News

Boston Public Schools scoring low marks on a state audit

BOSTON — An audit of the Boston Public Schools is leading to concerns over state intervention.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education audits every district in the state, periodically.

The official audit was actually released to city officials last week but won’t be released to the public until next week. But sources tell Boston 25 that it put Boston Public Schools in a precarious position for potential state intervention.

Boston 25 has learned that poor school facilities, graduation rates and standardized test scores are on the list for suggested improvements.

A source tells Boston 25 that standardized test scores at more than two dozen Boston schools have placed them in the lowest 10 percent of all schools in Massachusetts, and could be at risk for state takeover.

Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George, chair of the Committee on Education, said a state takeover would not be appropriate.

“There’s no secret that this report, it’s not gonna reveal anything we don’t know. We know that we have work to do in our schools,” said Essaibi-George.

“I’m not a proponent of that. I think that we need to maintain that local control and for our families, transparency and trust and community engagement is so critical,” she said.

Boston Teachers Union President Jessica Tang agrees.

"If you look at DESE’s own data, they don’t have a very good track record for receivership, so if you look at the state data, Holyoke, Southbridge, and Springfield are the three lowest performing districts in the state and those are the poorest districts that DESE had fully taken into receivership.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh has committed $100 million over regular annual cost increases this year.

Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius released a five-year plan last month aimed at eliminating the achievement gap in the district, and calls for a redesign of secondary schools to better prepare kids for college.

In a statement to Boston 25, Boston Public Schools said:

The DESE District Review provides Boston Public Schools with an opportunity to reflect on progress, examine our practices, identify both systemic challenges and areas of growth, and allows us to take the necessary action to strengthen our accountability as a district.

The last time Boston Public Schools was audited was back in 2019.