Skip to main content

Boston (Mass.). School Committee

 Organization

Historical note

In 1789, the General Court of the Colony granted authority to “trust to appoint School Committees for the control of the Schools.” In accordance with the provisions of this act, the first School Committee for Boston was chosen October 20, 1789, “to exercise all the Powers relating to the Schools and School Masters, which the Selectmen or such Committees are authorized by the Laws of this Commonwealth on the Votes of this Town to exercise.” Under the reorganized plan of 1789, the public schools of Boston were administered by a committee consisting of twenty-one members, nine selectmen and one member from each of the twelve wards. For administrative purposes, the Board of twenty-one members was divided into various sub-committees. Sub-committees included a visiting committee, a committee to fill vacancies in the teaching staff and an examining committee.

Found in 15 Collections and/or Records:

Archie Briggs et al. v. John T. Kerrigan et al. case files

 Series
Identifier: 0700.032
Dates: circa 1969-1971
Found in: City of Boston Archives / Archie Briggs et al. v. John T. Kerrigan et al. case files

Black Voters et al. v. John McDonough et al. case files

 Series
Identifier: 0700.012
Scope and Contents

Includes the City's Law Department records concerning the class action suit brought by black registered voters against Boston's Mayor, City Council, School Committee, Election Commissioners and City Clerk challenging the at-large voting procedure for the election of members of the Boston School Committee. The court found in favor of the defendants.

Dates: circa 1975-1977
Found in: City of Boston Archives / Black Voters et al. v. John McDonough et al. case files

Committee for Superintending the School for Mutual Instruction records

 Series
Identifier: 0401.001
Scope and Contents note This series consists of three sub-series: Sub-series I - Committee correspondence and reports; Sub-series II - Reports on attendence and tokens; and Sub-series III - Observation reports. Sub-series I includes correspondence, votes, reports, and records of the business of the Committee. One significant item is a detailed description by William B. Fowle of his visit to the Free Schools in New York City. Sub-series II includes the reports of the schoolmaster, William B. Fowle, which provided...
Dates: 1821-1823
Found in: City of Boston Archives / Committee for Superintending the School for Mutual Instruction records

Latino Political Action Committee, Inc., ET AL vs. City of Boston, ET AL case files (Latino PAC II)

 Series
Identifier: 0700.008
Dates: Majority of material found in Bulk, 1984; 1973-1985
Found in: City of Boston Archives / Latino Political Action Committee, Inc., ET AL vs. City of Boston, ET AL case files (Latino PAC II)

Manuals of the public schools of the city of Boston

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 0400.001
Scope and Contents note Manual of the Public Schools of the City of Boston is a serial publication, which includes listings of schools, school districts, school officials and employees in the School Department of the City of Boston. The collection includes manuals from 1869-1973 with gaps. The volume for 1972 is entitled “Directory of the Public Schools of the City of Boston” and the volume for 1973 is entitled “Personnel Directory of the Public Schools of the City of Boston. The collection consists of 68 volumes....
Dates: 1869-1973 with gaps
Found in: City of Boston Archives / Manuals of the public schools of the city of Boston

Morgan et al. v. Hennigan et al. and related cases files

 Collection
Identifier: 0700.028
Scope and Contents note This collection consists of records of the City's Law Department concerning the "School Cases" relating to desegregation in the late 1960s-1970s. The major case represented in this collection is Tallulah Morgan et al. v. James Hennigan et al. (later known as Morgan v. Kerrigan, Morgan v. McDonough, Morgan v. Sullivan, etc. due to the changes in the School Committee presidency). Also included in this collection are files of the following two cases: Boston School Committee v. Board of...
Dates: 1967-1979
Found in: City of Boston Archives / Morgan et al. v. Hennigan et al. and related cases files

Proceedings of the School Committee

 Series
Identifier: 0405.002
Scope and Contents

Includes published proceedings of School Committee meetings, 1870, 1873-May 1987; verbatim transcripts of School Committee meetings, July 1936-June 1996; and School Committee board papers, September 1915-2011.

Dates: 1870-2011
Found in: City of Boston Archives / Proceedings of the School Committee

School Committee administrative records

 Series
Identifier: 0405.003
Scope and Contents

Includes subject files, reports, correspondence, orders etc. of the School Committee; task force records; records relating to superintendent searches, contracts, and evaluations; and miscellaneous photographs of members.

Dates: 1992-2011
Found in: City of Boston Archives / School Committee administrative records

School Committee annual reports and documents

 Series
Identifier: 0405.001
Scope and Contents

Annual reports and other documents including annual statistics, committee reports, curriculum, courses of study, etc. of the School Department. Includes School Committee annual reports, 1845-1850, 1852-1855, 1857-1963 and School Documents, 1853-1861, 1877, 1879-1905. Also includes Annals of the Primary Schools, 1818-1854; Report of Committee on Drawing, 1870-1877; Report on Accounts, 1869-1877; and budget reports.

Dates: 1845-1963
Found in: City of Boston Archives / School Committee annual reports and documents

School Committee meeting and hearing recordings

 Series
Identifier: 0405.002a
Scope and Contents

Includes recordings on both audio cassette tapes and CDs of Boston School Committee meetings

Dates: circa 1993-2010
Found in: City of Boston Archives / School Committee meeting and hearing recordings

School Committee Secretary reference files

 Series
Identifier: 0405.007
Dates: circa 1900-2015
Found in: City of Boston Archives / School Committee Secretary reference files

School Department grants

 Series
Identifier: 0405.006
Scope and Contents

Grants submitted by the Superintendent to the School Committee for approval.

Dates: 1994-2002
Found in: City of Boston Archives / School Department grants

School Department publications

 Series
Identifier: 0400.005
Scope and Contents

Publications produced by the Boston School Department. Includes Code of Discipline, contracts, handbooks, newsletters, reports, plans, etc.

Dates: circa 1916-2000
Found in: City of Boston Archives / School Department publications

Urban Transport, Inc. v. Kevin H. White as he is Mayor of Boston case file

 Series
Identifier: 0700.029
Dates: 1974-1977
Found in: City of Boston Archives / Urban Transport, Inc. v. Kevin H. White as he is Mayor of Boston case file

William Arthur Reilly collection

 Collection
Identifier: 0299.001
Dates: 1925-1969, undated
Found in: City of Boston Archives / William Arthur Reilly collection

Filtered By

  • Type: Collection X

Additional filters:

Subject
Public schools 7
Schools 6
Litigation 5
Elections 2
School integration 2
∨ more
School management and organization 2
African Americans 1
Annual reports 1
Busing for school integration 1
Cocoanut Grove (Boston, Mass.) -- Fire, 1942 1
Contracts 1
Correspondence 1
Discrimination in education 1
Education -- Curricula 1
Education, Bilingual 1
Grants-in-aid 1
Hispanic Americans 1
Mayors -- Election 1
Mayors -- Massachusetts -- Boston 1
Minutes (Records) 1
∧ less
 

Staff Interface | ArchivesSpace.org | Hosted by LYRASIS LYRASIS Logo