msba_detailq&a_2011.0930_v6

Boston Public Schools DRAFT9/30/2011 Response to MSBA Request for Information

MSBA Questions (from July 18, 2011 letter)

1) Detailed information about the intended reuse of each facility, including what grades and programs each facility will serve if it is returned to service

2) Detailed information about the steps the City will take to put the school back into service (e.g., public meetings, school committee votes, etc.) and a timeline for the process the City plans to undertake with details about when each facility will be put back into service

3) A district-wide school facilities utilization plan which provides, at a minimum, (a) a detailed description of the current use of all school facilities in the City; (b) a detailed description of the proposed use of all school facilities in the City; and (c) the latest enrollment data, by school facility, available to the City

4) Answers to the school-specific questions on the attached list5) Information about any plans the City has to close other schools

1) Tentative Reuse Plan for Vacant Buildings

Building Name Street Address NeighborhoodFall 2012 Intended Reuse (TENTATIVE)

Agassiz Building 20 Child Street Jamaica Plain TBDAlighieri Building 37 Grove Street East Boston TBDDickerman Building 206 Magnolia Street Roxbury TBD

East Zone ELC Building

370 Columbia Road Dorchester

Offices for our Food & Nutrition Services department (this space is attached to our Central Kitchen facility)

Emerson Building 6 Shirley Street RoxburyDudley Street Neighborhood School (proposed Horace Mann Charter School)

Endicott Building 2 McLellan Street Roxbury TBDFarragut Building 10 Fenwood Road Mission Hill TBDFifield Building 25 Dunbar Ave S. Dorchester TBDHigginson Building1 160 Harrishof Street Roxbury TBDHyde Park Education Complex

655 Metropolitan Ave. Hyde Park Boston Latin Academy (proposed)

Stone Building 22 Regina Road S. Dorchester TBD

Note that we have proposed reuse for some of these buildings. We are still exploring our proposal to use HPEC as a new home for Boston Latin Academy. We intend to share a comprehensive proposal with our School Committee on October 12, 2011, followed by community meetings, with a final proposal confirmed by November 2011.

1 Higginson Building is occupied until December 2011 by the Food & Nutrition Services Department

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2) Process to put schools back into use

BPS has begun an exploration and community engagement process to identify a final plan for reuse of our vacant buildings in a way that best supports our academic priorities. This is an iterative process, in which we identify options, share them with School Committee, engage school communities and other stakeholders to identify strengths and weaknesses of the proposal, and then revise and share again with the School Committee before making final decisions.

According to School Committee bylaws, the Superintendent is not required to seek School Committee approval for the decision to relocate a school. However, we are committed to informing our School Committee of proposals, and seeking their input and feedback before making a final decision about school moves or relocations. School Committee approval is required for the creation or closure of any schools.

Timeline:Date ActionJuly 20, 2011 School Committee meeting. Dr. Johnson shares proposal to move Boston

Latin Academy to Hyde Park Ed Complex, move Boston Arts Academy to the current BLA building and renovate it for arts programming, and expand BAA and Fenway HS (which currently shares a building with BAA)

August-September Several public meetings with BLA familiesSeptember 7 School Committee meeting: School Committee discussion of proposal, public

commentSeptember 19 School Committee meeting: public comment on the proposalSeptember 29 HPEC site visit for BLA familiesOctober 4 HPEC site visit for BLA familiesOctober 12 School Committee meeting: Update on facilities reuse plans, presentation of

proposals for Horace Mann charter schools and a new Innovation schoolOctober-November Community meetings to discuss and get input on facilities reuse plansNovember 2 School Committee meeting: Update on facilities and community feedback to-

date, and vote on Horace Mann charter school applications and Margarita Muniz Academy Innovation School proposal

November 7-11 BPS Showcase of Schools events (will share tentative proposals with families)November 16 School Committee meeting: Update on facilities plans and feedback, any

additional votes if neededNovember 30 Send details of final facilities use plan to MSBADecember 2011 – August 2012

Any necessary renovations planned and completed, school communities prepared for moves, vacant buildings prepared for occupancy

September 2012 Vacant facilities are all in use

3) District-wide school facilities utilization plan

See attached spreadsheet.

