Boston School Committee

The Boston School Committee voted Wednesday night to close three schools in the district by the end of the 2021-2022 school year. Washington Irving Middle School in Roslindale, the Jackson-Mann K-8 school in Allston and James P Timilty Middle School in Roxbury will be shuttered as part of a larger plan to gradually phase out middle schools and to have…

A teenager from Dorchester is trying to snag a seat on the Boston Public School Committee, but the recent high school graduate said he would rather be elected than appointed via the system currently in place in the city. Ashawn Dabney-Small announced his decision on social media over the weekend and received support from a number of teachers and lawmakers….

Mayor Kim Janey on Thursday filled two vacancies on the Boston School Committee left by members who’d stepped down when texts they shared disparaging families of students were made public. Rafaela Polanco Garcia and Lorena Lopera, both Boston Public Schools parents, have been appointed to the committee, Janey announced. They were among a slate of 23 applicants for the positions….

The Boston School Committee will begin taking applications on Thursday for two new members after its chair and another person stepped down, Mayor Kim Janey said at a news conference Wednesday at City Hall. The two Boston School Committee members, both Latina, resigned last week amid criticism of racially charged texts they shared disparaging families of students. “More than 40%…

Two members of the Boston School Committee, including the chairwoman, have resigned after private text messages they sent each other during a school board meeting in October surfaced.

The Boston Public School Committee voted overwhelmingly to adopt a more rigorous state-recommended program, MassCore, thereby bolstering graduation requirements.

The Boston School Committee is adopting more difficult standards to graduate high school, beginning with the class of 2026. Starting with this year’s seventh graders, students will have to complete a state-recommended program, called the MassCore, in order to graduate. Requirements set by the MassCore include four years of English, Math and PE in addition to three years of science…

A federal judge has upheld a temporary admissions policy at Boston’s elite exam high schools, ruling against a parents group that said in a lawsuit it discriminated against white and Asian students. “This court finds and rules that the plan is race-neutral, and that neither the factors used nor the goal of greater diversity qualify as a racial classification,”...

Boston Public Schools’ new admissions plan that changes the way its top exam schools will accept students this year is receiving a challenge in court from a parent group. The one-year plan, passed unanimously by the Boston School Committee on Oct. 22 in response to challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, removes the requirement for applicants to complete an admissions…

After a list of mostly Asian names was rattled off at Wednesday night’s virtual Boston School Committee meeting, Chairman Michael Loconto was caught mocking them. He resigned by Thursday morning.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Boston School Committee has voted unanimously to drop admissions tests for the city’s exams schools for one year.

The Boston School Committee voted unanimously overnight to drop admissions tests for the city’s exams schools for one year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The vote came shortly before 2a.m. on Thursday, after more than eight hours of discussion during a virtual meeting. The decision applies to the 2021-22 school year. Admissions decisions will be based on students’ grades,...

The Boston School Committee was set to vote Wednesday on a proposal that would suspend the entrance test for the city’s exam schools for the 2021-22 year. If the motion passes, students would get invitations to the schools based on grades, test scores and their zip code, rather than the entrance test, which was introduced in 1963. Exam schools in…

Members of the Boston Teachers Union will hold a rally at Thursday to call for a remote-only start to the upcoming school year, citing safety concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. Teachers will hold the protest at City Hall at 2:30 p.m. after gathering in Roxbury for a car caravan and rally. The union wants the school year to begin with…

The hybrid option, known as the “hopscotch model,” received the most attention during a Boston School Committee meeting Wednesday about options for reopening in the fall. The measure involves separating students into two groups, with each group returning to the classroom two days a week, and closing the buildings one day a week for deep cleaning.

The Boston Public School District has selected its new superintendent. In a 5-2 vote, the district says the Boston School Committee chose Dr. Brenda Cassellius to be its new leader. Cassellius is a former education commissioner in Minnesota. She enacted comprehensive reform to the education system there and “oversaw historically high grad rates with a focus on equity,” Boston Public...

The Boston School Committee voted in favor of closing the West Roxbury Education Complex at the end of the current school year. The complex houses West Roxbury Academy and Urban Science Academy, Wednesday night’s vote was 5 in favor and 1 abstention, which was cast by Committee member Regina Robinson. The school system says this move is part of the...

Boston Public Schools Interim Superintendent Laura Perille said it was a difficult decision to close West Roxbury Academy and Urban Science Academy

Millions of people have seen the iconic 1976 photograph of Ted Landsmark being attacked by anti-busing protesters on Boston City Hall Plaza, but few know him by name and most are unaware of his life as an educator and proponent of equal rights in Boston and beyond. While Landsmark concedes he will be forever associated with the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo,...

Boston Public Schools Superintendent Tommy Chang is stepping down, he announced Friday afternoon.