Mayor Menino earns Tip O'Neill Award for public education leadership

Mayor Thomas M. Menino has been selected to receive the 2009 Tip O’Neill Award in recognition of his significant and longstanding contributions to public education. The Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) selected the Mayor for the award and will present it to him at their annual conference next month.

“It’s truly an honor to be selected as this year’s Tip O’Neill Award recipient,” said Mayor Menino.  “Tip O’Neill taught us all never to forget our mission and that all politics is local.  And for me, education is the most important part of maintaining that mission.  With the help of Superintendent Carol Johnson, we’ve been able to ensure that our students receive a high-quality education and continue learning into college.” 

Past winners of the award include the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Bradford Washburn, President of the Museum of Science, and several elected officials who worked to reform education in the Commonwealth.

MASC highlighted Mayor Menino’s appointments of highly qualified members of the Boston School Committee and his support of their efforts and those of Superintendents to improve educational opportunities and performance for students in Boston Public Schools.          

“Mayor Menino’s commitment to the children of Boston is centered in his core belief that all children deserve a quality education,” said Rev. Gregory G. Groover, Sr., Chairperson of the Boston School Committee.  “The Mayor knows that good schools are vital to a thriving community. More than anything, he knows that educating our students is a critical mission that must draw on the resources of community partners and families. Mayor Menino’s dedication to education is transforming the lives of Boston’s children every single day."

In 2006, BPS won the Broad Prize for Urban Education as the top city school district in the country.

Recent BPS initiatives include Community Learning, which links schools, libraries, and community centers to provide a continuum of education resources, Thrive in Five, a program that emphasizes early childhood education to prepare children for classroom learning, and Success Boston (“Getting Ready, Getting In, and Getting Through”), a collaborative to promote college success and to double the college graduation rate among graduates of the Boston Public Schools.

MASC is a member-driven Association whose mission is to support Massachusetts school leaders in their increasingly complex governance role. Through a wide range of programs and services including training workshops and institutes, policy development and administrator search services, legal and advocacy support, and as an information clearinghouse, the Association provides important guidance and expertise to its members and serves to communicate the school committee perspective to government leaders, the media, administrative agencies and other education-related associations.

CAPTION: Superintendent Carol R. Johnson (left) and Mayor Thomas M. Menino (center) greet a BPS student and her father on the first day of school.