Landmark Agreement to Create New Pathways for Madison Park Graduates into Union Apprenticeship Programs

Mayor Michelle Wu today signed a landmark agreement with the Greater Boston Building Trades Unions and the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters to create a new and expanded direct pathway for graduates of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School to good-paying, stable union jobs in the construction trades.

Mayor Michelle Wu, Building Trades Unions, And Carpenters Sign Landmark Agreement to Create New Pathways for Direct Entry for Madison Park Graduates into Union Apprenticeship Programs

Project Labor Agreement for Boston Public Schools will also ensure a consistent supply of skilled workers for the Long-Term Facilities Plan

BOSTON - Tuesday, May 13, 2025 - Mayor Michelle Wu today signed a landmark agreement with the Greater Boston Building

Trades Unions and the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters to create a new and expanded direct pathway for graduates of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School to good-paying, stable union jobs in the construction trades. This commitment is part of a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for the Boston Public Schools (BPS) Long-Term Facilities Plan, ensuring a consistent supply of skilled, union labor for major BPS capital projects.

“It is a historic day for Boston Public Schools and Madison Park. This agreement is a statement on the City of Boston’s values, delivering three major wins, for our schools, our students and our partners in the trades,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We are doing this because our students deserve every improvement, every opportunity, and expansion of resources now. They deserve spaces to build lifelong friendships and expand professional networks and develop the skills to serve at every step of their journey.”

"After graduating Madison Park, I didn’t have a clear plan. I didn’t have access to college or a roadmap to a sustainable career. That all changed when I discovered a pre-apprenticeship program called Building Pathways that prepared me for a career in the building trades unions. After graduating Building Pathways, I got the chance to start my career on a site covered by a Project Labor Agreement. Through a PLA negotiated by the unions, I didn’t just get a job, I built a career. When we commit to union labor through a PLA, we’re not just hiring workers, we're investing in families. We're putting real wages into the hands of parents who are raising the next generation. We’re investing in our neighborhoods, small businesses, and community centers. This PLA is an engine of economic growth. It ensures local hiring, so the people building these schools are the same people who walk these streets, ride the T, send their kids to these classrooms. It means more of our young people are getting into a lifetime career. The ripple effects of this PLA will be felt for decades creating stable pathways to home ownership, to save for the future, and building stronger, safer communities. This is how we fight inequality, not with words, but with work. With opportunity. With good union jobs,” said Chaton Green, Business Agent, Greater Boston Building Trades Unions.

Under Mayor Wu’s administration, the City of Boston has dedicated an increasing share of its capital budget to accelerate the pace of major school construction projects through the Long-Term Facilities Plan. This PLA ensures that all major BPS capital projects moving forward will have a consistent supply of skilled, union labor. These projects must be completed quickly and carefully sequenced to minimize disruptions to school communities. By signing this PLA, the City is creating greater efficiency and stability in large-scale, multi-step projects, while aligning with the City’s equitable procurement and supplier diversity standards to expand opportunities to women- and minority-owned businesses. Future school projects will be evaluated for potential inclusion in the PLA after a case-by-case review, as required by the Mass Leads Act, the economic development bill signed by Governor Maura Healey in November 2024.

"This landmark agreement creates real opportunities for students, especially young women and students of color, to thrive and build long lasting, fulfilling careers in the city they call home," said BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper. "Throughout the district, we are creating pathways to college and career in areas like health care, education, the arts, and the building trades. This agreement ensures that Boston will have a skilled, qualified workforce well into the future."

The PLA also specifies that graduates of Madison Park will have direct entry into the Building Pathways pre-apprenticeship program. Building Pathways is a non-profit organization founded by the Greater Boston Building Trades Unions dedicated to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of under-represented groups in the union building trades, particularly women, people of color, and young adults. Madison Park offers six Ch. 74-certified vocational programs aligned with the building trades: Carpentry; Electricity; Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC); Metal Fabrication; Plumbing; and Building and Property Maintenance. According to the terms of the PLA, the top-performing half of each graduating class from each of these six programs at Madison Park––up to 50 students per year––will have guaranteed admission into Building Pathways, followed by admission to a registered apprenticeship program. Madison Park will be the only technical vocational school in Massachusetts to offer its graduates direct entry into apprenticeship programs at this scale.

