Boston School Committee Vote To Close 2 West Roxbury High Schools

WEST ROXBURY, MA — Despite student protest, the Boston School Committee voted to close two West Roxbury schools as part of the largest citywide plan to build and modernize schools in about four decades.

The West Roxbury Academy and the Urban Science Academy are housed in the same building, which the district says is in bad condition. Officials have said the status of the building, which had issues to the ceiling tiles, flooring, and the roof, contributed to a need for the school to close.

But students and families, who are mostly people of color, argued to city councilors, school committee members and senators leading up to the vote that it would leave students in limbo, put their scholarship and class rankings up in the air and split up a strong community.

The School Committee voted with 5 in favor of closing West Roxbury Academy and Urban Science Academy at the end of the school year. One member abstained, according to multiple reports.

"The deterioration of the infrastructure of the West Roxbury Education Complex necessitated the difficult decision to close West Roxbury Academy and Urban Science Academy," Boston Public Schools Interim Superintendent Laura Perille said in a statement following the vote. "The Boston Public Schools will remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that current students within these schools are supported throughout this transition. We will continue to engage with families, teachers, and the students to plan and execute a thoughtful and responsible transition into new BPS school communities for each individual student."

Students and families of these schools were informed of this earlier this week, along with an action plan of support, she said in a letter to the school community.

"These decisions do not reflect the dedication to students exhibited by the educators and families of those buildings, but they are necessary to best position the district to serve the interests of all students, including the students in these three schools," she said.

District officials said the closure are a difficult part of the $1 billion BuildPPS plan, which would result in 12 new schools or major transformations completed or under-construction by 2027. The plan calls for creating up to 20 more K6 schools and seven more 6/7-12 school buildings, while keeping some K-8 and 9-12 .

As for the two West Roxbury schools, the building complex would close in June, but rising seniors from both high schools would move over to share space with the Irving Middle School in Roslindale for another year.

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Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).

Photos via Google Street view screen grab