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BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT

October 24, 2011Dear Boston Latin Academy families and staff,

We are writing with an update on our facilities proposal. Tonight, we will present a facilities plan to the SchoolCommittee that looks at our students academic needs, expands successful schools and better matches programs withbuildings.

This proposal will not include a recommendation to move Boston Latin Academy. When we first discussedthis possibility nearly four months ago, we said we wanted to hear from parents and staff. Our decision to keepBoston Latin Academy in its current location is directly related to what we heard from you.

In the last two years, parents and staff at Boston Latin Academy have raised three major concerns about theprogram: first, parents believed there were too many study halls in the schedule. Second, families wondered iffunding was being allocated fairly to BLA relative to other schools in the district. Third, many had concerns aboutthe overall quality of the facility.

We have taken decisive action on all three fronts. Headmaster Emilia Pastor has been able to build a much morerobust school schedule, supported in part by the shift in our overall funding plan to better direct dollars to studentsacross the district. This summer we invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in facilities upgrades at BLA. Ourproposal to move to Hyde Park was intended to address the more fundamental facilities needs surfaced by families,but in the weeks since the proposal was made, many have told us the work we did this summer solved many of thoseissues.

Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that Boston Latin Academy works well for all students, staff and alumni. We arepleased to know our recent work has helped address many of the budget, scheduling and facilities concerns parentshave raised. We will continue to review BLAs needs in the context of the overall districts facilities plan. It has beenencouraging to watch the school community speak with pride about the wonderful academic work that happensevery day, and we hope this energy will be directed toward making the school even better at its current location. It

was never our intention to frustrate families or create confusionwe wanted to offer something better to a schoolcommunity that has worked hard.

We also know that we must help other schools grow and become even more successful -- specifically, Boston ArtsAcademy and Fenway High School, which have long waiting lists and ambitious plans. We also must find anotheruse for the Hyde Park Education Complex, a high-quality facility that would serve many students well.

These are the issues we will discuss at the School Committee meeting. We wanted to make sure you knew first thatBoston Latin Academy will remain at its current location. Thank you again for your feedback on this importantproposal and have a wonderful school year!

Sincerely,

Carol R. JohnsonBPS Superintendent