Boston Public Schools

Save the date(s)! Upcoming education hearings in Boston

By - 3/16/19 - 12:40 pm

Spread the word and BE HEARD. Here's list of upcoming education hearings in Boston, From an desk of Council At-Large Annissa Essaibi-George.

These hearings are great forums for bringing questions, comments, concerns, ideas, and suggestions. Like a Universal Hub comment thread but, like, in REAL life.
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Hello everyone,

On behalf of Councilor At-Large Annissa Essaibi-George, Chair of the Education Committee, I am re-sharing the list of all education hearings coming up, including new ones that have been scheduled in the month of April:

Madison Park High School gets a food truck

By - 3/14/19 - 8:49 am

Not one to feed students, but one in which culinary-arts students will feed hungry Bostonians this summer, the Dorchester Reporter reports. "There’s no curriculum for food trucks anywhere in the state, so I was like, all right, we’re gonna create our own," the teacher running the program says.

BPS looks to get rid of unused school in Hyde Park

By - 3/8/19 - 3:47 pm

The Bay State Banner reports the School Committee is looking at handing the old Rogers Middle School in Hyde Park to the Department of Neighborhood Development, which typically then tries to sell off the buildings to a private concern. Read more.

Walsh proposes lowering Boston speed limit to 20 m.p.h., new dedicated bus lanes and rush-hour surcharges for Uber, Lyft cars

By - 3/7/19 - 9:24 am

Mayor Walsh today announced a set of initiatives to make Boston roads safer and less clogged that include lowering the default citywide speed limit from 25 to 20 m.p.h., dedicated bus lanes on Brighton Avenue in Allston and North Washington Street along the North End, special pickup/drop-off lanes for Uber and Lyft cars - but also rush-hour surcharges for riding in them - and free T passes for all students in grades 7 through 12, regardless of whether they're BPS students. Read more.

BPS could replace ISEE for deciding who gets into exam schools

By - 3/6/19 - 8:50 am

The Globe reports.

Councilor wants to add an extra year to high school for kids who need some extra help to get ready for college or work

By - 2/28/19 - 10:12 am

The Boston City Council yesterday agreed with a request from Councilor Michael Flaherty (at large) to look at adding an optional 13th year to city high schools. Read more.

Boston schools get gift of 250 American Girl dolls, but not just any American Girl dolls

By - 1/30/19 - 10:57 am

Schoolyard News reports that the School Committee tonight is expected to formally accept a gift of 250 "Melody Ellison" dolls for BPS elementary schools.

The dolls, which cost $115 retail, are meant to represent a black girl living in Detroit in 1964, after King's "I have a dream speech" and the Birmingham church bombings; the gift was arranged by committee member Jeri Robinson, who says schools are already using the dolls for everything from teaching history to fine motor skills.

Territorial turkey terrorizes tots

By - 1/10/19 - 11:34 am
Big angry turkey in Roslindale

Students at the Haley School on American Legion Highway in Roslindale hesitate before they leave in the afternoon these days - because they know an angry turkey is probably waiting for them on the other side of the doors. Read more.

School Committee votes to shut two West Roxbury high schools

By - 12/20/18 - 9:14 am

WBUR reports on last night's 5-1 School Committee vote, in which members said the West Roxbury Education Complex is falling apart and there was just no place else in the system to put the West Roxbury Academy and Urban Science Academy. Parents were outraged.

Charlestown parents not happy long-term BPS plan seems to leave them out

By - 12/8/18 - 1:29 pm

The Charlestown Patriot-Bridge reports on Charlestown dissatisfaction with the BuildBPS plan.

Fight at Brighton High ends with one student stabbing another with a pencil

By - 11/20/18 - 6:59 pm

The Brighton High School building was put in safe mode for about 90 minutes this morning after a hallway fight around 9:30 a.m. that ended with one student jabbing the other in the head with a pencil. Read more.

BPS to end suspensions for youngest students

By - 11/16/18 - 6:58 pm

WBUR reports BPS is immediately stopping all suspensions of kindergarteners and first and second graders and will limit suspensions of older elementary students - in response to a threatened lawsuit by Greater Boston Legal Services.

The principal who grew up across the street from her school

By - 11/12/18 - 10:49 am

The BU News Service profiles Cynthia Soo Hoo, the principal of the Josiah Quincy School, who grew up across the street from the school.

Judge upholds BPS residency requirements in case involving Virginia doctors who really want their kid to go to Boston Latin

By - 11/7/18 - 10:11 am

A federal judge ruled yesterday there is nothing wrong with the residency requirements set by Boston Public Schools and that BPS was within its rights to rescind a boy's acceptance to Boston Latin School because his parents were unable to prove the family actually lived in Boston. Read more.

Angry students, parents and residents confront BPS on West Roxbury school closings

By - 11/2/18 - 8:47 am

Parent Imperfect reports on a BuildBPS meeting in Roslindale that was supposed to focus on what BPS will be doing in Roslindale over the next decade but which instead became a session for people to demand BPS do more for kids at West Roxbury Academy and the Urban Science Academy than just let them disappear across the system when the schools shut. Also, seems nobody's yet produced the ISD reports that BPS says show the building they're in is about to fall apart.

People to gather at Tynan School to support kids and staff; custodian says graffiti might have been aimed at him

By - 11/1/18 - 11:25 am

Community members are planning a show of support for kids and teachers at the Tynan Elementary School at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, following yesterday's spraying of racist graffiti on the school's exterior. Read more.

Of course racist assholes can't spell

By - 10/31/18 - 11:21 am
Racist graffiti painted on Tynan School in South Boston

Jor forwarded this photo of what was spray painted on the doors to the Tynan Elementary School on East 4th Street in South Boston this morning.

Boston Police, including civil-rights detectives, are currently investigating.

In a statement, BPS says: Read more.

Correction: East Boston school does not need water coolers

By - 10/24/18 - 9:47 am

This morning I posted something about a teacher at the Guild School in East Boston going online to request donations to buy a couple of water coolers so that kids could get water to drink without having to worry about missing classes.

I expressed some outrage.

I was wrong. Read more.

Citizen complaint of the day: West Roxbury High not the only school in the neighborhood that's falling apart

By - 10/20/18 - 11:03 am

An outraged citizen with two sons at the Joyce Kilmer School on Baker Street files a 311 complaint: Read more.

BPS students protest at Northeastern over the amount it pays city in lieu of taxes

By - 10/18/18 - 8:48 am

The Huntington News reports on a protest aimed at getting Northeastern to increase its voluntary payments in lieu of taxes.

Boston has long asked non-profits to kick in 25% of what they would pay in property taxes if their property were commercial instead of non-profit. Northeastern has always been on the low side of PILOT payments, but says it more than makes up for it in other things, such as annual scholarships for Boston residents attending Northeastern - and the $100 million it put into renovating a city playground (in a statement, the university did not mention that that money also gave it rights to use the playground).