Plan includes growth at successful North End school
May 14, 2012
Mayor Thomas M. Menino informed families of the popular John Eliot K-8 School that the City has acquired nearby North Bennet Street School buildings, allowing for expansion of the Eliot in the coming years. “The Eliot K-8 is a true gem, which is attracting young families to Boston,” said Mayor Menino. “Parents have urged us to expand this small, successful school. Expanding the program helps us deliver on our promise to provide quality educational choices in every part of Boston and connect schools with the communities they support.”
Mayor Thomas M. Menino, in a letter today, informed families of the popular John Eliot K-8 School that the City has acquired nearby North Bennet Street School buildings, allowing for expansion of the Eliot in the coming years.
“The Eliot K-8 is a true gem, which is attracting young families to Boston,” said Mayor Menino. “Parents have urged us to expand this small, successful school. Expanding the program helps us deliver on our promise to provide quality educational choices in every part of Boston and connect schools with the communities they support.”
The four buildings -- 37-39 North Bennet St. and 48-52 Tileston St. in the North End -- are just one tenth of a mile from the Eliot K-8 School. The properties will be renovated by the city and will open in the next few years.
Plans to convert Madison Park Technical Vocational High School to an Innovation School this fall moved forward Monday with a favorable vote by Madison Park teachers. In January, Mayor Thomas M. Menino called for a major overhaul of the school to turn it into a top-notch center for career readiness and workforce development. His call came after Superintendent Carol R. Johnson commissioned a report on the school, which found it had drifted from its core mission of preparing all students for quality careers in high demand.
BOSTON – Plans to convert Madison Park Technical Vocational High School to an Innovation School this fall moved forward today with a favorable vote by Madison Park teachers.
In January, Mayor Thomas M. Menino called for a major overhaul of the school to turn it into a top-notch center for career readiness and workforce development. His call came after Superintendent Carol R. Johnson commissioned a report on the school, which found it had drifted from its core mission of preparing all students for quality careers in high demand.
“With today’s vote by our dedicated teachers, Madison Park is well on its way to achieving its full potential,” said Mayor Menino. “Our collective vision for a new generation of vocational education for all our city’s residents was affirmed today and we look forward to a day when all of our students are working and thriving in growing fields across our city.”
Plan, approved by the School Committee in November, gives 1450 more students access to high performing schools
April 27, 2012
Superintendent Carol R. Johnson has outlined needed capital investments that will advance the district’s Access to Excellence plan that was approved by the School Committee in November. Access to Excellence is the district’s plan to expand seven schools and open two ones, adding 1,450 seats in highly-chosen, high-performing schools.
BOSTON – This week Boston Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Carol R. Johnson outlined needed capital investments that will advance the district’s Access to Excellence plan that was approved by the School Committee in November. Access to Excellence is the district’s plan to expand seven schools and open two new ones, adding 1,450 more seats to these highly-chosen, high-performing schools.
"We have taken what we have heard from parents and school communities and incorporated what they asked for into our renovation plans," said Dr. Johnson. "We wanted to take this opportunity, as we outline final renovation plans for schools and the costs associated with that, to remind our neighbors why we set out on this journey. Last year, the seven schools we are expanding had more than three thousand students on their waiting lists. These changes allow us to expand these programs and get more students off waiting lists and into great schools.”
Highlights of the presentation to the Boston City Council include:
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and dancer Damian Woetzel to work with Orchard Gardens K-8 as part of new program
April 23, 2012
The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities announced that Orchard Gardens K-8 School has been selected as one of eight schools nation wide to participate in a new arts education initiative to help turn around low-performing schools, developed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education and the White House Domestic Policy Council. The Turnaround Arts initiative is a new public-private partnership designed to narrow the achievement gap and improve student engagement through the arts.
The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities announced that Orchard Gardens K-8 School has been selected to participate in a new arts education initiative to help turn around low-performing schools, developed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education and the White House Domestic Policy Council. The Turnaround Arts initiative is a new public-private partnership designed to narrow the achievement gap and improve student engagement through the arts. Orchard Gardens was chosen to be one of eight schools featured in the program through a highly competitive national selection process, and will receive intensive arts education resources, expertise and the involvement of high-profile President’s Committee artists over the course of two years to support their educational reform effort.
Collaborative review results in meaningful changes for students and indicates district has made great progress in serving all students
April 23, 2012
Boston Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Carol R. Johnson today joined with the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education to announce all three parties have come to final agreement on a plan to best serve students learning English. The agreement demonstrates that BPS leaders and the federal government believe the district has made great progress in servicing students learning English and that a plan is in place that enables students to learn English to access academic content and meet and exceed the targets of the district's five-year strategic plan, the Acceleration Agenda.
Boston Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Carol R. Johnson today joined with the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education to announce all three parties have come to final agreement on a plan to best serve students learning English. The agreement demonstrates that BPS leaders and the federal government believe the district has made great progress in servicing students learning English and that a plan is in place that enables students to learn English to access academic content and meet and exceed the targets of the district's five-year strategic plan, the Acceleration Agenda.
“Our collaboration and partnership with the Department of Justice and the Office for Civil Rights has been a transformative experience for the Boston Public Schools,” said Dr. Johnson. “We have worked hand in hand with our federal partners to find where there were weaknesses in our organization. As a result, we have made dramatic changes in the way we serve students learning English. There is no doubt our school district and the City of Boston is stronger today for having taken advantage of this opportunity to make systematic changes throughout our schools.”