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4) Answers to school-specific questions

Grover Cleveland Middle School Note: The 7/18/2011 MSBA letter incorrectly referred to this as an elementary school. Note also that we

1. As we described to MSBA in the attachment to the Quincy Upper ICC in August 2010, the Cleveland Middle School was phased out over the course of three years. This means that no 6th grade class was admitted in SY2006-2007, and no 6th or 7th grade classes were admitted in SY2007-08. The last 8th grade class graduated in June 2008, and the school officially closed on June 30, 2008. No Cleveland students were displaced, so there are no “receiving” schools for Cleveland students. Any major programs offered at the Cleveland were recreated elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Harbor Pilot Middle School was relocated to occupy half of the Cleveland building, and the Harbor has been located there, and in continuous existence, since before the Cleveland school closed.

2. Current use: The Cleveland building currently houses the Harbor Pilot Middle School and the Community Academy for Science and Health (CASH).

3. Intended future use: Same as current use.

Alexander Hamilton Elementary School1. Current use: Leased to Bais Yaakov, a private Jewish day school for girls.2. Intended future use: Same. Will revisit options when the lease expires in 2015.

Quincy Dickerman Elementary School1. Current use: vacant2. Intended future use: TBD. Will propose options October 12, 2011.

Lucy Stone Elementary School1. Reason removed from service: excess capacity at the elementary grades (As we described to

MSBA in the attachment to the Quincy Upper ICC in August 2010)2. Current use: vacant3. Intended future use: TBD. Will propose options October 12, 2011.

Higginson Elementary School Elementary School1. Current use: House the BPS Food and Nutrition Services and Wellness Departments2. Intended future use: TBD. Will propose options October 12, 2011.

Dante Alighieri Elementary School1. The Alighieri was merged completely with the Umana Academy, effective September 2011. All

programs at the Alighieri will be provided at the Umana-Alighieri Academy. All Aligheiri students were guaranteed a seat at the Umana-Alighieri Academy.

2. Current use: vacant3. Intended future use: TBD. Will propose options October 12, 2011.

East Zone Early Learning Center1. Programs in place in the 2010-11 school year: The East Zone ELC served two classes per grade in

K1, K2 and 1st grade. In addition, it had one integrated early childhood SPED classroom that served students with disabilities in an inclusive setting with non-disabled 4 year olds.

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2. Where did students go after closure? 1st grade students choose new schools, as they would have

done anyway, even if the school had not closed. K1 and K2 students moved to the Mattahunt Elementary School, where BPS added two K2 and two 1st grade classes to accommodate them. Three K0 (3 year old) students with disabilities moved to another integrated early childhood classroom in the district.

3. Where did programs go after closure? To replace the two K1 classrooms from the East Zone ELC, one new K1 classroom was added at the Holland Elementary School, and one new K1 classroom was also added at the Trotter Elementary School. Simultaneously, BPS reconfigured our special education programming at the K-8 level, so the integrated early childhood SPED classroom was one of several classrooms that moved to new locations for SY2011-12.

4. Current use: Vacant (being renovated)5. Intended future use: House the BPS Food and Nutrition Services and Wellness Departments

Agassiz Elementary School1. All general education students at the Agassiz were accommodated in other BPS elementary

schools within the West Zone, and had first priority after siblings when making choices. Spanish-speaking English language learners (at ELD levels 1-3) were guaranteed a seat at the Lyndon K-8 (where we expanded their existing Spanish Sheltered English Immersion / SEI program) and at the Young Achievers K-8 (where we created a new Spanish SEI strand). Special education programs at the Agassiz were relocated elsewhere in the district, as part of a district-wide reconfiguration of SPED classrooms for SY2011-12.