“Madison Park should and will be the best technical vocational high school in the country,” said Paul Neal, Head of School at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. “I’m grateful to have Mayor Wu’s partnership to give Madison the level of support that will uplift our students today and for their long term success, and I want to thank the Building Trades Unions for working with us to create these opportunities right in the heart of Roxbury.”

This expanded partnership with the building trade unions is a continuation of Mayor Wu’s and Superintendent Skipper’s commitment to immediate investment in Madison Park––including expanding co-op opportunities for students and modernizing curriculum and technology––even as the City continues its planning and design work for a re-designed Madison Park campus. In April 2025, the City and BPS submitted a Statement of Interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s Core Program to seek state support for the project.

The PLA also commits to enhancing childcare opportunities for workers in the participating unions by exploring the creation of a trust fund to subsidize the cost of high-quality childcare, similar to the trusts that the unions currently administer for health insurance and pension benefits. This builds on the City’s ongoing efforts, in partnership with the Care That Works coalition, to create more options for high-quality childcare for workers with non-traditional schedules.

The BPS Long-Term Facilities Plan commits to dramatically overhauling the district's physical footprint, with multiple complex projects underway simultaneously. Since 2022, the City has completed the Boston Arts Academy, the Josiah Quincy Upper School, and the new Horace Mann School (in the former Edwards building); and has broken ground on the new Carter School (on track to open in September 2025), a gut renovation of the Irving building for the new Sarah Roberts Elementary (on track to open in September 2025), and a major renovation and expansion of the PJ Kennedy Elementary School (on track to be complete in September 2025). The City has successfully secured state support from the Massachusetts School Building Authority for the Shaw-Taylor Elementary School and the Ruth Batson Academy with several more schools, including Madison Park. This is more major capital projects underway at once than has been completed in the last 40 years combined.

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Extended School Year

The Extended School Year (ESY) is a five-week summer program designed for students with disabilities whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) Teams have determined they are at risk of substantial skill regression over the summer. Not all students with disabilities qualify for ESY.

The curriculum is designed to reinforce and maintain the critical skills students have acquired through tailored instruction that reviews essential concepts and standards. Additionally, ESY provides targeted support to help students maintain and strengthen key skills outlined in their IEP, focusing on continued practice to ensure progress. It includes:

Individualized learning based on IEP goals
Academic support in literacy, math, and other core subjects
Social-emotional development to promote communication and self-regulation
Related services such as speech and occupational therapy
Pre-vocational and vocational training to develop work-related skills
Enrichment activities that engage students through hands-on learning

Our goal is to provide a supportive environment where students can continue to grow, with instruction focused on strengthening their foundational skills and supporting ongoing progress.

Important Information

Enrollment Deadline: Enroll by Monday, June 2, 2025 to ensure transportation on the first day. Please note transportation eligibility depends on IEP services, home base, and mileage requirements.
1:1 Support Confirmation: If your child has a 1:1 nurse and/or 1:1 paraprofessional, you must confirm their attendance by Thursday, May 1, 2025, to ensure staffing is in place for the first day of ESY.
Medication: Be sure to provide any necessary medication to your child’s ESY site nurse once ESY begins.
Open House: Meet the site coordinator, teacher, and ESY staff on Thursday, June 26, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m at your child’s assigned ESY school site. Check out our flyer for more information.

How to Enroll

Families have two options to enroll in ESY this year:

Respond via ParentSquare to the district’s communication/form.
Complete the enrollment form using Frevvo.

Respond via ParentSquare to the district’s communication/form.

ParentSquare is a communication platform that connects families with their child’s school, providing a central place for important updates, messages, and forms.

For Extended School Year, ParentSquare will be used to share key information, including enrollment reminders and important updates throughout the summer. ESY enrollment reminders will continue through June unless you complete enrollment or opt out of ESY.

Complete the enrollment form using Frevvo.

Frevvo is an online platform that simplifies ESY enrollment. Families can easily fill out and submit forms, including digital signatures, without needing paper documents.

