Richard Harding
He/Him
Currently: Incumbent
Also: Manager at Cambridge Public Health; Owner of Green Soul dispensary
Election history: Seeking ninth School Committee term
He/Him
Currently: Incumbent
Also: Manager at Cambridge Public Health; Owner of Green Soul dispensary
Election history: Seeking ninth School Committee term
Richard Harding is a lifelong resident of Cambridge and both a graduate and parent of a graduate of the Cambridge Public Schools. He is a public health employee, has worked in nonprofits, and is a small business owner -- of the Green Soul marijuana dispensary in Central Square.
Richard held a seat on the School Committee for seven terms ending in 2017, before an unsuccessful bid for City Council. He successfully ran for School Committee again in 2023, and is now seeking his ninth term.
Richard Harding emphasizes the need to hold teachers accountable, both for good and bad performance, and that measuring student achievement is central to that aim. He also stresses the need to support those same educators with professional development. He is in favor of maintaining the pathway to algebra by or before 8th grade. Richard has spoken at length about the difficulty of teaching generally, and in particular differentiated instruction, when there are numerous aptitude levels in one classroom.
He cites "social promotion" as a driver of this variance, a process where students graduate from one grade to the next without demonstrating the academic achievement necessary for that promotion, rather than being held back.
Richard views closing the achievement gap as CPS's number one priority. He wants to elevate Rindge School of Technical Arts, and generally revisit programs that are not working.
He was one of two votes against the FY2026 budget. He has spoken against bike lanes in the past, and was a signatory to a 2022 petition against bike lanes.
The notion that we can decide that there's some arbitrary place that excellent instruction can be measured in other ways other than student achievement drives me absolutely crazy.
The reality is that most teachers want to be evaluated. Most teachers want professional development. And I'm hopeful that all teachers want to make sure that each and every kid in their classroom meets their academic potential. But this isn't a nice guy's game. You have to press people. You have to hold them accountable.
There are way more cars than bikes. I don’t say that because I’m anti-bike—because I’m not—and I’m not anti-pedestrian. But the truth is, where they’ve done some of these projects, particularly the protected bike lanes, it’s been a horrible planning process and no one’s been held accountable.
Unfortunately a 12 year-old in Mumbai probably has a better chance at working in Kendall Square than some of our kids because, in my estimation, we're not preparing our kids for the STEM and life sciences that are right here in our back yard.
Harding also mentioned that Murphy is willing to lose the job to do the right thing, and that deeply matters to him.
| Organization | Cambridge? | Union? | View |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Citizens Coalition | |||
| Cambridge Advanced Learners Association | this cycle |
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
Incumbent Richard Harding Jr. also called out the racial achievement gap an injustice in his speech.
“We live in the most innovative square mile in the world, and the reality is that a kid in Mumbai has a better chance of working in Kendall Square than a kid at one of our schools,” he said.
Oct. 10, 2025 — Dionise Guerra-CarrilloIncumbent Richard Harding Jr. also called out the racial achievement gap an injustice in his speech.
“We live in the most innovative square mile in the world, and the reality is that a kid in Mumbai has a better chance of working in Kendall Square than a kid at one of our schools,” he said.
Harding defended the superintendent search process, saying that he felt it was more nuanced than the public gave credit for. He added that the School Committee had always “reserved the right” to redo the process if unsatisfied with their final candidate.
Oct. 3, 2025 — Ayaan Ahmad and Claire A. MichalHarding defended the superintendent search process, saying that he felt it was more nuanced than the public gave credit for. He added that the School Committee had always “reserved the right” to redo the process if unsatisfied with their final candidate.
Harding added that while CPS should recognize unique factors that impact particular students' progress in the classroom, the district should also ensure that all students are held to the same standards.
“Don’t worry about this,‘We don’t want to give them too much homework, we don’t know what they’re doing at home.’ Give them homework,” Harding said.
Oct. 3, 2025 — Ayaan Ahmad and Claire A. MichalHarding added that while CPS should recognize unique factors that impact particular students' progress in the classroom, the district should also ensure that all students are held to the same standards.
“Don’t worry about this,‘We don’t want to give them too much homework, we don’t know what they’re doing at home.’ Give them homework,” Harding said.
“They’ll say a lot of things about me. I’m not always the nicest guy, but they cannot dispute the facts, and that's where I lie. I’m not here to be nice. I’m here to be effective,” Harding said.
Oct. 3, 2025 — Ayaan Ahmad and Claire A. Michal“They’ll say a lot of things about me. I’m not always the nicest guy, but they cannot dispute the facts, and that's where I lie. I’m not here to be nice. I’m here to be effective,” Harding said.
While School Committee members were made aware of both the scam and the domestic abuse allegations earlier this summer, the group has yet to take public action based on the allegations.
According to the same district official, the School Committee decided to refrain from public comment based on informal advice from a city attorney. The official said members were advised to refrain from commenting publicly on the private lives of candidates, since it could leave the body vulnerable to a lawsuit.
Oct. 1, 2025 — Shawn A. BoehmerWhile School Committee members were made aware of both the scam and the domestic abuse allegations earlier this summer, the group has yet to take public action based on the allegations.
According to the same district official, the School Committee decided to refrain from public comment based on informal advice from a city attorney. The official said members were advised to refrain from commenting publicly on the private lives of candidates, since it could leave the body vulnerable to a lawsuit.
"I don’t think we’ve ever passed the budget where we had no discussion,” he said. “We passed a more than a quarter billion dollar budget tonight, and we didn’t say a word about it.
April 2, 2025 — Claire A. Michal"I don’t think we’ve ever passed the budget where we had no discussion,” he said. “We passed a more than a quarter billion dollar budget tonight, and we didn’t say a word about it.