Boston

Boston proposing big expansions for 2 major high schools

Mayor Michelle Wu, Superintendent Mary Skipper and other leaders spoke outside the shared Roxbury campus of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School and the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science

A rendering of a proposed new high school in Boston.
NBC10 Boston

Boston is planning a major school expansion that will separate two of its high schools and improve the facilities at both.

The plan would provide a brand-new campus for the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics & Science in West Roxbury and a major renovation of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School on the existing campus. Mayor Michelle Wu called the move "generational change at a scale that we haven't seen for some time."

Wu and Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper also on Tuesday announced that Charlestown High School will offer all its students early college courses at Bunker Hill Community College and an expansion at Jamaica Plain's Margarita Muñiz Academy.

Wu, Skipper and other leaders spoke outside the shared Roxbury campus of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School and the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science.

"This building's a little tired," Wu said. "It needs some love. The two school communities who are here each deserve the fullest of opportunities."

The announcements were meant to embody four principles of Wu and Skipper's shared vision for Boston high schools: academic rigor, institutional partnerships, offering universal access to college and career pathways and creating state-of-the-art facilities.

Skipper characterized the proposal as big, bold and centered on students.

"We often accept incremental change. That is not good enough for our students. It never has been and never will," she said.

The phased rebuild of Madison Park would expand it to include the current footprint of O'Bryant and more than double its student population. Wu and Skipper envision creating an innovative career and technical education program that would bring members of the community to the campus for adult education as well as services like dentistry, car work and preschool — JetBlue has committed to an early career partnership with the district.

O'Bryant would expand as well under the proposal, but Wu said BPS is committed to maintaining access to the new campus across the southern part of Boston in West Roxbury through dedicated shuttles to transit hubs.

"Transportation will not be a barrier to reaching this one-of-a-kind campus no matter where you live in the city," Wu said.

Skipper, who was hired last year, outlined her 5-year plan for Boston Public Schools in an interview with NBC10 Boston in November.

Mary Skipper is the city's sixth super intendent in the last 10 years, but as she told NBC10 Boston's Jeff Saperstone, she plans to be in the position for the long haul.

She also shared her six priorities to get back to basics, including rigorous academics, social and emotional support, school safety, strengthening communications, authentic family engagement, and accountability.

The announcement comes after months of incidents in Boston schools, including students bringing weapons to class, a violent attack where a parent assaulted a bus driver and several recent cases where students ingested edibles.

A MassINC Polling Group poll released last August showed that 29% of parents reported that they're "very satisfied" with the Boston Public Schools, a decline from 41% a year earlier. Meanwhile, fewer parents in the survey felt that the district is focusing on students. A higher number of parents than in previous surveys reported that they believed the district was focused more on district leaders and politicians.

The city and school district reached an agreement with the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on a plan in June of 2022 to avoid receivership. Improvements to special education services, student transportation and school safety were all part of that agreement.

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