Chapter 8: The Chelsea Story: Where to from Here?

The preceding chapters tell some of the Chelsea story: how political patronage, the venality of city fathers, indifference to immigrants, and the overall neglect of governance for education were uprooted by a major and unique reform effort. In 2008, the City of Chelsea, under a city manager system, enjoys balanced budgets, intelligent commercial and domestic development, a committed and experienced body of governors on its City Council and School Committee, and increasingly hopeful social and fiscal prospects. The school system itself has joined the ranks of other Massachusetts urban communities mounting major efforts to close the educational achievement gaps for immigrants, the urban poor, and children of color. The Chelsea Public Schools are no longer a waif in the family of Massachusetts school systems; no longer are Chelsea’s children doomed by indifference and incompetence.