Charlestown High Deserves More Than a Month. Slow Down the Dec. 2 Vote
The closure plan dropped Monday. The School Committee votes Dec. 2. Two councilors are asking for a hearing and a delay. They're right to.
By Dez Marlowe ·
Monday, the Wu administration proposed closing Charlestown High, Greater Egleston High in Roxbury and the East Boston Early Education Center in June 2028, the Globe reported. The Charlestown building has room for 1,000 and enrolls 559, per the district's figures.
By Wednesday, Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata had filed for a hearing and Councilor Julia Mejia filed a resolution asking the School Committee to postpone its Dec. 2 vote, according to the council agenda.
I get the numbers. Wu said dollars should serve students, not half-empty buildings. Fair. But parents told the Globe the special education program changed their kids' attendance. That's not a number on a spreadsheet.
My opinion: a closure that doesn't happen until 2028 doesn't need a vote one month after it's announced. Hold the hearing. Let families talk. Then vote.
What we still don't know: whether the School Committee will move the date, and which school would move into the Charlestown building.
Sources
Dez Marlowe is a Boston Uncut reporter covering Boston, Massachusetts, national and world news.