Community members made their plea to the Boston Public Schools (BPS) Committee to keep Charlestown High School open.
Under a new proposal from Boston City leaders, Charlestown High and two other schools would close in June 2028.
Several students shared their stories at Wednesday night’s meeting in hopes of saving their school.
“I want to continue going here,” a student said. “I want to be an alumni, and continue to come back for reunions. I love this school, as do so many others, so I am begging you to listen to us. When you look at Charlestown High on paper, it’s easy to assume we are not a good school just because we have low enrollment rates, but what you see on paper does not capture what happens in our classrooms every day.”
Erik Berg, the President of the Boston Teachers Union, also spoke in opposition to the closure plans.
“The proposed closures will not only affect the 776 students who attend these schools but also 193 educators, including teachers who have been part of these school communities for many years, in some cases decades,” Berg said.
BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper said the proposal to close the school comes from a significant drop in enrollment numbers.
“To be clear, these recommendations are not a reflection of the care, expertise and dedication of our school leaders, educators and staff that they bring to our schools and classrooms every day,” Skipper said.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu supports the proposal.
“For too long we have been kicking the can down the road and seeing public education dollars going to keeping half-empty buildings open,” Wu said. “We want these spaces to be ones where students can access the fullest range of opportunities, and that means making some hard decisions sometimes.”