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MA Education Reform Act: charter schools and MCAS introduced
1) increased state funding for schools
2) introduced charter schools and
3) the MCAS standardized test -
Mayor Menino elected
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Period: to
Thomas Payzant BPS superintendent
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State aid covers 31% of BPS budget
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MA charter school cap increased
By 2000 this cap was increased to allow 120 charter
schools, for which tuition could represent no more
than 9% of a district’s net school spending (a
measure of a city or town’s education-based
expenditures, including spending on both in-district
schools and Commonwealth charter schools). Since
then charter schools have grown in popularity in
Boston with students vying for a limited number of
seats.
https://bmrb.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/SR16-2Charter.pdf -
No Child Left Behind Act
Ties Title I federal funding for schools with low-income students to a mandate for state-designed basic skills assessments -
Dorchester high becomes Dorchester Education Complex
Currently TechBoston Academy -
5 BPS middle & elementary schools close
Most now used by non-traditional schools (pilot, day & evening academy, Boston International Newcomers, etc.
Endicott Elem
Fuller Elem
Robert Shaw Middle
Thompson Middle
Wheatley Middle -
$13.6 million Gates grant given to break up of large HS
In 2005, a $13.6 million Bill and Melinda Gates grant was plopped in Boston’s lap on the condition that BPS break up big high schools into small ones...Dorchester High, Southie High, West Roxbury High, and Hyde Park High were each chopped up into three or four schools. That meant three or four headmasters, three or four assistant headmasters, three or four Curriculum Access Specialists.
https://schoolyardnews.com/westie-matters-almost-two-decades-of-destroying-our-school-communities-7306b4992069 -
West Roxbury & Hyde Park High broken up
Converted to Hyde Park Ed Complex with three schools: CASH, Engineering School and Social Justice Academy, all closed except for CASH which moved. building currently occupied by New Mission High and BCLA
Converted to West Roxbury Ed Complex with 3 schools: Urban Science Academy, Brook Farm, and West Roxbury Academy, only WRA and USA remained before both schools were closed in 2019, remaining students moved to Irving building, current building unoccupied and slated for demolition -
Taft Middle school closes
Building currently houses Green Academy, an in-district charter school -
Period: to
Michael Contompasis interim BPS superintendent
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Period: to
Carol R. Johnson BPS superintendent
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Boston reaches current high of 16 charter schools
This is also the current number of Boston charter schools
"In the 2009–2010 school year, 26,384 Massachusetts students attended 62 operating charter schools, including 16 in Boston." -
12 district schools now closed
Cleveland Middle
Garfield Elem
Stone Elem
Buildings occupied by other BPS schools - Stone unoccupied
http://archive.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/12/01/grover_cleveland_middle_school_to_close/ -
Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants
As part of the American Recovery Act after the financial collapse of 2008, Obama's Ed secretary Arne Duncan apportions $$$$ for grants to schools that follow education reform guidelines like testing, not limiting charters, and placing lowest performing schools in "turnaround" (i.e. closing and reopening as charters, pilots, etc.). school improvement grants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_to_the_Top -
MA Charter cap doubles for Boston
Achievement Gap Act
By 2010, demand for charter seats among Boston
residents..allows the state to
grant more charter schools, up to 18% of net school
spending, for school districts in the lowest 20% of
statewide performance. Boston’s charter spending
as a percent of net school spending is allowed to
increase one percentage point per year until it
reaches 18% in fiscal 2017. http://archive.boston.com/news/education/k_12/mcas/articles/2010/01/15/lawmakers_approve_education_bill/ -
19 district schools now closed
Noonan Business Academy & Academy of Public Service formerly of dot ed complex
Dickerman Elem - occupied by charter (Roxbury Prep)
Hamilton Elem - occupied by private school
Lewenberg Middle - occupied by K-8 pilot school
Wilson Middle - " " Henderson upper school (inclusion)
Emerson Elem - " " in-district charter (Dudley St. Neighborhood Charter)
https://www.dotnews.com/2010/school-committee-votes-close-nine-schools-including-dorchesters-fifiel -
BPS Graduation rate 63%
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25 district schools now closed
Agassiz Elem - now houses Mission K-8 Pilot and Muniz bilingual academy -http://jamaicaplaingazette.com/2010/12/17/agassiz_school_set_to_close/
Farragut Elem
East Zone ELC
Clap elementary - closed and reopened as an Innovation school
The Engineering School and the Social Justice Academy [housed in the old Hyde Park High] close
Brook Farm Academy & Media Communications Technology merge into West Roxbury Academy
Urban Science Academy & Parkway Academy of Technology and Health merge -
Gavin Middle School closes, becomes UP Academy Boston
a Horace Mann (in-district) charter school operated by the UP Network
https://www.upeducationnetwork.org/history-of-up/
More on UP Academy: No Excuses School, intense discipline, incredibly high suspension rates: http://learninglab.legacy.wbur.org/2016/03/09/what-discipline-looks-like-at-a-boston-school-with-325-suspensions/ -
Weighted Student Funding Introduced
This means schools funding comes entirely from the number of students enrolled. Small shifts in enrollment can destabilize the whole budget and mean service cuts. -
28 district schools now closed
Fifield Elem - occupied by Lee Academy Pilot
Odyssey High School - small HS located in Southie building
Social Justice Academy - was small HS located in HPH building -
Period: to
John P. McDonough interim superintendent of BPS
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Boston reaches its charter school cap
In 2013, the Research Bureau reported that Boston
had effectively reached its Commonwealth charter
seat cap through 2017 (will expand as budget expands) -
Boston Charter enrollment grows to 6,883
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New Home-Based School Assignment Policy begins
New plan increase segregation in the city, decreases busing costs.
