Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Updated 6-6-17

5. How did BuildBPS assess the condition of all school buildings?

6. What did the BuildBPS team learn as a result of the facilities assessments?

7. How does the project report on schools’ proximity to other City and community resources?

8. How does the plan account for spaces in schools that are shared with partner organizations?

9. How does BuildBPS address the issue of lead in drinking water?

10. How did the Education Planning Committee ensure that schools and classrooms will be designed to

meet teaching and learning priorities in the years ahead?

11. How will BuildBPS ensure that schools and classrooms are designed to support students with

different learning needs, particularly students with disabilities and English Language Learners?

12. How will the plan ensure that Boston classrooms are equipped with the latest technology needed to

18. How is the possibility of charter school growth factored into enrollment projections?

19. In order to stem declining enrollment, what is the school district doing to attract and retain a greater

portion of the school-aged population in Boston?

20. How can parents, staff, and others get involved in the master planning process?

21. What will be the feedback loop with School Site Councils to address any questions or concerns that

arise?

22. What steps are the City and BPS taking to develop a more sustainable budget model for the school

district, particularly to avoid the difficult decisions that were required to achieve a balanced budget

proposal for the 2016-2017 school year?

23. Which escalating costs are contributing most to increasing gaps in the BPS operating budget?

28. What is the McKinsey report, and what did it say about BPS enrollment capacity?

29. What do other analyses indicate about the school district’s enrollment capacity?

30. Which BPS projects are currently receiving funding from the Massachusetts School Building

31. What about the construction projects proposed for Quincy Upper School and Boston Arts Academy?

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framework for aligning BPS construction and renovation projects with the district’s educational priorities,

supported by a $1 billion investment over the next 10 years. It is designed to guide investments to

ensure that the school district’s facilities are equipped for innovative changes taking place in learning and

instruction.

2. Why are the City and BPS engaging in a master planning process for school facilities?

available to address them, so the City and the school district must make difficult decisions every year

about how to prioritize competing capital needs. The Facilities Master Plan will provide a long-range

planning and financing projects that advance the school district’s goals to improve student achievement.

3. Who is leading the project?

Co. serves as the project manager. BuildBPS is governed by a management team comprised of senior

4. What types of data does the BuildBPS team examine?

on the District’s educational vision for the schools, as well as several sets of new and existing data. In

particular, to bring data and vision together, the master planning process examines the following

• Educational: the district’s plans and priorities for teaching and learning in the years ahead, and the

• Facilities: the existing condition and uses of BPS buildings, as well as their ability to house various

present and future of teaching and learning and of Boston’s educational facilities.

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condition of each facility and the appropriateness of its current educational use -- i.e., Is the building

conducive to the educational programs offered within? The assessments do not include any review of

academic outcomes or other performance data. The teams used a comprehensive evaluation tool to

compile information about each school’s classrooms, offices, cafeterias, auditoriums, gymnasiums,

bathrooms, and other spaces, considering factors such as heating and ventilation, air quality, windows,

support services.

6. What did the BuildBPS team learn as a result of the facilities assessments?

district. BuildBPS is designed to help eliminate many of these disparities.

7. How does the project report on schools’ proximity to other City and community resources?

community use, such as community centers, libraries, athletic fields and facilities, and Boys & Girls

Clubs.

8. How does the plan account for spaces in schools that are shared with partner organizations?

information about drinking water quality in Boston Public Schools, visit

http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/water.

10. How did the Education Planning Committee ensure that schools and classrooms will be

Improving teaching and learning within BPS is one of Superintendent Chang’s core commitments. The

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12. How will the plan ensure that Boston classrooms are equipped with the latest technology

investment in the schools to create better buildings for teaching and learning. Equipping school buildings

with the technology to become better teaching spaces is central to this idea, and BuildBPS includes

proposals not only to renovate bricks and mortar, but also to expand the school system’s technology

capacity to teach in more innovative ways and to provide flexibility for the future.

14. How will project ideas be proposed, evaluated, and approved?

the neighborhood workshops held in May and June 2017. In these workshops, parents, staff, and

community members are using various data sources from the BuildBPS report – including facility

conditions, enrollment and capacity figures, grade configurations, and more – to generate ideas for

capital investments.

more about the School Building Office’s analyses of the ideas generated in the workshops and provide

input on the projects proposed for the first round of funding. In early 2018, based on the work conducted

over the previous nine months, the City and BPS will include prioritized projects in Boston’s capital

budget proposal and continue to pursue projects with the MSBA.

successful community engagement, essentially repeating the cycle to prioritize projects for year two and

beyond.

investments, such as furniture and technology improvements, to facilitate 21st century teaching and

learning.

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into account the condition of the building’s learning environment (from the facilities assessments), the

enrollment of the school, and the composition of the student body. We will share more details about the

formula and the allocations as they become available.

17. What were the findings relative to demographics and enrollment?

growth is not keeping pace with Boston’s population growth, and charter schools continue to be a

significant competitive factor. Specialized programs are scattered around the city, often increasing the

need to transport students out of their home neighborhood. The demographers working on the project

seats under the current cap, and the Demographics Advisory Committee is discussing what other

scenarios the Master Plan could/should consider. Boston is currently subject to a cap in charter school

enrollment, not to exceed 18% of net school spending. However, a statewide ballot initiative scheduled

for November 2016 proposes to lift the cap in some communities, including Boston, resulting in an

increase in the number of available charter school seats, if the measure is approved.

