Boston Foundation calls Boston Superintendent’s school plan a bold and creative response to shrinking enrollment

Boston –Following the announcement of plan entitled  Pathways to Excellence  by Boston School Superintendent Carol Johnson at the October 1 meeting of the Boston School Committee, Boston Foundation President and CEO Paul S. Grogan called her actions courageous and clear-sighted.

The plan includes the creation of three new pilot schools, expanding three current pilot schools, as well as a system-wide reorganization that will include closing five elementary schools. The closings are expected to help resolve a budget gap, creating approximately $13.8 million in savings. At the same time, 2,000 new pilot school seats would be created as well as programs that provide support for dropouts and for foreign students entering during the school year.

“It is never easy to close a school, with all the history it represents, but Carol Johnson is turning a challenge into an opportunity by putting forward this bold plan to strengthen Boston’s schools,” said Grogan. “She is facing the reality of shrinking enrollment by reaching for big ideas that can encourage families to stay committed to Boston schools. In particular, her support for pilot schools, an education strategy that has proven to be both effective and highly popular with city families, shows how responsive she is to the need to appeal to families with many educational options.”

The Boston Foundation has been a leading advocate for education innovation, in Boston and the region, including the development and expansion of pilot and charter schools.

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The Boston Foundation, Greater Boston’s community foundation, is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the nation, with assets of over $964 million.  In 2007, the Foundation and its donors made more than $92 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and received gifts of more than $155 million.  The Foundation is made up of some 850 separate charitable funds established by donors either for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes.  The Boston Foundation also serves as a major civic leader, provider of information, convener, and sponsor of special initiatives designed to address the community’s and region’s most pressing challenges.  For more information about the Boston Foundation, visit www.tbf.org or call 617-338-1700.