Meet Boston's new school superintendent

Also: What we learned from the P-town COVID outbreak; the promise of geothermal [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  June 30, 2022 ☀️ Sunny, with a high near 83. Good Morning Boston, We're capping off June with [yet another]( beautiful day. We [could use a little more rain]( but go savor this weather while you can, whether it's with a [run]( [walk]( or [book](. But before you do, here's today's news: - There's a new woman in charge of the nation's oldest school district. The Boston School Committee [voted 4-3 last night to select Mary Skipper to be replace the city's outgoing superintendent Brenda Cassellius](. Skipper, who has been Somerville's school superintendent since 2015, previously worked 18 years for Boston Public Schools as a teacher, principal and administrator. WBUR's Walter Wuthmann reports that Boston School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson cast the decisive vote, saying Skipper was the candidate most ready to "hit the ground running." She beat out fellow finalist Tommy Welch, a BPS regional superintendent for Charlestown, East Boston and North End. - The back story: [During her time at BPS]( Skipper helped launch and grow the TechBoston Academy, a pilot school in Dorchester that has seen notably high graduation rates and even once [caught the attention of former president Barack Obama](. And as a BPS administrator overseeing high schools, the district achieved its high graduation rates and lowest dropout rates in its history. - Skipper will officially begin work after negotiating and formally agreeing to a contract. And she'll have a lot on her plate when she does, since Boston reached a deal with state education officials on a "systemic improvement plan" to improve "longstanding deficiencies" at BPS in areas like transportation, data collection and special education services. WBUR's Max Larkin has [a great explainer on the four big takeaways from the last-minute deal](. - Massachusetts appears poised to limit the practice known as "[step therapy]( where insurance companies refuse to cover certain expensive prescription drugs unless patients try cheaper treatments first. The House unanimously passed a bill Wednesday to allow residents to bypass the protocols under certain scenarios. - Why? Critics say step therapy can sometimes force patients to [take out-of-date drugs or delay necessary treatment]( — or even force them to start over in the process if they change insurers. House Speaker Ron Mariano said Wednesday that "controlling costs should never come at the expense of positive patient outcomes." - To address those issues, the bill creates several exemptions allowing patients to opt out of the step therapy process if the cheaper alternative is expected to be ineffective, if the patient has previously tried the alternative or if switching from their current medication would be harmful. - What's next: The Senate unanimously [passed a similar bill in 2020]( though the chamber will have to act again this July to get the legislation to Gov. Charlie Baker's desk. A spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka told me she is "thrilled" the House has now moved to limit step therapy and looks forward to reviewing the bill. - After delaying the event due to COVID's winter surge, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will [finally celebrate her inauguration with a City Hall "block party" today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.]( filled with family-friendly activities, food, music — and just a little bit of controversy. - Not unlike her predecessors, Wu is primarily funding the inaugural event with donations from some of the city's most politically connected people and groups, from developers and lobbyists to the Red Sox and Patriots. - Why is that a problem? Walter Wuthmann [reports]( that privately funding the event creates the potential for conflicts of interest. - No more nips in Newton: Beginning today, the sales of little bottles of alcohol are banned in the city of over 88,000 people. - Newton is the largest city so far in Massachusetts to ban nips, though Quincy is also [considering following suit](. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, who has [advocated for bringing nips into the state's bottle redemption program]( says they've contributed to a lot a litter. P.S.— Today is the last day of WBUR's June fundraiser and we're about 75 people away from meeting our goal of 500 monthly donors. If WBUR and this newsletter are a lifeline for you, please [be a lifeline for us]( Become a member by [starting a monthly donation today!]( Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [A Provincetown outbreak upended the 'hot vax summer,' but showed how to contain COVID]( The Provincetown outbreak is seen as a critical moment in the pandemic. It showed that vaccines would not end COVID, but it also held lessons on how to contain the spread. [Read more.]( [A Provincetown outbreak upended the 'hot vax summer,' but showed how to contain COVID]( The Provincetown outbreak is seen as a critical moment in the pandemic. It showed that vaccines would not end COVID, but it also held lessons on how to contain the spread. [Read more.]( [Don't look up? Look down. Geothermal could help curb climate change]( The newest thing in ditching fossil fuels for heating and cooling may actually be old technology. Geothermal systems have been around for 70 years, and installers are finding ways to make them work for both commercial and residential uses. [Read more.]( [Don't look up? Look down. Geothermal could help curb climate change]( The newest thing in ditching fossil fuels for heating and cooling may actually be old technology. Geothermal systems have been around for 70 years, and installers are finding ways to make them work for both commercial and residential uses. [Read more.]( [Ketanji Brown Jackson to be sworn in as first Black woman on the Supreme Court]( Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden's first Supreme Court pick, will be sworn in as the 116th justice today at noon ET. She will be the first Black woman to serve on the nation's high court. [Read more.]( [Ketanji Brown Jackson to be sworn in as first Black woman on the Supreme Court]( Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden's first Supreme Court pick, will be sworn in as the 116th justice today at noon ET. She will be the first Black woman to serve on the nation's high court. [Read more.]( [After two years of COVID, many hospitals feel unprepared to manage future crises]( Many hospital leaders feel ill-equipped to face another public health emergency because their workforce is tired and depleted. [Read more.]( [After two years of COVID, many hospitals feel unprepared to manage future crises]( Many hospital leaders feel ill-equipped to face another public health emergency because their workforce is tired and depleted. [Read more.]( [On Martha's Vineyard, tribal elders work to restore land to its pre-colonial state]( On the island of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, members of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe are trying to restore land to the way it looked, smelled and sounded pre-colonialism. [Read more.]( [On Martha's Vineyard, tribal elders work to restore land to its pre-colonial state]( On the island of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, members of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe are trying to restore land to the way it looked, smelled and sounded pre-colonialism. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Here are [five things to do this Fourth of July weekend]( from the Roxbury Film Festival to the Boston Harborfest. The Brattle Theatre is commemorating the holiday weekend by [kicking off a 10-day run of films that celebrate both the joys and terrors of getting lost in America](. - Laura Tamman [writes in this commentary]( that, to be successful, the fight for abortion rights requires more men sharing their stories. - Two more to go: Here are [the final Supreme Court decisions we're still waiting on]( which are expected to come out today.  What We're Reading 📚 - Anatomy of a Product Placement ([The New York Times]( - Do you know where your chicken wings come from? Explosion of virtual restaurants fuels health concerns ([The Boston Globe]( - Jason Brassard Spent His Lifetime Collecting the Rarest Video Games. Until the Heist. ([Vanity Fair](  Tell Me Something Good [Atlantic White Shark Conservancy offers opportunity to see great whites up close this summer (CBS Boston)]( Starting next week, the conservancy is offering charter trips so guests can see the sharks in their natural habitat. [Read more.]( [Atlantic White Shark Conservancy offers opportunity to see great whites up close this summer (CBS Boston)]( Starting next week, the conservancy is offering charter trips so guests can see the sharks in their natural habitat. [Read more.]( Before you go: Who remembers [this iconic sign]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? 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