FYI from BSF, 05.12.23
With the Mayor’s announcement of plans to renovate and reopen the shuttered West Roxbury Education Complex, we decided to dig into the city’s most recent 5-Year Capital Budget to see what it reveals about Boston’s school facilities plans and the progress of the Green New Deal for BPS (GND).
First, the facts:
The budget proposes a total of $1.05 B in total education capital project spending over 5 years, which is an increase of $250 M (+32%)from last year’s 5-year capital plan.
There are a total of 83 specific school projects named, which is an increase of 6 projects from last year’s capital plan.
Four themes stood out from our analysis.
1. The City is both increasing and diversifying education capital spending. The most recent capital plan reflects a departure from the Walsh administration, where the majority of capital spending went to a few major new construction projects (e.g., BAA, the Carter, Quincy Upper). The Wu administration has increased capital spending across the spectrum of capital and construction needs (e.g., project studies, major renovations, facilities improvements, capital maintenance, new construction).
2. With more spending and more projects, education capital spending is reaching more Boston neighborhoods. As projects currently designated as studies move to become new construction or major renovation projects, this trend is likely to continue. Top capital funding recipients are those neighborhoods where new schools are being built.
3. Half of the initial $2 B GND for BPS pledge has been spent or committed to be spent within this 5-year Capital Budget. So far, $77 M has previously been spent on GND projects and $910 M is committed to be spent over the next 5 years. This leaves around $1 B remaining in what city leaders have said is the first phase of the GND for BPS.
4. This 5-year capital plan could result in the modernization of up to 15%, or 18, of BPS’ 122 buildings*. This 5-year plan includes funding for 8 full-school modernization projects (6 major renovations, 2 new school construction). Yet, there is a potential for 18 total projects if the 10 design studies are to result in major renovations or new construction projects. ( *Note: there are 125 buildings, but we removed BAA, Dearborn STEM, and the Eliot since they are all recently modernized schools).
With half of the initial pledge committed and construction just beginning to ramp up, it’s easy to see how the GND for BPS could likely exceed $2 B when it is complete. City leaders were clear that $2 B is the first phase, and more spending should be expected.
Perhaps more of a hurdle than spending is the pace of construction, which should increase after the Master Facilities Plan is released in December 2023, but also depends on complicated negotiations about mergers, grade reconfigurations, and the freeing up of adequate swing space. Executing all the projects in this capital budget would be a historic achievement for Boston in school construction activity, but how the City gets to all of BPS’ buildings in 10 years remains an open question.
Other Matters
Boston School Committee met on Wednesday, featuring a long update on progress on the state’s required systemic improvement plan. Full materials here.
Earlier that day, the Boston City Council passed a resolution to gather more information on school mergers and closures.
Things were busy last week all around the Commonwealth. Marlboro suffered through a multi-day bus strike. Holyoke wants to know the timeline for continued state receivership. Uxbridge is enlisting the “Knives Out” approach to understand why so many school committee members simultaneously resigned. Easthampton would just like an interim superintendent.
With the Senate budget proposal released this week, here is a helpful summary of how all three budget proposals considered millionaire’s tax revenue.
In addressing education, the Senate budget increased funding for community colleges, included undocumented students for in-state tuition benefits, and does not make universal school lunch permanent. A Senate budget amendment also takes up vocational school admissions policies.
The official close of many federal and Massachusetts policies yesterday had a lot of folks looking backward. A scan of the available data shows that neither enrollment nor student learning have recovered yet.
National teenager survey data highlights massive mental health needs. The good news? Lots of things work to address this: school attendance, leveraging telehealth to expand care, starting high school days later, andgetting kids off of phones (if you haven’t heard of “Yondr” yet, you will soon).
New York City and Indiana made headlines this week by mandating evidence-based reading curricula.
“No end in sight” for the prolonged Oakland teacher strike.
A national survey reveals strong interest in higher education, but increasing concerns about cost.