BPS has released official proposals for the first two of a series of controversial mergers addressing an enrollment plunge and structural changes in upcoming years — forging ahead as parent and community pushback continues.
“These are not the only merger proposals that will come before this body in the years to come,” Superintendent Mary Skipper said ahead of the proposal presentation at the school committee Wednesday. “I think we’ve spoken about the declining enrollment. And we’ve spoken about the need to roll out inclusion. So there’ll be much driving in the years to come, us looking at how we can through mergers, and sometimes closures, start to right-size our system.”
The proposals, which will likely come up for committee vote in May, outline plans to combine the Pauline A. Shaw Elementary School and Charles H. Taylor Elementary School in Dorchester and Charles Sumner Elementary School and John D. Philbrick Elementary School in Roslindale.
The Shaw-Taylor merger would create a “two-campus school community” serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade students in the 2024-25 school year — lower grades being taught at the Shaw and upper grades at the Taylor.
The Sumner-Philbrick merger would move students into a single school community serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade students in the 2025-26 school year in the renovated former Washington Irving Middle School building.
The moves come after an 8,000 student, or 14%, drop in BPS enrollment over the last decade, according to BPS data. Seat capacity in schools has not declined at an even rate, presenters said Wednesday, leading to a decline in state funding, which is distributed on a per-student basis — a looming issue as ARPA funding comes to an end.
Speakers also noted that combining classrooms will help with staffing shortages and getting students the inclusive resources they need.
While the moves will lead to layoffs, Chief of Capital Planning Delavern Stanislaus said, “the Office of Human Capital will support (laid off) educators in finding an appropriate position elsewhere.”
The merger processes have been heavily critiqued by school community members calling for changes like more robust community engagement, more racial equity planning and transparency.
“I’m glad that a specific schedule for planning has been shared,” said Lauren Pierre, a Sumner parent and design team member for the merger. “That said the level and quality of engagement needs to be built beyond what we are seeing now.”
Pierre and others called for additional steps to be taken before the committee votes on the proposals.
School officials thanked community members for their feedback and emphasized the need to test and build a process for future mergers.
“Any merger or school reconfiguration is disruptive,” said Skipper. “I’ve had a school leader have been three or four times, and just no matter what the planning is disruptive. But disruptions can also the powerful forces for good.”
