Holyoke Public Schools

The Holyoke Public Schools and its teachers union have reached a tentative agreement, following a year of contract negotiations.

For nearly a year, teachers in Holyoke, Massachusetts, have been without a contract.Throughout that time, negotiations between their union and district leadership have been start and stop, with the plot seemingly thickening last week amid rumors of a strike.

Less than a year after regaining control of its own school district, the school committee in Holyoke, Mass., marked a new milestone Thursday night. Following a monthslong search, committee members selected a new, permanent superintendent. As WAMC reports, the candidate is more than familiar with both the city and the school district’s struggles.

The city of Holyoke is once again in charge of its school system, with Tuesday, July 1, marking the first day of the district returning to local control following ten years under state receivership.

Massachusetts has officially determined Holyoke Public Schools can exit receivership, after a decade under state control. Local leaders say there’s plenty of work ahead, but there’s much to celebrate in the meantime.

The city of Holyoke is on track to regain control of its schools for the first time in a decade, exiting receivership in two months. Before that happens, though, city and state leaders have agreed on several “exit assurances,” leading to protests by the local teachers' union.

A program that puts free books in the hands of young students and their teachers recently arrived in Holyoke - complete with a celebration featuring the governor.

As Holyoke’s school district gets closer to exiting state receivership, its school committee has appointed an interim superintendent ahead of a return to local control.

Massachusetts education leaders convened this week at Holyoke High School — whose district is months away from a potential exit from state control.

With a provisional decision in hand, local leaders gathered in Holyoke Wednesday to celebrate the local school district coming closer than ever to exiting receivership.