Former school committee member warns of literacy crisis, urges evidence‑based materials and training

Mary Tamer, a former Boston School Committee member and founder/director of Mass Potential, used the committee hearing to link the fiscal crisis to longstanding academic outcomes she described as unacceptable and to press the council and BPS to align the budget with proven instructional priorities.

"We are spending more money than ever before," Tamer said in a prepared presentation, arguing that despite larger staff counts and higher spending the district’s reading and math proficiency have fallen. She cited declines since pre‑pandemic levels, low reading proficiency for students with disabilities and English learners, and the district’s enrollment collapse from roughly 57,000 to about 47,000 students over a decade.

Tamer urged a switch to research‑backed, high‑quality instructional materials (HQIM) for early literacy and statewide coordination on teacher training. She criticized the district’s current early literacy program by name and said it is not HQIM, and she urged the council to condition future budget approvals on demonstrable commitments to evidence‑based curricula and training.

Ross Wilson of the Shaw Family Foundation echoed the call for clearer priorities and accountability, saying the district must invest in inclusionary practices for students with disabilities and bilingual education for multilingual learners while reducing non‑instructional cost drivers such as inefficient transportation use.

Both speakers urged the council to demand that future BPS budget decisions prioritize instructional materials, training and measurable outcomes over incremental or opaque operational spending.