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Articles by Tess Sumner
Cambridge Public Schools Push for Mediation as Negotiations with Educators’ Union Remain Remain Gridlocked
Cambridge Public Schools Superintendent David G. Murphy speaks at a School Committee meeting in October. The district requested state mediation Tuesday after more than 22 bargaining sessions with the Cambridge Education Association failed to produce a contract agreement. | By Claire A. Michal By Tess E.
Ballot Question 8 Could Turn Back the Clock on Recreational Marijuana Sales
Question 8 would end recreational marijuana sales and home cultivation in Massachusetts beginning in 2028, while preserving the state's medical marijuana program. | Design by Victoria Chen By Samuel Ruiz-Macias and Tess E. Sumner, Crimson Staff Writers Randy Gerson didn’t expect to build a career overseeing a marijuana dispensary. Now, Massachusetts voters will decide whether he can keep it. Gerson, 27, studied philosophy in college before he took his first job in the cannabis industry.
Ballot Question 1 Tests Legislative Transparency, Again
Amid an ongoing push to increase the transparency of the state house, Massachusetts voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether to subject the state Legislature and governor’s office to public records laws — opening government financial documents and communications to public scrutiny after years of exemptions.
Cambridge School Committee Approves Amigos School Relocation to Former Kennedy-Longfellow School
The former Kennedy-Longfellow School building is located at 158 Spring St. The Cambridge School Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to relocate Amigos School to the building for the 2028-29 academic year. | By Elyse C. Goncalves By Tess E. Sumner, Crimson Staff Writer The Cambridge School Committee unanimously voted to relocate Amigos School to the former Kennedy-Longfellow building, greenlighting a recommendation Superintendent David G. Murphy presented last week.
Cambridge Sees Historically High Science and Math MCAS Scores, But Racial and Socioeconomic Gaps Remain
Third through eighth grade Cambridge Public School students achieved the highest scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System math and science exams that the district has seen in at least a decade — but Black and low-income students continue to fall behind their peers, according to a Tuesday district presentation. Fifty-seven percent of students met or exceeded expectations in math, compared to 41 percent statewide.
Superintendent Recommends Moving Amigos School to Former Kennedy-Longfellow Building
Cambridge Public Schools Superintendent David G. Murphy recommended relocating the Amigos School to the former Kennedy-Longfellow School building in East Cambridge in fall 2028. | By Emily T. Schwartz By Tess E. Sumner, Crimson Staff Writer Cambridge Public Schools Superintendent David G.
Weeks After School Starts, Staffing Shortages Leave More Than 20 Children Without Afterschool Care
One classroom for the Cambridge afterschool program has remained closed, leaving more than 20 students without afterschool care more than a month into the school year. | By Claire A. Michal By Tess E. Sumner, Crimson Staff Writer One classroom for the Cambridge afterschool program has remained closed, leaving more than 20 students without afterschool care more than a month into the school year as staffing shortages and employee turnover have pushed the city to repeatedly postpone its opening.
After Two Shootings in Two Days, Cambridge Residents Raise Concerns with Safety, Communication Lapses
Cambridge residents questioned the city’s emergency notifications and response to gun violence during two meetings held by city leaders to address two separate shootings that occurred last week. Acting Police Commissioner Pauline E. Wells and Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui hosted drop-in office hours on Monday and Tuesday in Fresh Pond Apartments and St. Paul A.M.E Church— addressing residents of both the North Cambridge and Port neighborhoods, where the shootings took place.
Cambridge Educators Union Reaches Tentative Agreements on Two Proposals, Remain At Odds on Key Issues
The union representing Cambridge educators and staff reached two new tentative agreements with the district last week and reported progress on several other proposals, even as disagreements over compensation and protections for immigrant students and staff continue to divide the two sides.
School Committee Members Push District for Measurable Goals to Improve MCAS Scores as Achievement Gaps Widen
As this year’s standardized testing data revealed persistent disparities for underrepresented students, Cambridge School Committee members pressed district administrators on Tuesday to set measurable academic goals and explain how they will support schools with low test scores.
Cambridge City Council Declines to Back Staff Union as Contract Negotiations Enter Tenth Month
The Cambridge School Committee convenes for a meeting at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. The committee remains in negotiations with six bargaining units represented by the Cambridge Education Association over new contracts. | By Grace E. Yoon By Tess E. Sumner, Crimson Staff Writer Negotiations between the Cambridge School Committee and the union representing much of the district’s staff are dragging into their tenth month — and the two remain gridlocked on a slate of key demands.
Staffing Shortages, Limited Capacity Strain Cambridge Afterschool Program
By Tess E. Sumner, Crimson Staff Writer More than 200 Cambridge children remain on the waitlist for the city's afterschool programs as the school year begins. | By Claire A. Michal Earlier this year, Priscilla Allen eyed the lottery-based Amigos School’s afterschool program for her two children. Only one got a spot. Allen’s children, now in kindergarten and fourth grade, both attend the Amigos School.
