Parents, teachers and school advocates expressed concerns about low resources and overcrowding as school officials outlined reconfiguration plans that would merge McCormack Middle School with the Boston Community Leadership Academy beginning in the 2020 school year.
“Once again, BPS has created a system that pits school communities against each other,” said Maura O’Toole, who also voiced concerns about schools becoming overcrowded and resources low. “Many of the schools are currently beyond capacity.”
As the Herald reported Wednesday, Boston Public Schools is proposing a series of changes to its school configuration, adding 6th graders in up to 17 elementary schools, including five schools in South Boston and Dorchester. The McCormack Middle School merger will feature a grades 7 to 12 high school, a move Interim Superintendent Laura Perille says is necessary given a rapid decline in middle school enrollment.
“Our schools are incredibly complicated and the needs of our students are important and nuanced,” Perille said Wednesday, adding that the schools must “make sure we get it right for our students.”