Mayor Menino swears in new School Committee members

BOSTON – Mayor Thomas M. Menino today presided over the swearing in of two new Boston School Committee members, Mary Tamer and John Barros, to four-year terms.  The ceremony was held in the Ancient and Honorable Hall in Historic Faneuil Hall on Monday, January 4 at 11:30 a.m.

“The Boston School Committee plays a critical role in the education of our young people,” Mayor Menino said. “I am honored today to appoint two extraordinary individuals who have already given so much to the Boston Public Schools and to supporting our young people and their families.”

Mary Tamer writes and edits articles for the Kennedy School of Government, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with a particular focus on education. A resident of West Roxbury, Ms. Tamer attended the Boston Public Schools (Beethoven, Lee, Irving, and Boston Latin School), and is an active volunteer in her sons’ school, the Joyce Kilmer K-8 School in West Roxbury. She plays a key role in a number of organizations, including the League of Women Voters, the Boston Latin School Association, and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

John Barros got his start in community and civic engagement at age 14 when he first started volunteering at the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, an organization he has headed and grown for the past ten years. A native of Roxbury, Mr. Barros attended the Boston Public Schools before heading off to Dartmouth College. He is currently a candidate for a Masters in Public Policy at Tufts University and sits on several boards, including the Boston Parent Organizing Network, the Roxbury Master Plan Strategic Oversight Committee, and the Northeastern University Institute on Race and Justice.

John Barros will be the first Cape Verdean to serve on the Boston School Committee. Both Ms. Tamer and Mr. Barros have been recognized many times for their leadership and expertise.

The Boston School Committee is a seven-member board which governs and sets policy for the Boston Public Schools.  Any Boston resident is eligible to apply for a position.  A 13-member citizens nominating panel accepted nominations this fall before recommending candidates to Mayor Menino earlier in December.  Mayor Menino interviewed the finalists before making his selection.