Connolly: School Assignment Plans Still Lacking

The city councilor wants to see the Boston Public Schools system easier to navigate for parents.

While Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is pushing three new proposed student assignment plans, At-Large City Councilor John Connolly said he wants to see more.  "The EAC [External Advisory Committee on School Choice] has pushed BPS [Boston Public Schools] to offer two creative options that move beyond arbitrary lines on a map. I'm still concerned about the lack of a real plan for quality, the complexity of a system that needs to be easier for parents to navigate, and the likelihood that limited capacity will prevent BPS from offering real close to home options," Connolly told Patch. School officials offered three options in mid-January, in contrast to the five plans they originally presented last year.   One option would create 10 community-…

• Photos (1)

Meeting For Downtown Schools This Morning on Beacon Hill

Patch's Moms' Talk columnist tells how to get involved in making sure downtown neighborhoods have a public school.

Boston Legislators and City Councilors Join to Present Another Option for School Reform

Option includes a new elementary school in Beacon Hill, Back Bay or the West End.

CORRECTION: In the Quality Choice Plan, elementary school students would be guaranteed a spot, but not required to attend, one of the four schools closest to their homes. City councilors and state representatives who Wednesday unveiled a school choice plan they say builds upon the best aspects of the five options the city's school department presented last week but doesn't force families to choose between school access and educational quality. “This is a step we felt compelled to take after reviewing the options that BPS put on the table,” said Connolly, chair of the City Council’s Committee on Education. While acknowledging the hard work the school department and the External Advisory Committee did to create the five options, Connolly and…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (3)

Connolly: "Any (Boston Public School) Plan was Lacking Specific Quality Upgrades"

Boston City Council's Education Committee Chairman John Connolly attended BPS' meeting, and had some major concerns about the five plans.

Boston City Councilor At-Large John Connolly credits the School Department with doing a lot of work on their proposed five plans for changing school choice - but the Council's Education chairman also has major concerns with the proposals. "First it was clear from the presentation that the 'no zone' plan and the '23-zone plan' are not under real consideration. And it seems as BPS wants to drive the process towards a compromise on the '6' or '9' zone plans," said Connolly, in an interview with Patch.  "My second concern is that there were not a lot of specifics on upgrading quality across all schools. And so I think those are the big factors going forward. The citizen advisory committee needs to push for some different options," said …

• Photos (2)

Parents Express Frustration as Boston Mulls Changes to School Choice, Transportation

City Council's Education Committee held three days of hearings on student assignment, transportation, and school quality. The next round of public meetings start June 24.

The Boston City Council's Education Committee recently held three days of intense hearings allowing parents and students to testify about their public school experiences. The hearings, held May 22-24, were chaired by At-Large City Councilor John Connolly, and no Boston Public Schools department officials testified during the three days, but many were in attendance, working in conjunction with the Council. "BPS came to listen and that’s what I wanted and I asked from them. Come and listen to the parent experiences," said Connolly. Superintendent Carol Johnson was present on the first day of hearings, while assistant superintendents and other administration staff attended all three days. Parents' testimony ranged the gamut from frustration …

• Photos (3)

Today is the Last Day to Submit Your Boston Public Schools Survey

The survey will guide city discussions about school assignment.

The following is a letter from Beacon Hill resident Tim Cook: Many families move out of Beacon Hill because they don't feel they can send their kids to a good local public school. Boston Public Schools is doing a survey to figure out a better assignment process and it is essential that they hear from Beacon Hill residents. Please take their 5 minute BPS survey today (even if your kids are not at a public school). The data set will be closed on Monday – so please do this ASAP. Ideally, Beacon Hill families should have a choice of quality public schools that are walking distance from our neighborhood. If you agree - please make sure you select - walking distance as part of the key criteria for a school - along with whichever other factors …

• Photos (1)

City Council Approves School Reshuffling Plan

The Boston City Council approved the school committee plan that would expand student's access to high-performing schools, but also results in the loss of a Mission Hill k-8 neighborhood school.

After "agonizing, torturing and frustrating" review of the Boston Public School's proposal to shuffle facilities in an effort to expand access to high performing schools, the City Council approved the plan - despite strong opposition from Mission Hill parents. Moving the Mission Hill K-8 school out of the neighborhood and into Jamaica Plain's Agassiz building uproots students and will destroy the close-knit community, according to an online petition to stop the plan. Fenway High School will move into the Mission Hill K-8 location. While most agreed the overal proposal (see attached screenshot) makes sense for the other eight schools affected and is good for Boston in general, Councilor Mike Ross, D-8 called the Mission Hill move "reckless …

• Photos (1)

City Council Wants Your Story for School Hearings

Public hearings will be held on student assignment, school quality and student transportation, as it relates to the Boston Public Schools system.

Editor's note: Below is a letter sent out by At-Large Boston City Councilor John Connolly. I am writing to invite you to be a part of a series of upcoming hearings to be held by the City Council’s Education Committee. Beginning on Tuesday, May 22nd, I will chair hearings on three related topics: the current student assignment lottery, what makes a quality school, and student transportation. I want to make sure that your voice is heard on each of these important issues.   If you are interested in testifying at one of the hearings, please email me or call (617) 635-3115. The schedule for the hearings will be: Student Assignment: Tuesday, May 22, 4:00 PM School Quality: Wednesday, May 23, 4:00 PM Student Transportation: Thursday, May 24, 6:00…

• Photos (1)