School Closings and Merges

The Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a long-term facilities action plan that includes major capital projects that will affect at least 20 school communities. These district-wide initiatives intend to address environmental concerns within school facilities and expand educational opportunities for students.

Some of the capital projects include closing and merging several public schools in the next few years. The process to merge schools has begun with the Sumner and Philbrick schools in Roslindale, the Shaw and Taylor schools in Dorchester and Mattapan, and the Hyde Park-based Boston Community Leadership Academy (BCLA) and the Dorchester-based McCormack school.

The Council wants Boston Public Schools to provide a listing of all school closings since 2010 by neighborhood, type of school, size, student demographics, the reason for closing, and the impact on marginalized students. The Council is also seeking data on the students attending any school proposed for closure or merger who have experienced the trauma of a previous school closing. In addition, the Council wants all school community meetings about closures and consolidation to be advertised at least ten days in advance and conducted in multiple languages and child care must be provided.