The Boston Public Schools Office of Capital Planning introduced a “Long-Term Facilities Plan” Jan. 22, outlining the closure of some schools and merging others.
The plan is set to be implemented by 2030, with the initial phase completed by the end of the 2026 academic year, BPS Chief of Capital Planning Del Stanislaus wrote in a statement to the Boston School Committee on Jan. 22.
During a BPS meeting on Jan. 7, Mayor Michelle Wu said the plan is a “mission to deliver the highest quality student experience for every student and family.”
The closures and mergers will save BPS an estimated $10 to 20 million, Stanislaus wrote.
Councilor Liz Breadon, who represents the Allston-Brighton district, said that by shutting schools, BPS can focus its funding on arts and athletics as well as improve educational quality.
“Given that the BPS budget is one-third of the City budget, I think it’s a very prudent move to try and reduce the number of buildings that we have to maintain,” Breadon said.
One of the schools slated for closure is the Mary Lyon Upper School, located in Breadon’s district. Breadon said the school’s declining enrollment in recent years has led to less resources for extracurricular activities, arts and other programs.
During the Jan. 7 meeting, Superintendent Mary Skipper outlined several other schools that will be closing by 2026, including Excel High School, Dever Elementary School and Community Academy. These schools received low scores in building infrastructure and are unable to offer students a high quality educational experience, she said.
Additionally, Winthrop and Clap Elementary Schools will be relocated and merged into one school — the Lilla G. Frederick school, Skipper said.
By 2030, BPS plans to close approximately five to seven additional schools at the elementary level and an additional three to seven schools at the high school level, Skipper said.
The new BPS framework was developed through “extensive community input,” including 10,000 surveys and hundreds of focus groups with stakeholders such as students and their families, Skipper said.
One of the concerns about the plan is how the closures and mergers will affect teachers and students.
Skipper said BPS has plans to provide support for teachers in the same way it will assist students transitioning to new schools after closures.
The closures and mergers will be phased in over the next 18 months, a timeline designed to allow current juniors and seniors to graduate without disruption. Incoming freshmen will not be assigned to any schools slated for closure, reducing the number of students impacted by the transition, Skipper said.
“We’ll work through [this process] with every staff that’s impacted, just like we will with every student,” Skipper said.
