Jane Hirschi
She/Her
Currently: Interim directory The Elliot School, musiConnects
Election history: 1st-time candidate for School Committee
She/Her
Currently: Interim directory The Elliot School, musiConnects
Election history: 1st-time candidate for School Committee
Jane Hirschi has lived in Cambridge since 1993 and raised two daughters who attended Cambridge Public Schools from pre-k through high school.
She founded CitySprouts in 2001 and served as its executive director for 23 years, building schoolyard gardens at every Cambridge elementary school and creating programs that integrate nature-based, hands-on learning into the classroom. Since stepping down from her role in 2023, she’s continued to work with local nonprofits through an executive placement firm, currently serving as interim director at The Elliot School of Fine and Applied Arts in Boston and musiConnects in Roslandale.
She has won several awards for her work including the 2022 Cambridge Chamber of Commerce Inspire Award and Massachusetts Horticultural Society 2016 Silver Medal Award. Hirschi is the author of Ripe for Change (2015) and We Garden Together (2023).
Jane Hirschi wants to revise the relationship between School Councils and the Committee, protect students from in-school distractions, and expand STEAM programming, particularly in the lower grades.
Jane is a fan of the inclusive classroom model and project-based learning.
My answer is: differentiated instruction. It's not a pipe dream. Um it's something I think all teachers are already doing. They're teaching a curriculum that's not designed for differentiated instruction. A good teacher is already doing that with the various students in their in their room. But intentional differentiated instruction is designed to help a teacher meet a range of needs, both academic needs, but also special education needs in the classroom.
I believe in an inclusive classroom model.
Inclusive classrooms do not work in every school.
It is possible, it can work, and I acknowledge that it does not always work. Do we double down on serving all kids, or do we retreat from that, to separating kids out by how they do on tests?
| Organization | Cambridge? | Union? | View |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Citizens Coalition | |||
| Cambridge Education Association |
Pedestrian and cycling safety, policy, infrastructure, governance
Pedestrian and cycling safety, policy, infrastructure, governance
If Cambridge schools should adopt (or adhere to possible state adoption) of the IHRA definition
If Cambridge schools should adopt (or adhere to possible state adoption) of the IHRA definition
Forum run by the Cambridge Education Association union
Forum run by the Cambridge Education Association union
A two-panel candidate night hosted by the Cambridge Advanced Learning Association focused on achievement gaps and advanced learners.
A two-panel candidate night hosted by the Cambridge Advanced Learning Association focused on achievement gaps and advanced learners.
Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association School Committee Candidate Night 2025
Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association School Committee Candidate Night 2025
I love our Cambridge Public Schools, and I feel like I’ve got the skills and the experience and desire to make them better, protect the things that I think are important in our schools, and to work on some of the issues that I think keep them from being as good as they could be,” she said.
Oct. 31, 2025I love our Cambridge Public Schools, and I feel like I’ve got the skills and the experience and desire to make them better, protect the things that I think are important in our schools, and to work on some of the issues that I think keep them from being as good as they could be,” she said.
Hirschi, a Cambridge resident for more than 30 years, said a background in nonprofit work has conditioned her to fight for the needs of Cambridge children and their education. Decades of experience in “garden education,” as well as putting her two daughters through the school system has resulted in her “knowing Cambridge schools well,” she said.
July 8, 2025 — Meg RichardsHirschi, a Cambridge resident for more than 30 years, said a background in nonprofit work has conditioned her to fight for the needs of Cambridge children and their education. Decades of experience in “garden education,” as well as putting her two daughters through the school system has resulted in her “knowing Cambridge schools well,” she said.