Katie McDermott, education and public policy, gave a lecture on on April 14, 2025 at the Holyoke Public Library titled "The Holyoke Public Schools and the Tax Override Votes of 1991." McDermott's co-presenter was Willow Kwak, daughter of former public policy faculty member Sylvia Brandt. McDermott and Kwak explained how city voters' rejection of three tax overrides on behalf of the public schools reflected economic issues, demographic change, and mistrust of the schools' leadership, along with obstacles to voting for the city's Puerto Rican population. Holyoke's three failed overrides led to state policy that set the stage for putting the Holyoke Public Schools into state receivership.
Katie McDermott lectures on education policy history at Holyoke Public Library
