Brockton High School

As schools shut down for the pandemic in 2020, evaluators from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education finished their six-year review of the Brockton Public Schools. The reviewers were critical of the district.

Since January, Brockton High School Principal Kevin McCaskill has been rebuilding the foundation for quality public education in the City of Champions. He is confident that a critical mass of teachers, administrators and parents will come together to support student learning.

The Brockton NAACP hosted a candidate forum last week to help fill a vacancy on the school board at a time when the city’s schools are navigating a financial crisis and mounting frustration from parents over the state of public education in the majority-Black city.

To understand the turmoil at Brockton High School, study the school system’s budget woes. Short of cash for the second year, Brockton’s teaching corps is overwhelmed amid an $18.3 million deficit.

Gov. Maura Healey rejected calls this week to deploy National Guard troops to patrol the hallways of troubled Brockton High School where assaults, threats and drug use have mounted after staffing cuts and teacher absences.