FINAL: 5/22 Capital Planning Presentation

Realizing Our Vision:

Proposals for School Year 25-26

May 22, 2024

VISION

Collectively, we want students

to learn in schools that provide

rigorous and culturally

afﬁrming learning experiences,

provide access to wellness and

enrichment, contain a

supportive network of caring

adults, and have the physical

spaces to support all aspects of

a student’s education – the four

components of the BPS

High-Quality Student

Experience (HQSE).

Realizing our vision

• May 8, 2024: Laying the Foundation: Historical Context

• May 22, 2024: Realizing our Vision: Proposals for SY 2025-26

• June 17, 2024: School Committee Vote on Proposals

• Summer & Fall 2024: Planning transitions with impacted school

communities

● Inclusive Education & Equitable Literacy

● Expanding Bilingual Education, SLIFE &

Newcomer Programming

● Strengthening the Secondary School

Ecosystem

● Expanding Community Hub Schools

Well-Rounded BPS Ecosystem

Increase number of seats that support the High-Quality Student Experience

for every student in the district.

● New Builds and Renovations

● Closures, Consolidations and Mergers

● Better Utilizing Existing School

Buildings to Deliver HQSE

Aligning our work to our vision

● Strategic expansion of high quality seats

● Minimize student transitions and provide

strong school choices

● Create New Programming for

Multilingual Learners and Students with

Disabilities, Ages 19-22

● Rethinking Assignment and Special

Education Policies

Investing in Our Facilities

Create and Improve Academic

& Enrichment Programs

Structural Changes

Create and Improve Academic

& Enrichment Programs

Levers for Delivering on our Academic Vision:

• Inclusive Education and Equitable Literacy

• Expanding Community Hub Schools

• Expanding Bilingual Education, SLIFE &

Newcomer Programming

• Strengthening the Secondary School

Ecosystem

Inclusive Education & Equitable Literacy

Universal

Expectations and

Progress Monitoring

Quarterly Reviews

Inclusive

Education

High Quality

Instructional Materials

and Rigorous

Academic Pathways

implemented well for

all students

Quality School Plans

with customized and

aligned goals to the

Universal Expectations

Responsive and

Differentiated

Instructional

Practices to support

every student

Expanding Community Hub Schools

In SY24-25, 6 additional schools will become

hub school sites:

● Recently merged school communities

○ Shaw-Taylor

○ Philbrick-Sumner, and

○ Ruth Batson Academy (formerly

BCLA-McCormack)

● Hennigan (after SY24-25)

A process to identify an additional two schools is

currently underway.

Our Community Hub Schools are guided by six key practices - powerful student and family

engagement; collaborative leadership and shared power and voice; expanded and enriched

learning and opportunities; rigorous, community-connected classroom instruction; culture of

belonging, safety, and care; and integrated systems of support.

In SY23-24, there are 14 Community Hub Schools supported by

Community Hub School Coordinators

● King Elementary

● Margarita Muñiz Academy

● Mario Umana Academy

● Mather Elementary

● Mattahunt Elementary School

● Sarah Greenwood K-8 School

● Trotter K-8 School

● Burke High School

● Frederick Pilot Middle School

● Gardner Pilot Academy

● Haynes Early Education Center

● Hernandez K-8

● Horace Mann School for the

Deaf Hard of Hearing

● Hurley K-8 School

Expanding Bilingual Education,

SLIFE & Newcomer Programming

Bilingual Education

SLIFE & Newcomer Programming

In SY24-25:

• expansion of the Margarita Muniz’s existing

Dual Language program to 7th and 8th grade

(in SY25-26), allowing the Muñiz to grow by 190

seats.

In SY25-26 and beyond:

● Proposing new bilingual education programs

(transitional bilingual education or dual

language programs) at 8 elementary schools

and 1 secondary school

○ Languages: Spanish, Cabo Verdean Kriolu,

and Chinese, Neighborhoods: Chinatown,

Roxbury, Dorchester, Roslindale, South

End.

Since last summer, BPS has welcomed approximately

3,000 newcomer students, many of whom are served

in Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal

Education (SLIFE) and Newcomer programs.

