School superintendent vows look at embedding mental-health and other counselors in schools, greater emphasis on elementary-school science

New BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius says that as she continues to get up to speed on her $1.1-billion, 54,000-student system, she has already come up with some ideas to explore.

At a press briefing yesterday, Cassellius said she wants to look at expanding the "full service community school" concept in use at the Gardner Pilot Academy in Brighton, by giving local non-profit counseling groups offices right in the school to better serve students and parents deal with issues that extend beyond school hours. The Boston Teachers Union has expressed interest in working on the model, she said.

Cassellius said she is also looking at expanding science education at the elementary level, in particular engineering.

The main purpose of the briefing was to discuss Casellius's first 100 days in office while school is in session, during which Cassellius will focus on visiting all 125 of Boston's public schools to meet with educators. She joked she's bought a new pair of sneakers in preparation. Coupled with more than 65 meetings she's already had with parents and other Bostonians, Casellius will use the trips to help develop a budget and long-term plans for the system.

Casellius said that overall, parents had several priorities for her: They want more teachers "reflective of the student population," they want to make the system more accessible for students whose first language is not English and they want high-quality schools closer to their homes.

Cassellius said she's already agreed to expand the department's communications office to better keep parents informed and will expand the use of translation services at meetings in the system, in which 42% of students speak a language other than English at home. She vowed a similar push to better integrate students with disabilities into classrooms. She added that the heads of the system's English-learning and special-education now report directly to her.

Other topics

Cassellius said she is "cautiously optimistic" that yellow school-bus routes will roll out without major problems when school starts next Thursday. She said that with a couple of months of Boston driving experience under her belt, she is particularly impressed with the ability of school-bus drivers to navigate our clogged, narrow roads. "I can hardly get through some of these streets" in a car, she said.

She said she has not devoted any time yet to the issue of entrance to the city's three exam schools since she expressed some concern in July about the cost of the ISEE exam now used to help determine who gets in.