The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct an Integrated Monitoring Review of Boston Public Schools during the week of May 19, 2025.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct an Integrated Monitoring Review of Boston Public Schools during the week of May 19, 2025. Each school district, charter school, vocational school, and virtual school undergoes an Integrated Monitoring Review every three years. The areas addressed during an Integrated Monitoring Review are organized into two groups, known as Group A Universal Standards and Group B Universal Standards.
Boston Public Schools will be undergoing a Group B monitoring review that addresses special education teacher and related service personnel licensure and professional development; parent, student, and community engagement, including compliance with Child Find requirements; facilities and classroom observations; implementation and oversight of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs); time and learning, and equal access. For additional information please also see Integrated Monitoring Parent and Family Orientation.
The process includes interviews with district staff and administrators, a review of policies and procedures, and school building visits.
The Department will also send a parent survey, in multiple languages and formats, as needed, to parents /guardians of special education students to gather key information on the special education processes and procedures.
Parents/guardians and other stakeholders may contact Michelle Hennessy-Kowalchek, Monitoring Review Chairperson, at (413) 314- 6709 or Michelle.Hennessy-Kowalchek@mass.gov to request a telephone interview. If anyone requires an accommodation, such as translation, to participate in an interview, the Department will make the necessary arrangements.
Within approximately 60 business days after the onsite visit, the review chairperson will provide the district with a report that includes information on further actions that may be required. The public can access the report on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website.
As we celebrate Earth Day, Boston Public Schools acknowledges the critical role that the district plays in combating the climate crisis, which we know disproportionately impacts underserved communities.
Boston Public Schools Celebrates Earth Day and Efforts to Build a More Sustainable School District
As we celebrate Earth Day, Boston Public Schools (BPS) acknowledges the critical role that the district plays in combating the climate crisis, which we know disproportionately impacts underserved communities. BPS has been working for years to ensure our sustainability efforts help us reduce this impact on the students and families we serve.
Most recently, BPS received the 2024 Best of Green Schools Awards - District Award and 2023 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School District Sustainability Award. However, the work is not done.
“We know that we must support our students and help them become the climate action leaders that our communities need,” said Superintendent Mary Skipper. “I am committed to ensuring that our district is a model for how we teach our students about the importance of sustainability and climate. Our operational decisions and investments make Boston a national leader in many areas including facilities management, transportation, food and nutrition services, and teaching and learning.”
District Investments in Air and Water Quality
The district’s work includes the installation of 4,400 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Sensors, which allows Facilities Management to monitor air quality and temperature inside and outside school buildings and share results on a public dashboard. The BPS IAQ Management Plan is being used as a model by other K-12 districts across the U.S., and our adopted standards are influencing state and federal policy and funding for IAQ in K-12 schools.
The district has also invested in the installation of filtered bottle refill stations in schools across the city to improve access to safe drinking water and move schools from single use water bottles. To date, nearly 750 filtered bottle refill stations have been installed in 84 schools through the BPS Drinking Water Access Initiative saving the district $485,000 annually in bottled water costs. The district is working to expand access, with more schools expected to have water stations installed in the coming years.
District Food Waste Collection Programs
Last school year, BPS Food and Nutrition Services partnered with the Facilities Department to expand the BPS Food Waste Collection Program and diverted approximately 250,000 pounds of food waste from landfills. This school year, the program will expand to include 10 additional school kitchens, bringing the total to 32 participating schools.
“BPS sustainability and climate action are rooted in our commitment to health and safety, equity, and community collaboration. Our work in academics and operations prioritizes a commitment to creating healthier, greener environments,” said BPS Assistant Director of Planning, Engineering, Sustainability, & Environment Katherine Walsh. “Our work also reflects the student voice - students rightfully demand investments in environmental education, green jobs, and sustainable environments, and are leading climate justice efforts.”
Outdoor Teaching and Learning
Our schoolyards are just as important as our indoor environments. BPS continues to invest in outdoor teaching and learning. Facilities Management partners with the Science, Technology, and Engineering Department to provide a Teaching and Learning Outdoors Champions Program for BPS teachers, with about 40 teachers enrolled, receiving support through Professional Development, materials budgets, and stipends. Many of the champions are also supported by our BPS garden partners.
Since the 2022-2023 school year, Facilities Management has invested $840,000 to install school garden programs at 60 schools. Over the three year period, these schools have received more than $2.6 million in raised bed garden programming and services from the garden partners, accounting for 180 teaching and learning hours weekly. Facilities Management also supports 38 outdoor classrooms and five school hydroponics programs.
“Sustainability and climate are intentionally integrated throughout our core science curriculum, helping all students connect their learning to the world around them,” said BPS K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering Program Director Nicole Guttenberg, PhD. “Our vision is to inspire students to understand, care about, and take action on the ways our lives and choices shape the climate and our shared future.”
