School Committee Keeps Randomization

In its most important vote this year, the Cambridge School Committee brokered a deal on parental choice at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) in a marathon eight-hour meeting Tuesday night, avoiding the threatened resignation of the school's principal and partially patching up a deep divide within the committee.

After two hours of highly visible public maneuvering, members hammered out a last-ditch compromise, extending a system that randomizes the placement of new high school students for two more years. The measure--passed by a five to two vote at 2:15 a.m. yesterday morning--leaves the committee's options open for whether or not to reinstate choice in the future.

Wrangling over the language of the final measure came after six hours of public testimony from parents, students, teachers and community members. About 300 people packed the committee meeting room at CRLS, and nearly 100 people signed up to speak.

The vast majority came to support Superintendent of Schools Bobbie J. D'Alessandro and CRLS Principal Paula M. Evans, both of whom favor randomization and had felt seriously undermined by the committee's four to three decision on Jan. 23 which effectively reestablished parental choice at the school next year.

Though members urged compromise last night, most seemed resigned to a repeat of the Jan. 23 vote.

"The consequences of not coming together on this are going to be disastrous," Grassi said. "We're at an impasse in the school district."

But Mayor Anthony D. Galluccio--whose first major vote as chair of the School Committee last spring was to pass the CRLS redesign--said he was intent on reaching an accord last night.

And eventually he got it--but only after countless amendments were proposed and board members exchanged some sharp words.

When committee member Alfred B. Fantini tried to strike a key provision that board member Alice L. Turkel had said she favored, Turkel lost patience.

"Why don't you leave it in there?" she said. "It's two o'clock in the morning, Fred."

Fantini withdrew his amendment.

Right until the end, compromise was in doubt.

As the meeting stretched into its seventh and eighth hours, the crowd thinned. At least 50 people remained to the final vote, though they grew restless and hostile by the end. Members of the largely pro-randomization audience booed and hissed when Walser offered an amendment to assure choice.

When the possibilities seemed bleakest and the committee began roll-call votes on a doomed version of the accord, D'Alessandro whispered, "Please don't do this. Oh, God."

And then, as the committee was just about to take a final vote that likely would have repeated the Jan. 23 decision, Turkel--the crucial swing vote--offered a last-minute amendment to salvage a compromise shortly after 2 a.m.

In what Turkel called a "huge concession," the measure does not guarantee that parental choice will return in 2003-04.

But she also gained a provision ensuring that the School Committee would be able to shape future small school assignments at CRLS. The measure passed last night requires D'Alessandro to propose a new plan by April for assigning students to small schools at CRLS, even though the plan would not take effect for two more years and would not be required to consider parental choice.

But while E. Denise Simmons and Turkel changed their votes, committee members Susana M. Segat and Nancy Walser voted against last night's measure, saying they wanted assurances from administrators that parental choice would factor into assignments at CRLS in the future. They also objected that administrators had left plans for the development of the five small schools too vague.

"You can't stop choice. You must deal with it," Walser said.

But on that point D'Alessandro said she would not concede, insisting that the committee not require that CRLS adopt choice in the future. She said she would engage CRLS parents, students and teachers in a discussion this spring about the future of school choice but wants to preserve flexibility for high school administrators.

"I will guarantee the conversation. I will not guarantee the result," D'Alessandro said to loud and prolonged applause.

--Staff writer Andrew S. Holbrook can be reached at holbr@fas.harvard.edu.