Copyright The Boston Globe
Wu said in her speech the district is no longer in the bottom 10 percent of school districts in the state, and it’s true. But her description of the district “leapfrogging” 28 others puts a positive spin on it: Still, 45 city schools are classified as underperforming. And fewer than a third of Grade 3 to 8 students meet expectations on the state MCAS exams. Enormous gaps remain: Asian and white students pass the tests at double the rate of Black and Latino peers. BPS has not fallen as far as some other parts of the state, but in most grades and subjects, the district’s students are not doing any better than they were in 2021, immediately after the pandemic, on state MCAS exams. In all grades and subjects except grade 5 science, they remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels on the MCAS. The 10 comparison districts the state compares Boston to have just had worse post-pandemic trajectories. Wu did not address the district’s enrollment during her speech. The district has not released official numbers, but as of late September, BPS faced a decline of approximately 1,200 multilingual learners compared to October 2024, according to numbers the district shared with the Globe. While school leaders do not gather data on why a family left, many are currently leaving due to heightened immigration enforcement, advocates and parents said. Immigration as a whole is another issue Wu did not mention in her speech. In recent years, BPS has seen dwindling enrollment buoyed by a rapid increase of immigrant students, including many Haitians and Venezuelans holding Temporary Protected Status or TPS. Since the Trump administration has made attempts to end TPS and launched a mass deportation campaign, many families are moving to areas they deem safer or self-deporting to their home countries. Wu hailed the leadership of Superintendent Mary Skipper, who has led BPS since 2022 during a rocky period for public school districts. President Trump has threatened funding cuts for schools with policies he opposes, like supports for immigrants and transgender students. The district also faces uncertainty as Trump dismantles the US Department of Education, which administers funds under key programs like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. “Superintendent Mary Skipper has done more than steady the ship. She’s turned the tide,” Wu said Tuesday. “Under her leadership, BPS has deployed a clear, consistent, research-based strategy to raise expectations for our students district-wide, and support educators in helping students meet and exceed those expectations.” The praise for Skipper came a day before the Boston School Committee was slated to discuss Skipper’s employment contract Wednesday night. She earned about $350,000 last year, according to city records. In July, the board hailed Skipper’s leadership amid uncertainty around federal funding. But School Committee members noted that progress under Skipper remains uneven across schools, and have urged her to accelerate the closure of student achievement gaps. Wu announced several new initiatives, including advanced math clubs and afterschool programs. The afterschool programming will be rolled out at the district’s 20 community hub schools, in partnership with the BTU, YMCA, United Way, and the Lubin Family Foundation, according to her office. Currently, 83% of schools offer before or after school programs. Wu also announced Wicked Math, a new partnership with EdVestors, The Young People’s Project, and The Calculus Project to start advanced math clubs, strengthen math pathways, and train juniors and seniors to tutor middle school students. Meanwhile, the school district added more languages families could use for the Great Starts online platform. Families now can register for BPS in one of 10 languages, she said. Wu said her administration has launched a series of new school building projects, but that list included work started by her predecessors. In a separate fact sheet, her office listed several projects that were begun before she took office in 2021, but completed under her administration. ● Boston Arts Academy (2022) ● Josiah Quincy Upper School (2024) ● Carter School (2025) Several projects have been launched under Wu’s administration, according to her office: ● Horace Mann School (2024) ● PJ Kennedy Elementary School (2025) ● Sarah Roberts Elementary (2025) ● Shaw-Taylor Elementary School (invited into MSBA Core program in 2023) ● Ruth Batson Academy (invited into MSBA Core program in 2024) ● Boston Adult Technical Academy–East (2025) ● Navigating Employment and Transition (NExT) program (2025) ● White Stadium ● Madison Park Technical Vocational High School (begun design, submitted to MSBA Core program in 2025) ● Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (renovations to temporary home completed in 2025; active RFP process underway for new permanent site) ● Former South Boston High School building (decarbonization and renovation work currently being scoped by PFD through the Renew Boston Trust program; won grant from MassCEC in 2025) ● Frederick (renovation to convert to preK-6; estimated completion in 2026) Her office also said that BPS has ramped up investments in state-of-good-repair projects, including through the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s Accelerated Repair Program: ● Dr. Albert D. Holland High School of Technology - boiler ● English High School - windows/doors ● Henderson Upper School - roof ● Haley Elementary School - boiler ● Kenny Elementary School - roof ● O’Donnell Elementary School - roof ● Adams Elementary School - windows/doors ● Murphy K-8 School - windows/doors ● Chittick Elementary School - windows/doors ● Gardner Pilot Academy - windows/doors ● Everett Elementary School - windows/doors ● Lyndon K-8 School - windows/doors
