Newton's Matt Hills chaired a state committee that met Wednesday, Oct. 14, to vote on assessing Massachusetts Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez.
The four-member Commissioner's Performance Evaluation Committee convened virtually from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. to consider a recommendation to the full Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), according to the meeting agenda. The sole agenda item was a "Recommendation to Board for Commissioner Assessment," listed for discussion and vote.
Newton holds half the panel's seats. Hills, who serves as BESE vice-chair, chairs the committee. Dr. Martin West, a Harvard Graduate School of Education professor who lives in Newton with his two sons in public schools, is also a member. The other two members are Dr. Ericka Fisher of Worcester and Kristen Smidy of Westfield.
The vote result was not publicly available as of publication.
The Oct. 14 session followed a discussion-only meeting on Sept. 11. A follow-up session scheduled for Sept. 17 was cancelled, according to the committee's agenda page for that date. The October meeting marked the first time the panel had a vote on its agenda.
Hills served on the Newton School Committee from 2010 to 2018, serving as chair and as chair of the collective bargaining team, according to his BESE biography. All four of his children attended Newton Public Schools.
Newton's reach on the full BESE board extends beyond the evaluation committee. The 11-member board includes a third Newton resident, Farzana Mohamed, according to October board documents. Any recommendation from the evaluation panel would go to that full board for action.
Three of the board's 11 members live in Newton.
