The City of Seattle, Washington is considering following the model of Boston and some other cities across the United States in granting the Mayor control of appointees to the city's School Committee. This past Monday, The Seattle Times wrote about Seattle Mayor's Greg Nickels efforts and looked back to Boston as the first city to do this, in the early 1990s. Councillor Tobin commented on Boston's results in the piece.

Boston City Councilor John Tobin, who leads the council's Education Committee, said he often gets calls from frustrated parents who can't contact School Board members.

"There's little room for debate and discussion" with the appointed board, he said. "I'd like to broaden it so there's more neighborhood representation."

Councillor Tobin has repeatedly sponsored efforts to increase the visibility and interaction of the public with the Boston School Committee, including resolutions unanimously passed by the City Council urging the School Committee to broadcast its meetings on local television. Councillor Tobin has also sponsored legislation to have School Committee members appointed by City Council district to ensure better city-wide representation and accountability. Currently, there are a number of Council districts with no representative on the Committee.