School Committee To Meet in Third Closed-Door Session Amid Silence on Greer’s Future

When the Cambridge School Committee gathered twice in private in late March and early April to discuss whether to renew Cambridge Public Schools Superintendent Victoria L. Greer’s contract, the deliberations ended in a private request for Greer to resign — and weeks of silence.

Now, the School Committee is set to meet again behind closed doors on Tuesday to discuss “contract negotiations with nonunion personnel” in a third executive session.

Though the public meeting notice does not specify that members will discuss Greer’s contract — unlike the first meeting — her future at Cambridge Public Schools is likely to be on the agenda, as the committee tries to quell frustration and confusion among parents and restore confidence in CPS leadership.

The School Committee must notify Greer by June 30 of any changes to her contract, otherwise it will automatically extend for an additional year. It is unclear whether Greer has agreed to resign or whether she has reached an agreement with the School Committee.

CPS spokesperson Sujata Wycoff declined to comment if Greer’s contract would be discussed at the Tuesday meeting. Mayor E. Denise Simmons, who chairs the School Committee, and School Committee executive secretary Ariel B. Kennebrew did not respond to requests for comment.

Wycoff wrote in an emailed statement that “the district does not have any additional comment on the superintendent’s contract beyond what was shared with the Crimson on April 4th.”

Greer has faced heightened pressure from parents and caregivers in recent weeks over a climate survey which found CPS lagged behind nationwide medians in parent engagement and staff satisfaction and concerns about her hiring processes.

Though Greer, who received a “needs improvement” rating on her annual evaluation last summer, was supposed to present a midpoint evaluation at the March 19 meeting, the evaluation was suddenly postponed until a subsequent meeting on April 2. At that meeting, her evaluation was again suddenly — and indefinitely — postponed.

Still, at the March 19 meeting, more than two dozen parents criticized Greer’s leadership and demanded she fire Graham & Parks Elementary School principal Kathleen M. Smith, who is under investigation by a third-party law firm for allegations of fostering a toxic workplace environment. Despite their concerns, Greer allowed Smith’s contract to extend an additional year.

—Staff writer Darcy G Lin can be reached at darcy.lin@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Emily T. Schwartz can be reached at emily.schwartz@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @EmilySchwartz37.