To enroll, you will need your child's last name, date of birth, and student ID number.

If you have any questions or need support, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Extended School Year (ESY) Information

Q: What summer programming is the Office of Specialized Services (OSS) providing during Summer 2025?

A: The Office of Specialized Services (OSS) provides Extended School Year (ESY), a five-week program designed to offer special education services as outlined in students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Students eligible for this program have been identified by their IEP teams as being at risk of significant skill regression during the summer. Not all students with disabilities are eligible for ESY.

Q: What are the dates of the Extended School Year Program?

A: July 7, 2025 - August 8, 2025

May 1: If your child has a 1:1 nurse and/or 1:1 paraprofessional, please confirm their attendance by May 1, 2025 so we can ensure staffing is in place for the first day of ESY.
June 2: Enroll by June 2, 2025 to ensure transportation on the first day. Transportation eligibility depends on IEP services, home base, and mileage requirements.

Q: What services and curriculum will be provided for my child at Extended School Year (ESY)?

A: ESY focuses on reinforcing and maintaining critical skills through individualized learning based on IEP goals. The program includes academic support in literacy, math, and other core subjects, social-emotional development, related services (e.g., speech and occupational therapy), and enrichment activities such as pre-vocational skills training. The goal is to ensure continued progress in a structured and supportive environment. Families have four options for participation:
Your child will attend ESY and use school bus transportation.
Your child will attend ESY but will not use school bus transportation.
Your child will attend ESY for related services only (no transportation included).
Your child will not attend ESY and understands that the district is not obligated to provide compensatory services for missed services.

Q: Can my child attend Extended School Year (ESY) for Related Services Only?

A: Students can attend Extended School Year (ESY) for related services only, per the student’s IEP. If families choose to receive related services only, they
must provide their own transportation to the Extended School Year (ESY) sites.

Q: Will my child continue to receive their 1:1 nurse and/or 1:1 paraprofessional during ESY?

A: Yes, if your child’s IEP includes a 1:1 nurse and/or 1:1 paraprofessional, these services will be provided during ESY. However, to ensure staffing is in place for the first day of ESY, you must confirm your student’s attendance by Thursday, May 1, 2025.

Fifth Quarter Summer Learning Academies

Q: What are 5th Quarter Summer Learning Academies?

A: Fifth Quarter Summer Learning Academies are five-week, non-credit
programs that focus on academic enrichment and activities like outdoor
exploration, arts, and sports, aimed at limiting summer learning loss and
promoting academic academic achievement, social-emotional skills, and wellness.

Q: Will the 5th Quarter Summer Learning Academies Meet My Student’s Individualized Education Plan?

A: No. Boston Public Schools offers 5th Quarter Summer Learning
Academies to provide students with access and opportunity to summer
enrichment programming as an alternative to Extended School Year. Fifth
Quarter is not designed to meet IEP requirements. While efforts will be made to provide academic and related services, full IEP compliance cannot be guaranteed.

Students attending 5th Quarter will be considered to have opted out of ESY and will not be eligible for compensatory services.

School Sites

Q: What site will my child be assigned to?

A: We aim to assign students to schools closest to their homes with
staff who can meet the needs of students as outlined on their IEPs.
Students with higher needs will be assigned in cohorts with their
classmates. Assignment details, including school site, address, and
hours, will be provided with enrollment information.

Q: How do I enroll my child?
A: Families have two options to enroll in ESY this year:

Respond via ParentSquare: Enrollment information and reminders will be sent via ParentSquare, including key updates and forms. Simply respond to complete the enrollment. Reminders will continue through June unless you enroll or opt out of ESY.
Complete the enrollment form using Frevvo, an online platform that allows you to fill out and submit your form with digital signatures. You’ll need your child’s last name, date of birth, and student ID number. To submit an online confirmation for your student, please find information under "How to enroll" above.

Q: Can I change the site my child is scheduled to attend?

A: BPS considers site change requests on a case by case basis. If you’d like to request an Extended School Year (ESY) site change, please email
esy@bostonpublicschools.org. Include student name(s), student ID#(s) and reason(s) for request. A staff member from the Office of Specialized Services will get back to you regarding your inquiry. Information for all sites can be found below under "School Sites".

