For three hours, the committee listened to public testimony. When they finally voiced their own reactions, they offered conditional support.
When previous plans had come to the table, committee members had dismissed them quickly and adamantly.
Last night, they questioned the proposal on a variety of issues, including its ability to create educational equity within the district and the location of the Portuguese bilingual program.
As members of D’Alessandro’s administration defended their proposal, some committee members softened their opposition.
Even after saying he could “not support” the plan, Alfred B. Fantini later hinted that the plan had more potential than the others.
“It needs a major tweak,” he said.
—Staff writer Claire A. Pasternack can be reached at cpastern@fas.harvard.edu.