19. In order to stem declining enrollment, what is the school district doing to attract and retain a

Ultimately, all investments in school and district improvement are designed to strengthen the quality of

● Increasing capacity for early childhood education

● Providing flexibility for future growth

20. How can parents, staff, and others get involved in the master planning process?

partners, and residents – is essential to the success of the project. The project includes ongoing

opportunities for members of the community to offer their opinions on the most effective educational uses

of BPS facilities, and to provide feedback on findings and recommendations. Initial steps have included a

citywide survey in nine languages, several community forums and open houses, office hours, information

● Review documents in the public Google Drive.

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comment. This will give school leaders and Site Council members a better understanding of the

assessment process, and provide a feedback loop on the assessment data, as well as opportunities to

22. What steps are the City and BPS taking to develop a more sustainable budget model for the

school district?

Despite declining enrollment, the BPS budget has increased by 23.4% ($192 million) since 2010. The

City and BPS have launched a Long-Term Financial Planning process, which is exploring both potential

cost-saving measures and additional revenue streams. The team’s work includes identifying particular

the greatest cost increases:

• Student transportation: BPS spends about 10% of its budget on transportation, and costs in recent

for specialized services for high-need students.

• Staff salaries: BPS offers competitive salaries for staff members. The National Center for Teacher

Quality ranks BPS #1 out of the largest 113 districts for lifetime earnings for teachers, who comprise

the majority of the BPS workforce. The cost of salaries and benefits has increased by $107 million

since 2010, accounting for more than half of the $192 million increase cited above.

No. The plan reports on the viability of each school building, based on its age, condition, maintenance

and repair needs, appropriateness for educational use, and other factors. In the future, some buildings

identified as the least viable from a physical and educational perspective may be recommended to be

taken off-line. That recommendation would apply only to the building itself, and not necessarily to the

school operating within the building, which could be relocated to a more suitable facility.

25. I’ve heard BPS is planning to close 30-50 schools. Is that true?

No. If the district identifies a need to close or repurpose some schools in the future it would be part of a

aligning the district’s portfolio of schools with our educational priorities. That work is informed by the

findings and recommendations from the Educational and Facilities Master Plan. Any future proposals to

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and 7-12 model. Is that true?

Dr. Chang has stated concern that the district currently has schools with 20 different grade

configurations, which creates both educational and operational challenges, as well as uncertainty for

families. Ultimately, we want to create a system with more coherence and as few transitions as possible

for students and families. However, we also know that one size does not fit all. We will continue to study

the issue, explore options, and gather input from parents, students, and educators about what makes the

most sense for each school and for BPS as a whole. Dr. Chang has stated an interest in pursuing a

structure that minimizes transitions, including the potential for all schools to be aligned to a K-8/9-12 and

K-6/7-12 model. For a detailed discussion of grade configurations, see page 72 of the BuildBPS report.

which McKinsey calculated as about 93,000 physical seats. The report also cited “a significant number of

underutilized buildings and classrooms, spreading funds thin across the system and lessening the impact

of resources on a per pupil basis.”

It’s important to note that there are various ways to calculate capacity. The methodology used in the

McKinsey report generated an estimation of “physical capacity”: the number of students each school

building can accommodate based on the size of classrooms and approximate class size maxima. This

methodology, however, did not account for all the particular grades and programs (for example, English

Language Learners) in each school, both of which have specific class limits that dictate the number of

students each classroom can accommodate. Therefore, the report does not reflect significant variations

whole, there is significant variation across the system by school typology and neighborhood. We

estimate that in the aggregate, the buildings as they are configured today represent a district-wide

capacity of about 69,100, which is in excess to the current enrollment of 56,520 students. However, as

the district moves closer to meeting the Educational Vision described in the report and space perceived

as “excess” is put to effective educational use, the district’s capacity will trend towards 21st Century

the BuildBPS report.

30. Which BPS projects are currently receiving funding from the Massachusetts School Building

schools, including $16.4 million in MSBA funds: Young Achievers Science and Math K-8 School

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are otherwise structurally, functionally and educationally sound.

In the spring of 2017, the City submitted requests for Accelerated Repair Projects in 12 additional

schools: Chittick Elementary (Mattapan), East Boston High School, Curley K-8 (Jamaica Plain), Kilmer K-

8 (West Roxbury), UP Academy Dorchester, O'Donnell Elementary (East Boston), Perry K-8 (South

and Tobin K-8 (Roxbury).

City is currently working closely within the MSBA process to find the most fiscally responsible and

educationally appropriate solution for both schools.

and Designer. During the Feasibility Study, BPS, the City of Boston, and its consultant team collaborate

with the MSBA to document their educational program, generate an initial space summary, document

existing conditions, establish design parameters, develop and evaluate alternative construction solutions

that meet the requirements of the Boston Arts Academy’s educational program.

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● Review documents in the public Google Drive.