In SY24-25:

● creation of new SLIFE program located at the

Margarita Muñiz Academy

● formalized Newcomer programs at East Boston

High School, Charlestown High School, and

Brighton High School

In SY25-26 and beyond:

● Proposing additional newcomer programs at 2

schools

Strengthening the Secondary

School Ecosystem

Early College

Early college pathways at

8 secondary schools,

partnered with 6 higher

education partners

Advanced

Coursework

26 secondary

schools offer either

AP or IB courses

CTE Programs

40 CTE programs

introducing career

pathways across 11

secondary schools

Innovation Pathways

4 secondary schools

offer Innovation

Pathways covering 6

industry areas

Work Planned for SY24-25 and beyond:

● Expand early college to additional schools and increase participation for MLs

● Increase AP offerings, including AP African American Studies at 4 additional schools (for a

total of 14), AP PreCalculus at 3 additional schools, and AP Research at an additional 2

schools in SY24-25.

● Create new professional development for AP teachers focused on increasing access for MLs

and SWD

Structural Changes

• Strategic expansion of high quality seats

• Minimize student transitions and

provide strong school choices

• Create New Programming for

Multilingual Learners and Students with

Disabilities Ages 19-22

• Rethinking student assignment and

special education policies

Strategic Expansion

Expansions

in Progress

Three secondary schools are in the process of expanding using three

different strategies:

● Josiah Quincy Upper School: new build

● Margarita Muñiz Academy: grade reconﬁguration

● Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: relocation

Future

Expansions

For several schools in high demand, future growth is constrained by the

physical limitations of their current building. The district will begin work this

summer to identify buildings for two additional secondary schools:

● Boston International Newcomers Academy

● Boston Green Academy

Minimize student transitions and

provide strong school choices

Effective SY24-25:

TechBoston Academy: 6-12 → 7-12

Boston Green Academy: 6-12 → 7-12

Mather Elementary: K-5 → K-6

Edison School: PK-8 → PK-6

Haley Pilot School*: PK-8 → PK-6

Margarita Muñiz Academy*: 9-12 → 7-12

UP Academy Holland: PK-5 → PK-6

Effective SY25-26:

Hernandez: PK-8 → PK-6

Gardner: PK-8 → PK-6

Hennigan: K-8 → PK-6

In 2019, the Boston School Committee adopted a grade

conﬁguration strategy by which BPS is primarily a K-6/7-12 and

K-8/9-12 system to offer students an education experience with

fewer transitions.

● Research shows that multiple student transitions can

have a negative impact on student success and outcomes.

Each time a student moves from one school to another,

there is a risk of relationships and learning being disrupted.

By School Year 2024-25:

34 PK/K-5 schools will have added a 6th grade

4 PK/K-8 schools will have eliminated 7th and 8th grades

7 9-12 schools will have added 7th and 8th grades

4 6-8 schools will have closed, and the last standalone

middle school will close at the end of SY24-25

*The Haley Pilot School and Margarita Muñiz Academy will

complete their grade conﬁguration changes over two

years. The reconﬁguration will be complete in SY25-26.

New Reconﬁgurations

Reconﬁgure Hernandez K-8 to

PreK-6 School, effective SY25-26

Grade Conﬁguration: K1-8

Neighborhood: Mission Hill/Jamaica Plain

Total Number of Students 406

Asian 0.0%

Black 3.4%

Latinx 79.3%

Multi-Race / Other 3.4%

White 13.8%

Students with Disabilities 12.8%

Multilingual Learners 51.5%

SY23-24 Enrollment

Grade Conﬁguration: K0-8

Neighborhood: Allston

Reconﬁgure Gardner K-8 to

PreK-6 School, effective SY25-26

Total Number of Students 371

Asian 5.4%

Black 11.1%

Latinx 65.2%

Multi-Race / Other 4.6%

White 13.7%

Students with Disabilities 24.3%

Multilingual Learners 43.1%

SY23-24 Enrollment

Create New Programming

Post-secondary Transition Program

BATA East

Satellite campus of Boston Adult

Technical Academy (BATA), an

alternative high school for young adults

between the ages of 19-22.

● Target population: over-age

multilingual learner students

● Anticipated Capacity: 120 students

● Timeline: SY24-25

Program to help students develop skills

that will enable them to live as

independently as possible and develop

essential career skills that will help them

gain and maintain employment.

● Target population: students with

special needs, ages 18 to 22

● Anticipated Capacity: 100 students

● Timeline: SY25-26

Rethinking Student Assignment

and Special Education Policies

Structural barriers

remain around

ensuring all schools

are able to serve the

full diversity of

learners, particularly

in secondary schools.