In overnight talks BPS proposed increasing teacher salaries by $124 million over five years
April 3, 2012
The Boston Public Schools worked through the night in an attempt to come to agreement with the Boston Teachers Union on a number of reforms to the teachers' contract. After 15 hours of talks the BTU rejected a new proposal from the BPS team that would have more than doubled the original compensation package proposed by the district, and would have ushered in an a new era of reform to Boston’s schools that would have directly benefited 57,000 students.
The Boston Public Schools worked through the night in an attempt to come to agreement with the Boston Teachers Union on a number of reforms to the teachers' contract. After 15 hours of talks the BTU rejected a new proposal from the BPS team that would have more than doubled the original compensation package proposed by the district, and would have ushered in an a new era of reform to Boston’s schools that would have directly benefited 57,000 students.
During the overnight talks BPS presented an amended proposal that would have raised teacher salaries by more than $124 million over five years in exchange for the BTU extending the school day by 45 minutes for students in grades K-8, overhauled tenure rules making teachers with unsatisfactory evaluations ineligible, removed obstacles that currently make the evaluation process cumbersome to school leaders, and giving Principals the authority to hire teachers based on expertise, not seniority. Despite offers by BPS to increase its salary proposal the BTU was unwilling to alter its proposals.
Budget invests in expansion of high-performing high schools and a transformation of vocational program
March 28, 2012
The Boston School Committee unanimously approved the Boston Public Schools (BPS) budget recommendation for the 2013 fiscal year (2012-2013 school year) on Wednesday night. The budget totals $857.8 million and is balanced.
The Boston School Committee unanimously approved the Boston Public Schools (BPS) budget recommendation for the 2013 fiscal year (2012-2013 school year) on Wednesday night. The budget totals $857.8 million and is balanced. While the city has experienced a significant decrease in federal and state education aid, Mayor Thomas M. Menino committed to increasing the BPS budget by 3.2% in his target appropriation for schools.
The budget will drive the strategy in multiple areas of investment and several cost-saving strategies used to close a $28.2 million budget gap. It increases funds being sent directly to schools by $20 million – a combination of salary increases for teachers and staff, stronger support for students with emotional impairments, and extra resources for schools that otherwise would have experienced significant budget challenges next year.
BPS to again ask Union to sign agreement on federal grant before weekend deadline
March 30, 2012
In a bargaining session this morning the Boston Public Schools will again ask the Boston Teachers Union to allow the $9 million federal Teacher Incentive Fund grant to flow to teachers in Turnaround Schools. Last month, Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell Chester warned both BPS and the BTU that the state will shift the dollars to another district if an agreement cannot be reached by this weekend.
BOSTON – In a bargaining session this morning the Boston Public Schools will again ask the Boston Teachers Union to allow the $9 million federal Teacher Incentive Fund grant to flow to teachers in Turnaround Schools. Last month, Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell Chester warned both BPS and the BTU that the state will shift the dollars to another district if an agreement cannot be reached by this weekend.
If approved, the Teacher Incentive Found would allow hundreds of teachers in 11 Turnaround Schools to receive thousands of dollars each in recognition for successful work. Although Union representatives have generally agreed with BPS on how to distribute the funds to teachers, they have refused to authorize it until the separate teachers’ contract is resolved.
Superintendent directs negotiating team to file for mediation Wednesday
March 27, 2012
After negotiating for 21 months for a new teachers' contract, tonight the Boston Public Schools and the Boston Teachers Union have declared an impasse. Superintendent Carol R. Johnson has directed her team to begin the process of filing a joint petition for mediation with the necessary state agencies Wednesday morning.
BOSTON - After negotiating for 21 months for a new teachers' contract, tonight the Boston Public Schools and the Boston Teachers Union have declared an impasse. Superintendent Carol R. Johnson has directed her team to begin the process of filing a joint petition for mediation with the necessary state agencies Wednesday morning.
Dispute over amount of salary increases continues to block needed reforms
March 20, 2012
A new report from the Boston Municipal Research Bureau finds that unless reforms to the Boston Public Schools (BPS) hiring process are put in place by early April, up to 244 current teachers will have to move out of their classrooms and into new schools this fall through a seniority-driven process that includes little or no input from the school principal or, in many cases, even the teachers themselves.
BOSTON – A report out this morning from the Boston Municipal Research Bureau (BRMB) finds that unless reforms to the Boston Public Schools (BPS) hiring process are put in place by early April, up to 244 current teachers will have to move out of their classrooms and into new schools this fall through a seniority-driven process that includes little or no input from the school principal or, in many cases, even the teachers themselves.
Last year, this process placed at least one new teacher in every Boston Public School.
“The teachers’ contract forces us to put teachers in classrooms through an antiquated system designed to protect seniority and nothing else,” said Superintendent Carol R. Johnson. “It means high school teachers might move to elementary schools even though we have a great elementary teacher who would have been a perfect fit. Our failure to reach an agreement on the contract means we are about to be blocked – again -- from matching the right teachers to the right classrooms.”
BOSTON – This week Boston Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Carol R. Johnson outlined needed capital investments that will advance the district’s Access to Excellence plan that was approved by the School Committee in November. Access to Excellence is the district’s plan to expand seven schools and open two new ones, adding 1,450 more seats to these highly-chosen, high-performing schools.
The Turnaround Arts initiative is a new public-private partnership designed to narrow the achievement gap and improve student engagement through the arts. Orchard Gardens was chosen to be one of eight schools featured in the program through a highly competitive national selection process, and will receive intensive arts education resources, expertise and the involvement of high-profile President’s Committee artists over the course of two years to support their educational reform effort.
