Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)

English Language Learners/Bilingual Education Advisory Council

Under Massachusetts General Laws (c. 15, §1G), the Department is required to establish and maintain a bilingual education Advisory Council. The English Learners/Bilingual Education Advisory Council's role is to advise the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Commissioner on matters pertaining to the education of English Language Learners (ELLs) in Massachusetts' public schools. Specifically, the Council will:

assess statewide trends and needs
seek public and professional input
analyze information regarding education of ELs
advise and make recommendations regarding legislation, regulations, and program guidelines
provide other programmatic recommendations as it deems necessary to fulfill the goals established by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Council Members

The EL/Bilingual Education Advisory Council is composed of members recommended by the Commissioner and appointed by the Board of Education. Appointment to the Council is for a three-year term, and no member may serve more than two consecutive terms. Membership is presently comprised of local education officials, teachers, parents, students, and representatives from higher education. A list of current council members follows:

First	Last	Title	Affiliation
Monica	Abdullah	Special Education/Vocational Tech Educator	The Center School Holyoke
Anis	Abdulle	Chair of the Board of Directors	African Community and Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE)
Meg	Burns	President, MABE	Lesley University / MABE
Winki	Chan	Director of Education and Family Engagement	The Welcome Project, Somerville
Craig	Consigli	Assistant Superintendent	Milford Public Schools
Monica	Gonzalez	ELPAC Chair	Natick Public Schools
Kellie	Jones	Director of Bilingual Education	Brockton Public Schools
Meghan	Lampert	English Learner Teacher	Chatham Elementary School
Kerri	Lamprey	Director of English Learner Education	Burlington Public Schools
Tatiana	Lara Melendez	ELPAC Chair	Leominster Public Schools
Christine	Leider	Assistant Professor, UMB / Vice-President, MATSOL	University of Massachusetts Boston / MATSOL
Heidys	Mendez	High School Guidance Counselor	Lawrence Public Schools
Ahmed	Noor	Director of EL Community Outreach	Boston Public Schools
Andrea	Parker	Senior Statewide Family Engagement	Federation for Children with Special Needs
Antonina	Parris	Dean of Student Supports	Excel Academy Charter Schools
Mary Jo	Rendón	Family/Community Engagement Specialist	Waltham School District
Taran	Tiwari	Nepali Parent Liaison	Springfield Public Schools

Names of council co-chairpersons appear in bold type.

Meeting Schedule for the 2021-2022 School Year

The EL/Bilingual Education Advisory Council will meet on the following dates during the 2021-2022 school year:

Date	Time	Location
10/20/2021	10:00 am – 12:00 pm	This meeting is being held remotely. If you would like to attend please email David.Valade@mass.gov for the ZOOM link.
2/16/2022	10:00 am – 12:00 pm	This meeting is being held remotely. If you would like to attend please email David.Valade@mass.gov for the ZOOM link.
5/16/2022	10:00 am – 12:00 pm	This meeting is being held remotely. If you would like to attend please email Allison.E.Balter@mass.gov for the ZOOM link.

All meetings will take place virtually via Zoom unless otherwise noted. Final links and proposed agenda topics will be posted on the EL/Bilingual Education Advisory Council webpage at least 48 hours before each meeting.

Contact Information

781-338-6711

David.Valade@mass.gov

Last Updated: May 10, 2022