Specialized Program schools include BINCA, Carter, Horace Mann, Mel King, and Muniz Academy

Percentage of All Students and of Multilingual Learners

(MLs) and Students with Disabilities (SWD)

served by School Type

8 of the 14 open

enrollment

secondary

schools are

transformation

schools

Investing in Our

Facilities

• New Builds and Renovations

• Closures, Consolidations and Mergers

• Better Utilizing Existing School

Buildings to Deliver HQSE

11 Major Capital Projects Underway

School Neighborhood Status Anticipated Completion Date

Carter School Roxbury Under Construction Winter 2025

EMK Academy for Health Careers TBD Analyzing site options Expansion begins by SY25-26

Horace Mann School for the Deaf and

Hard of Hearing (Edwards Building)

Charlestown Under Construction Summer 2024 (move in by

SY24-25)

Josiah Quincy Upper School Chinatown Under Construction Summer 2024 (move in by

SY24-25)

Philbrick-Sumner (Irving Building) Roslindale Under Construction Summer 2025 (move in by

SY25-26)

PJ Kennedy East Boston Under Construction Fall 2025

Madison Park Roxbury Procuring a designer for late spring

2024

TBD

Melvin H. King South End Academies South End Programming study underway TBD

Ruth Batson Academy Dorchester Application submitted to MSBA core

program (spring 2024)

TBD

Shaw-Taylor S. Dorchester/ Mattapan Planning Phase Estimated 2029

White Stadium Dorchester/Jamaica

Plain/Mattapan/Roxbury

In design TBD

FY24-28 Capital Budget

Grade Conﬁguration: 6-8

Neighborhood: Dorchester

Building Experience Score: 4 out of 4

Building Provides Full Continuum of Services? Yes

5-Year Average Utilization Rate: 57%

Frederick Middle School

Proposal: Close Frederick

Middle School

❖ Last standalone middle school -

closure aligned to grade

conﬁguration policy

❖ Families and school community

notiﬁed in January 2024 of

intention to close; school will not

enroll 6th grade in SY24-25

❖ Pending closure vote, district will

launch community process to

determine use of building for

another school community

Total Number of Students 337

Asian 4.5%

Black 32.9%

Latinx 58.5%

Multi-Race / Other 1.5%

White 2.7%

Students with Disabilities 30.3%

Multilingual Learners 49.6%

SY23-24 Enrollment

West Zone ELC & Hennigan K-8

Proposal: Close West Zone ELC

and consolidate into

reconﬁgured Hennigan PreK-6

❖ West Zone ELC and Hennigan K-8

are co-located

❖ Reduces student transitions from

West Zone ELC to another school

and allows for increased ﬂexibility in

programming

❖ Commitment: 7:30am-2:20pm and

extended day opportunities until

4:30pm for K0-K2 students

❖ Will become Community Hub school

Grade Conﬁguration: K0-1, K2-8

Neighborhood: Jamaica Plain/Roxbury

Building Experience Score: 2 out of 4

Building Provides Full Continuum of Services? Yes

5-Year Average Utilization Rate: 90%

West Zone Hennigan

Total Number of Students 114 503

Asian 8.8% 4.0%

Black 25.4% 24.9%

Latinx 50.9% 65.6%

Multi-Race / Other 3.5% 2.2%

White 11.4% 3.4%

Students with Disabilities 28.9% 23.1%

Multilingual Learners 52.6% 55.7%

SY23-24 Enrollment

Utilizing Existing School Buildings

to Deliver HQSE

Over the next year, we will work

to scope potential renovation

projects at a select number of

buildings.

The buildings listed here can

currently ﬁt a model space

summary and have a low

utilization rate (70% and

lower)--or they are or will soon

be vacated. Some of these

buildings will likely require

signiﬁcant investment to bring

building systems up-to-date,

while others may only need

more cosmetic upgrades.