School Climate and Sustainability Curriculums
Our sustainability and climate work is also taking shape at the school level, with schools like Boston Green Academy empowering students to be a key part of the transition to a greener, more just world by embedding sustainability into many aspects of the school experience, from the classroom curriculum, as well as beyond the school campus into the community. BGA aspires to make their sustainability and climate curriculum a whole school endeavor, not just something that students learn about in science or math classrooms. A winner of the 2019 U.S Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Award, BGA continued to be a model green school in Boston and beyond.
"We know our students can be the next generation of green leaders, whether solving local issues or contributing to national solutions," said Boston Green Academy Head of School Matt Holzer. “The climate crisis impacts everyone, especially in urban areas like Boston, and we want our kids to have the skills and knowledge to make a difference.”
Additionally, BGA works to build key student skills through their Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program, which is the district’s only Environmental Science and Technology CTE program. The BGA CTE program annually sees about 25% of Grades 9-12 students participate in the program, which allows students to partner with industry leaders for internships and explore the career possibilities in this growing and important field. Upon completion of the BGA CTE program, students will also receive valuable industry-wide certifications that can open doors to employment and strengthen college applications.
"I never really cared about sustainability, even after all the sustainability this school has tried to push on me, one of my classes about Engineering and Green Physics kind of made me open up my eyes,” said Jaden Dominique, a Boston Green Academy Grade 12 Student. “When we were learning about the Upcycling project and although I didn't do well on it, it still showed me what's happening in the real world, and now, even though I'm hesitant, I'm even doing a sustainability internship that I never thought I would do."
On April 16, 2025, the Boston School Committee voted unanimously to approve a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Boston Teachers Union (BTU), allowing the district to continue to build and deliver on the promise of a High-Quality Student Experience for every student in Boston.
Boston School Committee Votes to Approve Three-Year Collective Bargaining Agreement with Boston Teachers Union
BOSTON – April 16, 2025 – The Boston School Committee voted unanimously to approve a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Boston Teachers Union (BTU), which prioritizes the learning needs of our students with disabilities through Inclusive Education and increased salaries for the district’s lowest-paid workers. The contract will allow the district to continue to build and deliver on the promise of a High-Quality Student Experience for every student in Boston.
“As a BPS mom, I am especially grateful for our educators and the hard work and love they pour into serving our students every day,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This contract affirms our shared commitment to strengthening teaching and learning, supporting our educators, and building a bright future for every BPS student. Thank you to the Boston Teachers Union and all our BPS educators for your unwavering commitment to our school communities.”
“With this agreement, we are making a significant investment across our staff, who show up every day to teach, guide, and support our more than 48,000 students,” said Superintendent Mary Skipper. “Our educators and support staff are the foundation of the high-quality student experience and we must continue to recruit and retain highly skilled, diverse, and passionate individuals to deliver on that promise. I also want to thank BPS staff and our partners at the BTU for their collaboration, long hours, and dedication to reaching this important milestone together."
“The new contract raises wages for our lowest wage workers, makes progress toward supporting our students with disabilities, invests in more professional development for staff to strengthen their skills, and identifies several operational efficiencies to streamline service delivery for our students and families,” said School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson. “By investing in our workforce, the district is demonstrating its commitment to supporting our highest needs students, especially those with disabilities. This agreement ensures that BPS students are being supported by highly-trained professional staff who are prepared to meet their needs and long term learning goals.”
For more than a year, the City of Boston, Boston Public Schools (BPS), and the BTU engaged in a robust and productive process to negotiate a new contract. This is the second consecutive agreement that makes significant progress in supporting students with disabilities and takes a different and more equitable approach from previous years so that all members see wage increases, but lowest wage workers see higher wage increases. The contract also includes several operational efficiencies that streamline and improve services for staff, students, and families.
The contract will be in effect through August 2027 and provide significant benefits including:
Wage increases up to 30% for paraprofessionals. By the end of the contract, the starting salary for a paraprofessional will be just over $44,000 and the new average salary will be just over $54,000;
Five additional hours of professional development for all educators and 10 hours of professional development for paraprofessionals with a particular focus on inclusive education;
New special education paraprofessional role who will work under the supervision of a special education teacher to provide services to students in alignment with their IEP;
Year-round access for students and families for language testing because of changes to the Newcomer Assessment and Counseling Center work year;
The use of Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) forms for BTU members when requesting a leave to ensure consistency for all BPS staff; and
For high schools with 6-period schedules, the flexibility to make changes within the current school day to their schedule so all students can have the course offerings to meet MassCore requirements.
The agreement also expands community hub schools, provides housing voucher information at all welcome centers for families, and makes it easier for the district to
hire school nurses with additional credits for prior experience in professional settings, such as hospitals.
On April 16, 2025, the Boston School Committee voted unanimously to approve a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Boston Teachers Union (BTU), allowing the district to continue to build and deliver on the promise of a High-Quality Student Experience for every student in Boston.
