Critics reproach plans for O’Bryant
Opposition over exam school’s move to West Roxbury heats up
When Mayor Michelle Wu and Superintendent Mary Skipper last month announced their plan to move the John D. O’Bryant School of Math and Science to West Roxbury, the initial response was muted.
The city had lined up a number of supporters of the plan, which would double the size of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, and move the district’s most diverse exam school from the Roxbury campus the two schools now share to a larger site in predominantly white West Roxbury.
At the School Committee meeting the day after the announcement, only a few people objected to the O’Bryant move. A June 16 protest drew just a handful of attendees. Three weeks later, however, opposition to the O’Bryant half of the plan appears to be growing.
Opponents, including students, teachers, and parents, say city and district leaders haven’t gotten enough input from the community. They’re also concerned the timeline is rushed; although the West Roxbury site was closed four years ago because it was in serious disrepair, Skipper says construction could begin in 2025 and students could move in a year later. Above all, moving the O’Bryant 7 miles away from the heart of the city’s Black community seems misguided to many critics.
District officials have said that the exam school admission policy will ensure the school remains diverse, that the West Roxbury campus will get a gut renovation, and that the district will ease the distance with dedicated shuttle buses to transit hubs.
Rahul Dhanda, a parent at the school who helped launch a petition asking the city and the district for more community engagement on the move, argued the school would become less diverse if the move happens.
Students choose the O’Bryant partly because it is in Roxbury, Dhanda argued, and many would pick another option if it were in West Roxbury. The district’s new exam school policy, established to help diversify the three exam schools, wouldn’t prevent the school
from losing students of color, Dhanda argued.
“Both of my sons had the opportunity to go to any of the exam schools,” he said. “They specifically chose to go to the O’Bryant because of its diversity and because it’s in the community it’s in.”
Kimyatta May, another petition organizer, said the school’s parent council, which she chairs, was not consulted at all by the city and district ahead of the announcement. She said she wants the city to explain why West Roxbury is the best option.
“All I’m asking as a parent is to engage us,” May said. “We’re OK with a move, but not OK with the move being to West Roxbury, because it cuts out everything our kids need to thrive in our community.”
At the district’s June 20 community meeting to discuss the proposal — held virtually after May and Dhanda’s petition requested a remote participation option — the feedback about the proposed move was overwhelmingly negative, the Boston Herald reported.
That was the point, Dhanda said: “The goal wasn’t to have the meeting, the goal was to begin the process by which we stop the move.”
Opponents got a significant boost on June 27, when state Education Commissioner Jeff Riley said he was “blindsided” by the “half-baked” plan.
BPS spokeswoman Amelia Aubourg said in a statement the district has heard “thoughtful concerns from O’Bryant students, families, educators, alumni, and other community members.”
“We firmly believe all BPS students should learn in spaces that are safe, healthy, and inspiring, and we know we have a lot of work to get there,” Aubourg said. “We remain committed to engaging and involving our community members along the way, and we are grateful to all O’Bryant stakeholders who have shared their insight and feedback on this proposal so far.”
The petition has continued to gather support — over 1,500 people have signed it so far — and a contingent of teachers, parents, and alumni showed up to the June 21 School Committee meeting to criticize the idea.
“We do deserve a better school,” said Nicolette Pocius, a teacher. “I ask you, please consider somewhere in Roxbury. Keep us where the heart of our community and the heart of our school is, not where all the white people are. "
No students spoke at the School Committee meeting. But in interviews, some said that while they would love to have a new building, they and their classmates have reservations — particularly concerning the distance to the new school.
Laisha Contreras, a Dorchester resident who will be a junior at the O’Bryant this fall, said there are some positive aspects of the district’s overall plan — she supports giving Madison Park a bigger, better facility — but she didn’t want her school moved to West Roxbury.
“You’re moving the school into a white neighborhood. It’s the most diverse exam school in Boston,” Contreras said. “From my point of view, if we move the school to West Roxbury, there’s going to be gentrification, with more white and more powered people moving into the school.”
Her sister is going into the ninth grade at the O’Bryant and could attend the new campus if it opens in 2026 as planned.
“She’s going to be affected by it,” Contreras said. “She’s going to have to get up earlier to get to school. She hates the idea.”
Contreras pointed to all the amenities at the current location, including the nearby library, places for students to eat, the Nubian Square transportation hub, and Roxbury Community College.
“O’Bryant being there is such a crucial part of the school,” Contreras said. “Students are so comfortable in that area. I can’t believe they’re moving it.”
The West Roxbury location, on the other hand?
“When you look around it, there’s a Home Depot,” Contreras said.
Kauthar Maruf, a rising junior at the O’Bryant, has mixed feelings about the move. She agreed the location presented transportation issues — she lives in the South End — and wasn’t happy with how the district has communicated, but said any new school would be better than the current deteriorating facility. Her younger brother, who is going into the eighth grade, is even more enthusiastic, she said.
“My brother is really excited about it,” Maruf said. “He doesn’t mind the travel; he’s really excited to see what the new school would have to offer.”