BPS Celebrates Superintendent Mary Skipper as 2026 Pinnacle Award Honoree

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women's Network selected Superintendent Mary Skipper as one of the 2026 Pinnacle Awards honorees.

Boston Public Schools Celebrates Superintendent Mary Skipper as 2026 Pinnacle Award Honoree

BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 5, 2025 -The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women's Network selected Superintendent Mary Skipper as one of the 2026 Pinnacle Awards honorees for Achievement in Management – Government. The annual Pinnacle Awards are one of the region's highest professional distinctions for women leaders, recognizing their achievements in business, government, and management. This prestigious award recognizes Superintendent Skipper's leadership and her commitment to building a stronger, more equitable school district for Boston's students, families, and educators.

"It is an honor to be recognized alongside so many remarkable women leaders who are shaping the future of our region," said Superintendent Mary Skipper. "It takes a village to support our school communities and this award reflects the dedication of our educators, staff, families, and partners who work every day to uplift our students. Boston's youth deserve the very best and I am proud to lead a district of talented leaders and educators who are deeply committed to their success."

Since her selection by the Boston School Committee in 2022, Superintendent Skipper has championed transformative initiatives to modernize school facilities, expand multilingual education, strengthen pathways from school to career, and ensure that every student receives a high-quality education in a safe, inclusive, and welcoming learning environment.

Superintendent Sipper will be recognized at the 2026 Pinnacle Awards Ceremony on January 30, 2026, where more than 1,200 business, civic, and community leaders will gather to celebrate this year's honorees.

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About Boston Public Schools

The Boston Public Schools (BPS), the birthplace of public education in the United States, serves more than 48,000 pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students in 121 schools. BPS is committed to transforming the lives of all children through exemplary

teaching in a world-class system of innovative, welcoming schools. We partner with the community, families, and students to develop in every learner the knowledge, skill, and character to excel in college, career, and life.

About the Chamber’s Women’s Network

In the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Network, there is a diverse group of more than 3,000 women and male allies at all levels of their careers, from all backgrounds, sectors, and industries, and professions, with the collective mission to make Greater Boston the best place for professional women to thrive. For 30 years, the Women’s Network has connected female professionals of all backgrounds and career levels. The Women’s Network is the largest in New England, strengthening the professional networks of women.

About the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber is the convener, voice, and advocate of the region’s business community, committed to making Greater Boston the best place for all businesses and all people to thrive. We help our members and Greater Boston succeed by convening and connecting the business community; researching, developing and advocating for public policies that contribute to our region’s economic success; and providing comprehensive learning and development programs designed to grow strong business and civic leaders. Learn more at BostonChamber.com.

New Builds & Renovations

The BPS Capital Planning team is currently working on several major renovation and new build projects across the district. In partnership with the Public Facilities Department (PFD) and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) we are working to ensure that our school building support the high-quality student experience.

Madison Park Vocational Technical High School

Project History

We are redesigning Madison Park to be a state-of-the-art technical vocational high school serving students and the broader community. Our investments in Madison Park reflect our commitment to opening doors for Boston’s students into good-paying jobs in high-demand and emerging industries that are deeply connected to Boston’s economic future. In 2023, we completed a feasibility study to develop a program vision for a technical vocational high school and understand the potential of the Madison Park campus.

In 2024, we brought on an Owner’s Project Manager and design team to begin translating the program vision into facilities design.

This year, we applied to the MSBA Core Program to support the full cost of this historic investment and expect to hear back from the MSBA in December 2025. This project would represent the largest capital project in Boston’s history, which would include the addition of grades 7 and 8. While we continue working toward a redesigned campus, Mayor Wu and Superintendent Skipper are committed to making immediate programmatic investments in Madison so that students benefit from strong CTE programs and a strong school community in the meantime.

Project Updates

On May 13, 2025, Mayor Wu signed a historic Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with the Building Trades Union to guarantee apprenticeships to Madison Park building trades graduates, secure childcare for workers, and keep BPS school building construction projects, like the Madison Park Redesign, on track.
Last month we hosted a Senior Study site visit, which is part of the due diligence phase of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA)’s Core Program Statement of Interest review process. To learn more about the Senior Study, click the link here. We look forward to hearing back from the MSBA on the status of our Statement of Interest (SOI) in December.

Additional Resources

Ruth Batson Academy

Project History

We are committed to moving forward with plans to build out high-quality space on the Columbia Point campus that meets the programming needs of the full Ruth Batson Academy (formerly the Boston Community Leadership Academy-McCormack) community.

Phase 1 of these renovations included a $3 million investment to construct two new science labs and a life skills room and were completed in the Fall of 2022. We submitted a Statement of Interest on behalf of the Ruth Batson Academy to the Massachusetts School Building Authority Core Program in 2024, and were invited into the MSBA Eligibility period in December of 2024. We have submitted all required documents for the MSBA’s review, and expect to hear back from them in December of 2025 on next steps.

Project Updates

Construction on the Fieldhouse Plus project project led by the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester (BGCD) and the Martin Richard Foundation (MRF) continues. Ruth Batson Academy is in the Eligibility Period of the MSBA process. As part of the MSBA Eligibility Period, we have formed a School Building Committee and have submitted all the required documentation of this initial phase of the MSBA process for the MSBA’s review. We are waiting to hear back from the MSBA regarding next steps.

Additional Resources

Shaw-Taylor Elementary School

Project History

In the spring of 2023, the Boston Public Schools Committee approved the official merger of Shaw Elementary and the Charles E. Taylor Elementary School for School Year 2024-2025.

The school is currently operating as a 2-campus school with preK-1 students in the Lower campus at the former Shaw School, and students in grades 2-6 at the Upper campus in the former Taylor School.

The school was approved by the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s Core Program to fund the design and construction of a new facility for a unified Shaw-Taylor community in Dorchester/Mattapan with a proposed $50 million in the Fiscal Year 24 Capital Plan to support the project.

Project Updates

We are well into the second phase of the MSBA process for the Shaw-Taylor project. We completed the Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) selection process, and selected Skanska as the project’s OPM. The OPM oversees the entire project lifecycle, from planning and design to construction. The OPM ensures the project is completed on time, within budget, and according to design specifications. This marks a major milestone in bringing our shared vision for the new Shaw–Taylor Elementary School closer to reality. We are moving into the Designer selection process, developing an Educational Program Plan, and the BPS Capital Planning team is organizing the second part of our MSBA educational outreach for Fall and Winter of 2025.

Additional Resources

City of Boston

CONTACT

Capital Planning Department

capitalplanning@bostonpublicschools.org