Mayor Michelle Wu has appointed Chantal Lima Barbosa to fill the open School Committee seat ahead of the coming school year, city officials announced Wednesday, making her the first Cabo Verdean woman to serve on the board.
“Chantal is a dedicated public servant whose education background, experience as a BPS alum from an immigrant family and love for BPS communities will benefit all BPS families, educators, and staff,” Wu said in the announcement Wednesday.
Lima Barbosa will fill the seat left open after committee member Lorena Lopera announced her resignation in June. Applications opened in mid-July and were reviewed by the Boston School Committee Nominating Panel.
The new member will serve out the remainder of Lopera’s four-year term ending on Jan. 1, 2024, after which she may be re-appointed to serve a full term.
Lima Barbosa is the daughter of Cabo Verdean immigrants and lived there with her parents until the family moved to Boston in 2010, the city release stated.
Spoken by 7% of BPS families, Cabo Verdean Creole is the third most common home language among BPS families, behind English and Spanish, the city release noted.
She graduated from BPS’s Jeremiah Burke High School as valedictorian in 2012, going on to earn a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Masters of Higher Education and Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the release said.
Lima Barbosa went on to work at local nonprofit Kriola’s Professional Association, then was appointed liaison to the Dorchester and the Cabo Verdean communities in the Office of Neighborhood Services and liaison to the City Council in the Office of Intergovernmental Relations.
In July 2023, she was hired as a director of recruitment for Duet, a higher education coaching nonprofit connected to Southern New Hampshire University.
Both BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper and School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson praised the appointment and Lima Barbosa’s work in statements.
“Chantal is a BPS graduate, a dedicated public servant, and a tireless advocate for public education,” said Skipper. “Through her work both for the City of Boston and for nonprofits, Chantal has devoted her career to improving the lives of Boston’s young people.”
The appointment comes on the heels of continued pushes to end mayoral school committee appointment and move to an elected school committee. Boston’s is the only district in Massachusetts with an unelected school governing board and one of a handful of major cities left using the model.
Voters supported a nonbinding ballot question on switching to an elected school committee by 88% in 2021, and the mayor vetoed the latest City Council plan to elect members in February.
In a statement, Lima Barbosa said she is honored to fill the seat.
“I still remember my first day at the Burke as if it was yesterday, and I’m humbled to now be sitting at such a critical table amplifying the experiences and voices of so many students, advocates, and families just like mine,” said Lima Barbosa. “This is a huge responsibility that I do not take lightly.”