As Students Face Another Year of Bus Delays, Parents Detail a ‘Broken System’
Cambridge Public Schools have long faced calls to improve the bus system in the district. | By Adeline S. Kim By Tess E. Sumner, Crimson Staff Writer For years, Cambridge Public School parents have described the same issues as students return to school: late buses, unreliable tracking systems, and a lapse in communication from the district. The district saw significant improvement this year, Superintendent David G.
Cambridge School Committee to Consider Three Options for Kennedy-Longfellow Building
The Cambridge School Committee narrowed their sights on three possible uses for the former Kennedy-Longfellow School building — marking the most concrete step to fill the facility since the district closed it two years ago.
Cambridge Schools Ban Smart Glasses and Other Wearable Recording Devices
Cambridge Public Schools banned the use of smart glasses across the district, prohibiting students from carrying them on all school property. | By Claire A. Michal By Tess E. Sumner, Crimson Staff Writer Cambridge Public Schools banned the use of smart glasses across the district — prohibiting students from carrying them on all school property as district officials move to regulate emerging technology before it becomes a classroom issue.
Beyond the Numbers: What LGBTQ+ Students Are Really Experiencing in Schools
Photo by Redd Francisco on Unsplash IN CLASSROOMS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, LGBTQ+ students are navigating something far more complex than assignments and attendance. They are navigating safety, identity, belonging and, increasingly, a political climate that shapes all three. The latest National School Climate Survey from Glisten offers a sobering picture. Only one in three LGBTQ+ students report that they frequently or often look forward to school.
The State of the Union—and the State of Truth - TheHumanist.com
Photo by MIKE STOLL on Unsplash In his 2026 State of the Union address, President Donald Trump declared that “the golden age of America is upon us,” painting a portrait of a nation stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before. From record-breaking economic gains to unprecedented border security, the speech framed the past year as nothing short of a historic turnaround. “[A] transformation like no one has ever seen before.” But State of the Union addresses are not just about policy updates.
Beyond the Numbers: What LGBTQ+ Students Are Really Experiencing in Schools
Photo by Redd Francisco on Unsplash In classrooms across the United States, LGBTQ+ students are navigating something far more complex than assignments and attendance. They are navigating safety, identity, belonging and, increasingly, a political climate that shapes all three. The latest National School Climate Survey from GLSEN offers a sobering picture. Only one in three LGBTQ+ students report that they frequently or often look forward to school.
Cambridge School Committee Elects Incumbent David Weinstein as First Elected Chair
The Cambridge School Committee elected David J. Weinstein, a three-term incumbent, to serve as its first elected chair since 1940, defeating Elizabeth C. P. Hudson in a 5-2 vote at the committee’s inaugural meeting on Monday. Weinstein is tasked with leading a largely inexperienced School Committee, with half of the members having just been elected to their first terms. Weinstein will serve alongside Vice Chair Caitlin E. Dube ’05, a first-term member.
The cost of gun violence: A student's perspective
When news alerts started lighting up my phone on Dec. 13 - Brown University. Mass shooting. Shelter in place. - I wasn't in Providence, or even in Massachusetts. I was home in New Hampshire, studying for finals, doing the normal things students do at the end of a semester. But the fear hit instantly because this time, it wasn't a headline from far away. It was two hours down the highway. It was our region. It was students my age. Brown canceled its finals. Nearby schools shut down.
Parents Stand by School Committee Member-Elect Santos After CPS Resignation Agreement Surfaces
Cambridge School Committee member-elect Luisa de Paula Santos has continued to receive support from many parents despite backlash following the disclosure of a confidential separation agreement related to her departure from Cambridge Public Schools. By Claire A. Michal By Claire A. Michal, Emily T. Schwartz, and Tess E.
Harvard Math Professor Lauren Williams Wins MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’
Harvard Math professor Lauren K. Williams, a recipient of the 2025 MacArthur Fellowship, holds a geometric model she used to teach triangulations of a polygon to school children at the Cambridge Math Circle in September. By Jason J. Cheng By Tess E. Sumner, Contributing Writer Harvard Math professor Lauren K. Williams ’00 was named a recipient of the 2025 MacArthur Fellowship, the foundation announced on Wednesday.
Diana Eck, Harvard’s Leading Scholar of Religious Pluralism, Discusses ‘Pivot to Pluralism’ in Higher Education
Diana Eck speaks about religious pluralism in Sanders Theatre in February of 2010. By Bora Fezga By Taylor M. Bierwerth and Tess E. Sumner, Contributing Writers Comparative religion professor emerita Diana L. Eck — who helped develop Harvard’s framework for pluralism last year — said at a Harvard Medical School talk on Wednesday that she was heartened by Harvard’s embrace of the concept in recent months.
Cambridge Election Commission to Distribute Ballots and Voting Materials Ahead of November Election
Cambridge residents will go to the polls in just over a month to vote in a new City Council and School Committee. By Frank S. Zhou By Uy B. Pham and Tess E. Sumner, Contributing Writers As the local election season ramps up, the Cambridge Election Commission met on Tuesday to discuss its plans to distribute information about voting procedures and election logistics. Early voting ballots for the Nov.
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