Mayor Wu Announces Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah as Boston's Next Poet Laureate
Local poet and BPS librarian to lead public poetry programs citywide, championing literary arts and youth engagement across Boston as fourth Poet Laureate.
BOSTON, MA - Wednesday, April 16, 2025 - Mayor Michelle Wu and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture announced that Ghanaian American poet, editor, and educator Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah will serve as Boston’s next Poet Laureate. Oppong-Yeboah will officially assume the role in July 2025 and serve until July 2029. Established in 2008, the Boston Poet Laureate Program has been a cornerstone of Boston’s creative sector, drawing residents into the rich and transformative world of the literary arts. It is a ceremonial appointment with a term of four years.
“I'm honored to announce Emmanuel as Boston’s next Poet Laureate. Their voice, vision, and deep commitment to community will inspire and amplify our city’s voices over the next four years,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “In a time where we need to challenge, uplift, and connect, I'm proud to know that Emmanuel will carry out this role with care for our communities.”
“I am very excited to serve the City of Boston in this role,” said Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah. “In so much of life I feel a profound sense of indebtedness to those who have done the work before me. No less so here. Boston's two most recent poet laureates, Porsha Olayiwola and Danielle Georges, have created so much space in this city for the flourishing of poetry and poets, and I am grateful to them and eager to expand on their work.”’
Oppong-Yeboah grew up in Boston and holds the city close to their heart. They are currently a BPS educator working as a school librarian at the Joseph Lee School in Dorchester. For six years, they taught 11th grade English at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, and prior to that served as a teaching artist for 10 years at organizations throughout Boston, including the Massachusetts Literary Education and Performance Collective, the Cambridge Arts Council, Northeastern University, and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. Emmanuel’s poem, “kra-din” (Kweli Journal), is a past recipient of the Pushcart Prize (XLIII).
“We are thrilled that Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah, a beloved member of our BPS community, has been named Boston’s next Poet Laureate,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. “As a school librarian at the Lee K-8 School, Emmanuel nurtures curiosity, creativity, and a deep love for words in our students every day. Their passion for poetry and education exemplifies the transformative power of the arts in young people’s lives. We are proud to see a BPS educator in this role and excited for the inspiration they will spark across our city.”
Oppong-Yeboah will be Boston’s fourth poet laureate, following Porsha Olayiwola, Danielle Legros Georges, and Sam Cornish, all of whom helped elevate the city’s poetry scene. Oppong-Yeboah is committed to expanding on their legacies by fostering new opportunities for poets of all ages to thrive.
For Oppong-Yeboah, working with young people in the city where they were raised is especially meaningful and a source of personal joy. They hope to use this role to bring people together to build connections and provide resources to support poets and the organizations that make space for them.
They plan to work with the Boston Youth Poet Laureate on initiatives that activate the youth poetry scene in Boston; transform community spaces in Boston Public Libraries to host all-ages open-mics and draw engagement from BPS school communities nearby these library sites; partner with Boston’s School Libraries to connect Boston-area students to living poets; and host a contest that invites local poets to engage in writing based on Boston Public Library’s archives.
Applications for the role were reviewed by a Selection Panel consisting of a distinguished group of local literary professionals. The Selection Panel evaluated all entries and held interviews with the final candidates.
“The Selection Committee was impressed by both Emmanuel’s creative work, but equally his balanced thoughtful intentionality; he will bring to this role a deep appreciation of community engagement; and his skills and connections as an educator; and a passion for mentoring our young people in their creative endeavors,” said David Leonard, President of the Boston Public Library.
Oppong-Yeboah’s upcoming events include co-leading an open mic and poetry slam on April 18 and May 2 with poet Crystal Valentine at Just Book-ish in Fields Corner, Dorchester (1st and 3rd Friday of every month). Additionally, they will be doing a feature performance on Wednesday, April 23, at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, home of the Boston Poetry Slam.
Have you adjusted back to your students' school year routines? (Ex: Sleep Schedule, Homework Schedule?)
Have you received your student’s transportation assignment for the 2024-2025 school year?
Have you reviewed your student’s bus stop location, route assignment, as well as pick-up and drop off times?
Have you downloaded the Zum App on your smartphone to track the real-time location of your student’s yellow school bus for the 2024-2025 school year?
Have you updated the contact information that you have on file with your student’s school? (Phone, Email, Mailing Address)
Have you downloaded ParentSquare to get alerts, updates, and important information about your school and BPS Central Office, including our family newsletter “BPS Beyond the Bell”?
Have you shared copies of your student’s most recent physical examination and immunizations with your school nurse or school leader?
Has your student completed their Summer Homework Assignments? (Ex: Reading Logs, Math Packets)
Have you checked on your student’s school supplies list? (Supplies Lists can vary by school. If you have a question about your students’ supply list, please call the main phone number of your school, which can be found on the School Listings page here.)
Kindergarten through Grade 1 Students and Families: Have you written your student’s name, your name, address, phone number, and name of the school on the back of an index card or tag ?
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