FYI from BSF, 04.23.21

Some things we have read through recently...

“Vacation” Read

With Massachusetts public schools closed for April break, we all had a little less homework this week.

Boston Public Schools is set to reopen elementary schools in the 3 days, and evergreen issues subsist - enrollment, exam schools, money, and buses.

Enrollment declines were already reported for this year, more and more data implies this may be a long-term trend. According to a New York Times analysis of almost 1,000 metro areas, Boston had the 10th highest rates of residents moving out.

Where are Boston residents going? Perhaps Pittsfield. Of course, open buildings does not mean students will return, as we saw at the McKinley in Boston.

The federal judge’s opinion to uphold the city’s plan for exam school admission this year is facing appeal. Two big questions remain. First, will this be a one-year exception, as argued and held by the court? Second, did the algorithm/policy to create diversity in admissions actually work? We won’t know until invitations go out to families (they haven’t yet).

The big opportunity of big federal dollars is going to require careful planning. Boston has yet to get going on this, but it appears the City Council wants to weigh in now.

School bus driver shortages are affecting reopening in other cities. Questions about drivers, student rosters based on family sign-ups, and bus hesitancy among families will likely create snags, if not traffic. BPS is on track to spend $106M on buses this year.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education had a lively meeting on Tuesday. The Board dealt with two big topics: waiving MCAS for next year’s high school graduates and reforming vocational school admissions. No state report this week on COVID-19 rates.

For the second straight week, education got attention in the Boston mayor’s race. There was media coverage of two candidates' education plans (Wu and Essaibi-George), and a virtual forum featured several substantive education questions for candidates. Summary here.

Schools are quickly addressing the Chauvin verdict.