Newton's City Council is reviewing the exact rules that determine who runs your public schools — how the School Committee is structured, who gets a vote, and what power it actually holds over the superintendent and school budget. Wednesday's meeting turns to that section specifically, and the committee has a hard deadline to finish the whole review by Aug. 17.

The School Committee currently has nine members: one elected from each of Newton's eight wards, plus the mayor, who votes too. Members serve two-year terms and can't run for a fifth straight term. The committee's power includes hiring and firing the superintendent, setting rules for how schools are run, and approving the entire school department budget — decisions that shape every classroom in the district.

The council has now held this docket four separate times since March without taking action — 8-0, then 7-0, then 7-0 again. No draft changes to how the School Committee works have been made public yet, so whether this ends in real reform or just reaffirms the status quo is still an open question. But the review can't stall forever: the committee must report back to the full council by Aug. 17.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Room 211 at Newton City Hall. Join via Zoom (Meeting ID: 817 5868 8481, phone 1-646-558-8656) or watch on NewTV (Comcast 9, RCN 13, Verizon 33) and its YouTube channel.