Emerson Elementary School1. All general education students at the Emerson were accommodated in other BPS elementary

schools within the North Zone, and had first priority after siblings when making choices. The Cape Verdean SEI program was relocated from the Emerson to Orchard Gardens K-8 (based on community input, this was determined preferable to the original proposal to move this strand to the King K-8). The Emerson’s one early childhood SPED classroom was relocated elsewhere in the district, as part of a district-wide reconfiguration of SPED classrooms for SY2011-12.

2. Current use: vacant3. Intended future use: Dudley Street Neighborhood School (a proposed Horace Mann charter

school), as of July 2012

Farragut Elementary School1. All general education students at the Farragut were accommodated in other BPS elementary

schools within the North Zone, and had first priority after siblings when making choices. Autism programs were relocated elsewhere in the district, as part of a district-wide reconfiguration of SPED classrooms for SY2011-12. Students in the 4th grade Advanced Work Class were offered seats in the AWC class at the Jackson-Mann K-8.


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Fifield Elementary School

1. All general education students at the Fifield were accommodated in other BPS elementary schools within the East Zone, and had first priority after siblings when making choices. Autism programs and students were relocated elsewhere in the district, as part of a district-wide reconfiguration of SPED classrooms for SY2011-12.


Hyde Park Education Complex1. HPEC housed three separate high schools. Of these, CASH was relocated to the Cleveland

building. Social Justice Academy (SJA) and the Engineering School (TES) were closed. Regular education students in SJA and TES were accommodated in other BPS high schools, and had first priority after siblings at any school. BPS expanded several successful schools, including TechBoston Academy and the Boston Arts Academy, to accommodate these students. There were no SEI programs for English language learners at TES or SJA. All special education programs and students were relocated to other high schools, as part of a district-wide reconfiguration of SPED programming.

2. Current use: vacant3. Intended future use: Current proposal is to house the Boston Latin Academy. BPS will confirm or

update this proposal on October 12, 2011.

Middle School Academy / Endicott School1. Middle School Academy was relocated to the Gavin Educational Complex (formerly the Patrick F.

Gavin Middle School). It shares this building with UP Academy, but is a separate school. There have been no changes to the capacity or programming offered by MSA.


James Garfield Elementary School1. The Garfield Elementary School was closed as of June 30, 2009. However, the building was

immediately put into use as the Mary Lyon Pilot Upper School, an extension of the successful Mary Lyon K-8 located just down the street. The school is currently adding a grade each year.

2. The Garfield Elementary School was closed at the end of the 2008-09 school year due to excess elementary capacity. All students and programs were merged into the Edison K-8.

3. Renovations were conducted to prepare the building for reuse as a high school in 2009.4. Current use: Mary Lyon Pilot School (grades 9-12), since July 1, 20095. Intended future use: Same

Church Street Building at the Quincy Upper School Campus1. This facility has not been removed from service. It remains part of the Quincy Upper School

campus. No students or programs have been displaced.2. Current use of this facility: The first floors are used by the Quincy Upper School as physical

activity space for students with physical disabilities, as well as storage and professional development. The top floor holds temporary offices for the Office of English Language Learners until BPS moves its central administrative offices to Dudley Square (approximately 2013).

3. MSBA funding received for this facility: None4. Intended future use: Remove OELL offices when the Quincy Upper renovation is completed

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5) District’s plan to close other schools

BPS does not plan to close any facilities in the 2012-13 school year. BPS has proposed the creation of a new in-district (Horace Mann) charter school, UP Academy II, which would be a “restart” of a persistently low-performing BPS elementary school. If the charter is approved, the existing, low-performing school would close at the end of June 2012. On July 1, the new UP Academy II in-district charter school would open in the same facility and serving the same students who were in the low-performing school. BPS intends to announce the name of the designated low-performing school at the October 12, 2011 School Committee meeting.

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msba_detailq&a_2011.0930_v6

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