Q: My student has health needs that need to be addressed during the school day. Will there be a nurse on site?

A: Each site will have a nurse on staff. If your child needs medication,
please provide a current doctor’s note. Doctor’s Notes from the school year do not carry over, so you’ll need to submit a new one. Parents and Caregivers should bring the medication directly to the ESY nurse. Medication cannot be sent with the student or kept in the backpack.

Q: How can I get in touch with my child’s Extended School Year (ESY) teacher?

A: We encourage families to attend our Open House on Thursday, June
26, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at each school site. This will be a great
opportunity to meet your child’s teacher and staff.

If you need to connect with the teacher before the program begins, site coordinator contact information will be available below. Additionally, teachers will reach out to families prior to the start of ESY.

Transportation

Q: Will transportation be provided for my child to attend Extended School Year (ESY)?

A: Transportation will be provided for students whose IEPs include transportation services and whose families have confirmed their need for transportation through the ESY enrollment process by Monday, June 2, 2025, to ensure a bus assignment for the first day of ESY. Requests made after this date will be processed on a rolling basis, typically within one week.

Transportation eligibility is based on a student’s IEP services, home base, and mileage requirements. Students who receive corner transportation during the school year will either continue with corner transportation or walk if they live within their ESY site's walk zone. Students in 7th grade and up without specialized transportation can continue using their M7 MBTA pass throughout the summer.

Families can track buses using the Zum App and are encouraged to upload their child’s photo for easy identification. If your address has changed, please update it at a Welcome Center to avoid delays in transportation.

For questions or concerns, contact the Department of Transportation through the Transportation Support Portal.

Helpful Links

Attendance

Q: My family is taking a vacation or my child is attending a camp during the Extended School Year (ESY) program. Are they able to return when it’s over?

A: Yes, your child may attend at any time the program is in session. If you know the specific dates your student will be attending, please share those dates with your child’s Extended School Year Site Coordinator, so that we can effectively plan for your student.

Q: Will my child be promoted to the next grade if they are unable to attend?

A: ESY program does not impact grade promotion.

Additional Questions

School Sites

K-6

Condon

Dates: July 7-August 8
Hours: 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Address: 200 D St, South Boston, MA 02127

Edison

Dates: July 7-August 8
Hours: 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Address: 60 Glenmont Rd, Brighton, MA 02135

Lee

Dates: July 7-August 8
Hours: 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Address: 155 Talbot Ave, Dorchester, MA 02124

Mildred

Dates: July 7-August 8
Hours: 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Address: 5 Mildred Ave, Mattapan, MA 02126

Murphy

Dates: July 7-August 8
Hours: 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Address: 1 Worrell St, Dorchester, MA 02122

Ohrenberger

Dates: July 7-August 8
Hours: 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Address: 175 W Boundary Rd, West Roxbury, MA 02132

5/7 - 12

Frederick

Dates: July 7-August 8
Hours: 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Address: 270 Columbia Rd, Dorchester, MA 02121

Madison Park Technical Vocational High School

Dates: July 7-August 8
Hours: 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Address: 75 Malcolm X Blvd, Roxbury, MA 02120

Ruth Batson Academy

Dates: July 7-August 8
Hours: 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Address: 315 Mt Vernon St, Dorchester, MA 02125

K - 12

Henderson

Dates: July 7-August 8
Hours: 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Address: 18 Croftland Ave, Dorchester, MA 02124

Horace Mann

Dates: July 7-August 8
Hours: 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Address: 28 Walk St, Charlestown, MA 02129

Melvin H. King South End Academy

Dates: July 7-August 8
Hours: 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Address: 90 Warren Ave, Back Bay, MA 02116

Umana Academy

Dates: July 7-August 8
Hours: 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Address: 312 Border St, East Boston, MA 02128

STRIVE

Quick Links

5th Quarter
Welcome Center
Transportation
We’re Hiring!

Contact Us

esy@bostonpublicschools.org
(617) 635-8599