Mayoral hopefuls, take note: Boston has overdue obligation to make strides on education

Marcela García’s Aug. 21 Opinion column (“Why isn’t there an education candidate in the Boston mayoral race?”) exposes the hard truth of Boston mayoral politics: Education takes a back seat. We cannot afford for education to be a third rail in city elections. Too much is at stake. As García notes, state audits and past studies show that the city’s public education system is not meeting the needs of its students.

Boston’s education system is broken but not irreparably so, and our city has an overdue obligation to make it right.

This belief led 18 organizations to come together to form All Children Thrive (ACT Boston). A nonpartisan collaborative, we are calling on all mayoral candidates to set ambitious goals for student outcomes and the improvements of the system that will be achieved under their leadership.

There is no silver bullet. Moving education forward will require city leaders to open up more seats at decision-making tables to those who have the most at stake, and to be accountable for delivering the change stakeholders demand. In Boston it starts with political will and mayoral accountability. The next mayor must lead a city where all children thrive, starting by prioritizing education in this campaign.

Rana S. Kannan
Charlestown

Marinell Rousmaniere
Hyde Park

The writers are members of All Children Thrive (ACT Boston). Kannan is chief operating officer at Boston Schools Fund, and Rousmaniere is president and CEO of EdVestors.

Published on Boston Globe.