BPS PROTEST: Students, parents, teachers protest outside Boston schools

BOSTON — Students, parents and teachers held a "walk in" at four different Boston schools Wednesday morning.

The protesters said they were upset over the amount of money being spent on charter schools in the city. They said that, this year alone, charter schools will be given $119,405,100 in funds that would otherwise stay within Boston Public Schools and be used towards the students.

“The teachers are trying to meet their needs every day, but every year we get less and less teachers, less and less resources and, frankly, we’re tired of it,” Garret Virchick, a Brighton High School teacher, told FOX25.

One teacher told FOX25 that when Brighton High School loses about five kids to charter schools, the public school loses so much money that it usually costs them a teacher.

The protesters added that they have nothing against the students and teachers working hard in charter schools. They said they were most upset about the way the charter schools impact funding. One teacher went as far as saying it's a civil rights issue because of what sort of students attend traditional vs. charter schools.

The "walk in" happened at four Boston schools: Murphy K-8 School in Dorchester, Brighton High School in Brighton, Tobin K-8 School in Mission Hill, and P.J. Kennedy Elementary School in East Boston. The protesters rallied outside of the schools before classes begin.

Boston Public Schools released a statement on the protests, saying that they appreciated "the passion students, parents, guardians, and other community-based advocates have for education and their interest in making their voices heard."

BPS went on to say: "While BPS encourages respectful activism and advocacy, we will closely monitor these events to ensure student safety and a prompt start time for morning classes and valuable instruction. We support meaningful discussions on the BPS budget process and would like for members of our community to continue engaging with us on these matters.”

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