see in a future superintendent is more proactive communication.”
Although Dr. Greer’s evaluation in July 2023 revealed early signs of dissatisfaction, it was the School Climate Survey conducted in late 2023 that ultimately showed further concern among district educators and staff. The most dissatisfied school was Graham & Parks, where Principal Kathleen Smith, hired by Dr. Greer, was under investigation for toxic workplace allegations.
“As a member of the union, what I can say is that Superintendent Greer didn’t necessarily live up to the promises that she made to work with the Union when she was hired. At times things were quite contentious with her and the Union, but also teachers in general,” CRLS teacher Erik Scott told the Register Forum, speaking to the Superintendent’s communication with educators.“I know the Superintendent had an advisory committee, but that’s not enough. An advisory board to the Superintendent should be an addition to keeping constant communication with teachers and staff,” he added.
However, Student Representative of the School Committee Naseem Anjaria ’25 expressed different sentiments around Dr. Greer’s leadership. “She was very responsive to our [Student Representatives] questions and she seemed very willing to help us with the projects we wanted help with” he told the Register Forum.
Anjaria commented on the broader implications of the School Committee’s decision, saying, “People in Cambridge want a certain type of person that is the same as them to lead them. But by doing that we take out of the equation so many qualified people from the position just because they don’t “fit” into Cambridge.”
Following the departure of Dr. Victoria L. Greer, the Cambridge School Committee faces a critical juncture in appointing new leadership to steer the district forward. Plans are already in the works to form a subcommittee led by the Vice Chair to oversee the interim superintendent search process in the upcoming months, with interviews in the fall and offers by the winter. As emphasized by Committee Member Elizabeth Hudson, the goal is to recruit the very best and secure leadership that aligns with the district’s standards and needs.
This article also appears in our June 2024 edition.
