Quincy mayor overrides School Committee vote on Lunar New Year holiday

Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch signed a law establishing a Lunar New Year holiday in the city’s public schools, ultimately overriding a vote from the School Committee.

The new law came after hundreds of residents spoke out in favor of the holiday. The school district will follow Brookline, Hopkinton, and Wayland, who also take the day off from school. 

Residents were disappointed after the Quincy School Committee voted on April 10 not to include the holiday in the school calendar. 

At a May 6 City Council meeting, council members unanimously passed an order to recognize the Lunar New Year, bringing the issue back to the spotlight and bypassing the ruling made by the School Committee.

Now, School Committee members are questioning whether it was legal to override their authority. 

“The Council has exercised its rightful legislative authority on an issue it feels strongly about — nothing more, nothing less,” said Mayor Koch, who also chairs the School Committee, in a statement. “I respect that authority; I support their position.”

What happened at the School Committee meeting? 

During the start of the April 10 School Committee meeting, members listened to 45 minutes of public support for the holiday. 

Messages from the public included being inclusive and equitable and allowing students to celebrate the significant holiday with family members. Some even mentioned that those who attend school on the Lunar New Year say it wastes time because half the students are missing. 

School Committee member Courtney Perdios spoke in favor of including the holiday, saying that she has not heard anyone reach out in opposition. 

“The only concerns I have heard have been in this room by this committee,” Perdios said during the meeting. “Continuing to not observe Lunar New Year to me shows that we are continuing to show that we do not know how to be fully inclusive and equitable.” 

Koch also spoke in favor of adding the holiday, especially since snow days are a rarity and there is less chance of pushing the school year further into the summer. 

“It’s that issue of going the extra mile and honoring the newest immigrant group in our city,” he said during the meeting. 

However, the other four School Committee members disagreed, asking why they would highlight one culture over another. 

School Committee member Douglas Gutro said that the school district already allows excused absences for other major holidays, such as the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Fitr. 

“But my feeling is that if we chose to celebrate one culture or religious holiday over another, then we should make it a city-wide holiday, so an entire family can celebrate,” Gutro said. “I respect all cultures. I support the calendar as is.”

Why the City Council overturned the decision

Quincy At-large Councillor Nina Liang brought the order forward following the overwhelming support from residents for the holiday. 

It’s about “making sure that their voices are being heard,” Liang said at the meeting. 

With advice from the city solicitor, Liang learned that the council could make the Lunar New Year a legal holiday by amending the order. The council cannot dictate the entire school department calendar but can recognize a holiday that will close the schools. 

At-large Councillor Noel DiBona noted that of the over 10,000 students in the Quincy Public Schools, 39.5% are of Asian descent, which is over 4,000 students. 

Most notably, North Quincy High School is 54% Asian, Atlantic Middle School is 60% Asian, and Central Middle School is 48% Asian. The elementary schools are even higher, with Montclair at 64%, Wollaston and Parker at 60%, and Beechwood Knoll at 59%. 

DiBona received over 200 emails supporting the initiative and does not recall another time when he got this much communication over a topic. 

“I’m very excited for this. I think it is long overdue,” said At-large Councillor Scott Campbell. “It places a decision between education or family, and we can take that out of the equation here.”

What’s next? 

At a May 8 School Committee meeting, Vice-Chair Tina Cahill asked to make a motion to seek independent legal counsel and, if necessary, funding to express an opinion on the City Council vote. 

However, she was stopped for her actions since they were against the Open Meeting Law. 

Cahill will raise the issue of obtaining legal counsel at the next School Committee meeting. The agenda for May 22 did not include it. 

“It was a violation for the City Council to do what they did, frankly,” said member Paul Bregoli. “I think they were out of order. I was brought to tears when I heard what the City Council did to undermine this body that works very hard.”

Member Emily Lebo agreed. “I think this is going to have repercussions across the state,” Lebo said. “I’ve talked to colleagues on other school committees, and they are appalled that it happened and could happen. What does a school committee have the authority to do when an outside body can change things — this has big implications.”