Boston Schools’ Superintendent Knows West Roxbury Wants Neighborhood Schools

Boston Public Schools' Superintendent Carol Johnson acknowledged that most West Roxbury families want to go back to neighborhood schools, but she knows there are other neighborhoods that don't.

"So I think we're going through a redesign process to improve the quality of education and we have heard from West Roxbury that they want neighborhood schools, while other places want selection," said Johnson. "We have competing interests."

As it stands now Boston public schools have 50 percent of their students coming from within a one-mile walk zone of the school, and 50 percent of their students coming from outside of that one-mile.  With West Roxbury schools being very desirable across the city, that leaves many West Roxbury families not getting into schools right in their neighborhoods, sometimes on their streets.

Johnson touted the more than $22 million in school improvement grants awarded by the state to go to 10 "turnaround schools" in the city, none of which are in West Roxbury. The quicker other neighborhood schools get improved, the quicker the system could go to neighborhood schools, suggests Johnson.

"There's no reason that some of our schools can't be great schools," said Johnson. "It's not one reason, it's a set of interventions with the right leader and teachers."

"For West Roxbury they have a great group of schools," said Johnson, adding that West Roxbury parents want more 4-year-old program seats. But she said due to financial constraints the system hasn't been able to meet the demand for 4-year-old seats. She estimated that about 2,200 4-year-olds are in school's program, while there are about 5,000 4-year-olds in the city, who could attend the program.

Johnson said that she and her staff are evaluating the West Roxbury Education Complex (WREC) closely. "I know many families who would choose (WREC), but many who wouldn't. We want to understand what they want at the West Roxbury Education Complex."

She added that a lot of students at WREC are ESL (English as a second language) students, and the system has to make sure those students are learning English-speaking skills so they can be successful after high school.