Community says exam school vote feels rushed

Decision on proposal expected today

The Boston School Committee will vote today on a proposal that, if passed, will suspend for one year the entrance test to get into the city’s elite exam schools, but some teachers and city councilors said community input is lacking.

“The Asian American community was not really consulted on this and I feel like that’s been a failing of BPS for a long time,” said Go Sasaki, a teacher at John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science and member of the Massachusetts Asian American Educators Association.

Sasaki said he supports the proposal that would issue invitations to Boston’s exam schools not based on an entrance test, but rather by weighing student performance, zip code and GPA or MCAS results.

But, he said many issues still remain, “A lot of our families are reacting without full knowledge of what the proposal is. A lot of our families, the parents they speak Cantonese or Vietnamese and there are no translations of the plans available.”

Exam schools include Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy and the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science.

Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn, in a letter to the school committee wrote, “Neighbors have expressed that there may be disparities in how grades are determined at each school” and said he wants to see “Boston Public Schools go back into the neighborhoods and update the residents about the plan and seek input.”

Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell, a graduate of Boston Latin School, said she has received hundreds of calls and emails about the proposal.

“Now in the midst of a pandemic, we see a rushed process and a rushed response to what is one of the most critical issues in the city of Boston,” Campbell said in a video statement, in which she also expressed support for the proposal.

Despite lingering questions or concerns, many Boston organizations support the proposal and Wednesday’s vote.

Katy Roberts, a parent at Boston Latin School and cochair of Families for Equity and Diversity said in a statement, “The proposal presents the most equitable and realistic approach under the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in this school year.”

Quality Education for Every Student said in a statement that the plan addresses long-standing inequities in the admissions process and helps to ensure students have equitable access.

Boston Public Schools did not respond to request for comment.