Potential Buildings and their Current Usage for Further Evaluation

● Brighton High School building

● Burke High School building

● Cleveland building (currently used for CASH, STRIVE and

administrative ofﬁces)

● Endicott building (not currently in use)

● English High School building

● Excel High School building

● Frederick Middle School building

● Higginson-Lewis 3-8 School building

● Lincoln building (currently used as swing space for Quincy Upper)

● Lucy Stone building (currently leased to Boston charter school)

● Trotter Elementary School building

Data can be accessed www.boston.gov/gnd-bps

Looking Ahead

Building Data Framework

Building is not

meeting an

acceptable building

experience score

Building score is 2 or

less

Building cannot

provide a full

continuum of

services*

Failing Continuum of

Services score

*Continuum of services includes appropriate support spaces, classroom number and size, accessibility and location

of classrooms and support spaces

Building is

underutilized

5-year avg. utilization

rate of below 84%

How do we understand the current state of buildings in order to create change?

70 buildings meet this

criteria

75 buildings meet this

criteria

32 buildings meet this

criteria

Building Data Framework

Additional Measures to Consider for Decision Making

Individual School

Considerations

Merger Considerations Neighborhood and District

Considerations

● Low number of students for

whom the school is ﬁrst,

second or third choice

● High percentage of students

who are administratively

assigned to a school.

● Fewer than 4 sections per

grade in secondary schools.

● High concentration of

specialized programs for

students with high needs.

● Low percentage of the student

body lives near the school.

● Proximity to another school or

to an empty building.

● One or both schools has a

utilization rate under 84%.

● One or both schools cannot

support a full continuum of

services, but together they can.

● One or both schools is a

single-strand school with only

one section per grade

● Is the school located in a

neighborhood where there are

more students than available

seats?

● Does the school serve students

in highly specialized programs

and there is no current

transition pathway for these

students to be served well in

other schools?

What’s Next for Impacted Communities

● Communities notiﬁed and initial community meetings held between May 9 and

May 15

● Continued engagement with impacted school communities:

○ Survey regarding transition support

○ In-person community meetings

○ Ofﬁce hours for staff

Two proposals require School Committee vote, scheduled for June 17:

• Closure of Frederick, effective at end of SY24-25

• Closure of West Zone ELC, effective at end of SY24-25

Reconﬁgurations are continued implementation of existing 2019 School Committee policy

*Frederick community was notiﬁed in January 2024

Winter Spring

Annual cycle of evaluation and review

Summer Fall

Apply data

framework to

determine

proposals.

Engage with

community

around priorities

and supports.

Proposals for

Capital Projects,

including school

closures or

mergers, are

presented to

School

Committee.

Projects

approved by

School

Committee;

capital budget

approved by City

Council.

Transition plans

are ﬁnalized.

Begin

implementation

of transition plan,

including supporting

staff and families

transitioning to new

schools the following

school year

Annual Cycle for Capital Planning Decisions

Realizing our vision

• May 8, 2024: Laying the Foundation: Historical Context

• May 22, 2024: Realizing our Vision: Proposals for SY 2025-26

• June 17, 2024: School Committee Vote on Proposals

• Summer & Fall 2024: Planning transitions with impacted school

communities

Appendix

Dearborn STEM Academy

Boston Arts Academy

Josiah Quincy Upper

Carter

Rogers Middle

E Greenwood

Middle School Academy

Mattahunt

School Closures

New Builds

Dorchester

Academy

Grade Conﬁguration

Policy Approved

BCLA and

McCormack

merge

Timilty

Irving

Jackson-Mann

Mission Hill

The Last Decade

West Roxbury Academy

Urban Science Academy

UP Boston

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

Edwards

Years reﬂect effective date. Timeline does not include mergers that

have been announced but are not yet implemented.

● Enrollment in grades K2 to 5 declined by 4,949 students (20%) in the

last 7 years, driven primarily by smaller cohorts entering the system.

● Enrollment in grades 6 to 8 decreased by 1,507 students (14%) in the

last 3 years as smaller elementary cohorts have aged up.

● Enrollment in grades 9-12 has been stable over the last 3 years.

BPS Enrollment

Trends

Enrollment has been stabilizing in Elementary Grades, smaller

cohorts are moving through middle school grades

● There is a consistent relationship between the number of Boston

resident births and the number of BPS K2 students 5 years later.

● Boston Resident Births declined by 15% between 2012 and 2021.

● The decline in resident births in 2019 and 2020 could lead to smaller

K2 cohorts over the next 2 school years.

BPS Enrollment

Trends

Elementary declines are driven by fewer resident births and

smaller K2 classes entering and moving through the system