Thousands of Boston Public School Students Stage Walkout, Protest

By Alison Bauter, Patch Staff

BOSTON, MA - Thousands of Boston Public School students staged a walkout and made their way to Beacon Hill Monday to demonstrate against proposed school budget cuts.

Shortly after the 11:30 a.m. designated walkout time - part of a nationally organized effort - the first handful of students arrived from English High School, convening at the Boston Common gazebo. Within half an hour, around 100 others joined them; that number continued to multiply throughout the afternoon.

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The students shouted out their school names as they arrived, hugging friends and chanting "Save BPS" and "The people united will never be defeated.

Boston Schools Superintendent Tommy Chang has proposed cuts of $20 million from the central office budget and $10-12 million from the per-student funding formula in hopes of closing an up to $50 million funding shortfall.

Boston schools officials last week said that any student who leaves school to participate will be marked absent for the day.

The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools is the group organizing the walkout on a national level.

"It’s time to throw down for public education in MA and across the country," the group said on its website. "The Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance (MEJA) and the Boston Education Justice Alliance (BEJA) are building a mass mobilization for Monday, March 7 to #keepthecap on charter schools and to demand full funding for all students in Massachusetts."

There is also a protest planned for Monday night's School Committee budget hearing.

Photos by Alison Bauter, Patch Staff