"Home-Based School Assignment Program (HBAP), is innovative; it attempts to maximize both shorter commute times and quality, with a goal of ensuring access to high-quality schools for everyone. "
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/ed/19/01/good-schools-close-home -
State takeovers: Dever school and Holland Academy
Dever given to Newton ed nonprofit Blueprint, Holland to UP Academy. Both had issues, DESE cut ties with Blueprint in 2017
https://www.baystatebanner.com/2020/02/24/state-has-checkered-history-of-school-takeovers/ -
1:3 ratio of MCAS growth to level scores adopted
The current 1 to 3 ratio of MCAS growth to MCAS score level was adopted in 2014, after an angry public debate. -
State aid shrinks to 13% of BPS budget b/c of charter growth
Just 13 percent of the public school budget this year is covered by state aid, according to a school system analysis. Fifteen years ago, such aid covered 31 percent of the city’s school budget.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/01/21/boston-school-department-contends-with-shrinking-state-aid/57vvJ1wnLURr0MD34WdgmO/story.html -
Mayor Walsh Elected
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Boston Charter enrollment grows to 9,844
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BPS Graduation rate 71%
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Period: to
Tommy Chang superintendent of BPS
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Student walkouts over budget cuts
Walsh blames state for shorting charter reimbursements: https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib07/MA01906464/Centricity/Domain/4/FY17FAQ.pdf https://www.boston.com/news/education/2016/05/17/boston-public-school-walkout-protest-budget -
Boston Charter school enrollment grows to 12,297
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35 district schools now closed
Rogers Middle - closed b/c repairs too costly, building unoccupied (2015)
Elihu Greenwood Elem - Building Occupied by Another Course to College Pilot
Middle School Academy - building occupied by Brooke Charter academy
Mattahunt Elem - Closed to prevent state takeover -
Boston Foundation names "failure to reduce excess seats" as source of budget woes
"The true impact of Commonwealth charter schools on the BPS lies in its failure to reduce excess seats in a timely manner and its responsibility to provide transportation services to charter school students."
The Boston Foundation
https://bmrb.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/SR16-2Charter.pdf -
Excel and Brighton HS put in Turnaround status
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DESE takes Dever School back from Blueprint
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49 BPS schools receive reduced funding
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West Roxbury Education complex closes
Houses two high schools: WRA and USA -
Period: to
Laura Perille interim superintendent of BPS
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Boston Charter school enrollment: 14,431
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Majority of Boston's state aid goes to charter school students (15% of students)
Boston is slated to receive $220 million in state education aid; about $167 million will cover charter-school tuition for 10,000 students, leaving a little more than $50 million for the 55,000 students in the city school system.” Boston makes up the difference but it strains the city budget. -
DESE still categorizes UP Acadamy Holland as a "chronically underperforming school"
In 2019, DESE still categorized UP Academy Holland, as the school is now called, as a “chronically underperforming school.” The school gained national attention in 2016 for its “no excuses”-style disciplinary model. In the 2014-2015 school year, the pre-K through 5 school suspended more kindergarteners than any other school in Massachusetts and had a total of 325 suspensions, with a student body of 750.
https://www.baystatebanner.com/2020/02/24/state-has-checkered-history-of-school-takeovers/ -
McCormack successfully fights closure
Will be consensually merged with Boston Community Leadership Academy (high school) of Hyde Park. Will occupy the Irving Middle School building while their building is renovated. https://www.wbur.org/edify/2019/05/21/build-bps-facilities-overhaul -
Period: to
Brenda Cassellius superintendent of BPS
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DESE threatens BPS receivership
a Memorandum Of Understanding on Boston Superintendent Brenda Cassellius that directs her to make changes or face the consequences, and that gives the state partial control of 15 schools. -
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Edwards Middle School closes
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40 BPS district schools closed 2002-2022
Irving Middle - will close for renovations
Jackson/Mann Elem - repairs too costly
Timilty Middle - planned closures of middle schools for K-6 & 7-12 schools