BOSTON (WHDH) - The oldest public school district in the country could undergo a radical change in the coming years, according to a new long term plan by the Boston Public Schools.
The 80-page report was released on Wednesday and details a possible plan to close or consolidate half the district’s 119 schools, although it does not name specific schools.
While the Boston Public Schools would have fewer schools with more students, the plan outlines ideas for better facilities and programs to better help students.
“Previous efforts have sometimes fallen short, in part because we have often avoided telling hard truths.” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper and School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson wrote in an opening letter attached to the report. “Together, we aim to reverse that trend.”
“Shifting our physical footprint will be uncomfortable and will cause disruption,” officials continued. “Mergers and closures are difficult, and new construction and renovation projects take longer than any of us would like.”
The hard truths officials referenced include a 13% decline in enrollment in the last decade, according to district numbers.
Hard truths also include federal scrutiny for unreliable student data and the fact that Boston has the highest spending per student of any district in the country while having some of the worst test scores in a decade, according to state data.
Aging school facilities are also a topic of concern, with two thirds of Boston schools being at least 80 years old. More than half were built before World War II.
Boston Teachers Union President Jessica Tang responded to the district’s new long term plan in a statement Wednesday.
“It’s good to have a blueprint for what to expect in the future — but educators, students and parents want to know how this is going to impact each specific school, and that unknown is absolutely causing a lot of justified anxiety,” Tang said. “It all comes down to how these plans end up being implemented.”
Beyond not mentioning which schools could be closed, the new report is short on specifics regarding the new programs it references.
Now moving forward, next steps in this process include more proposals through March and April ahead of Boston’s budget planning in the spring.
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