The closures of Charlestown High School, East Boston Early Education Center, and Greater Egleston High School are part of this year's long-term facilities plan recommendations presented to the committee. The district announced the long-term plan in 2025, aiming to shed 17 schools through closures and mergers by 2030 to address declining enrollment.

Superintendent Mary Skipper and Mayor Michelle Wu unveiled the Charlestown High proposal in late October, followed quickly by the East Boston and Greater Egleston announcements on Monday.

Charlestown High Head of School Ajay Trivedi told the committee the decision represented a "broken commitment" from district staff. He said that this spring, district leadership informed him of the school's potential closure during conversations focused on another school's facility dilemma.

"I was not promised an outcome, but I was assured of a process this fall to discuss our enrollment and future, not driven by another school's needs," Trivedi said. "That process never happened."

Trivedi said he appreciated an apology from the BPS chief of capital planning but was "deeply troubled" by the implications of a "broken commitment preceding the proposed displacement of an entire school community." He noted that two years ago the school began its own community process to address enrollment declines.

"Why must our students leave?" Trivedi asked. "We welcome a new partner and programs to build upon CHS. I call upon the School Committee to withhold approval of any plan that assumes displacement, rather than centering marginalized students and families as the foundation of a future school. We include everyone. Don't replace us."

Speakers highlighted what they described as irreplaceable features of each school: Charlestown High's singular open-enrollment design, Greater Egleston's role as the most accessible alternative school option for underserved neighborhoods, and community-centered programs such as a food pantry at the East Boston Early Education Center.

East Boston art teacher Liana Cosgrove urged the committee to consider merging the early education center with the nearby McKay K-8 School rather than closing it. She said community-driven attempts to merge the center with other schools had been shut down.

"I hope you will consider proactively merging our program with our next door neighbor, the McKay, to ensure continuity of staff that have historical connections to the existing community," Cosgrove said. "Our greatest hope is that you will honor our important work with a vote to protect the magic of our powerful school."

Skipper said the changes are "not a reflection of care, expertise, and dedication of our school leaders, educators, and staff that they bring to our schools and classrooms every day."

"I honestly could not be more proud of the people I have the privilege with of working alongside, and that includes some of the people who have testified tonight that I've worked many years over my career with," Skipper said. "Our goal in sharing these recommendations with the School Committee and the BPS community tonight is to ensure that students, families, and staff have clear, accurate, and timely information on the proposals, and how we'll support our schools through these transitions if approved."

The superintendent acknowledged the young people who spoke, saying "it's important to center student voice in the process." She said BPS and the Boston Student Advisory Council will lead two sessions to hear from affected students. A virtual session took place Saturday and is set to be posted at bostonpublicschools.org/studentsupport. A second, in-person session is scheduled for Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. at the Bowling Building.

Midway through public comments, School Committee member Stephen Alkins raised the possibility of extending the community process. He noted the closure discussion came "earlier than last year by one meeting" but questioned whether the district could build in more time for talks with school communities before proposal announcements.

"I'm just wondering if there is a possibility where the timeline gets extended a little bit more," Alkins said. "So that we have the opportunity to hear what are the alternatives that might be considered. We go back, we analyze why or why it may not be feasible, and we're sharing that. And then by the time that we get here, it's, 'Yes, we've had these conversations before. We still think it's in the best interest of the district to move forward in this way.' But you're not leaving that community necessarily out in the cold, which seems to be the sentiment that I got here."

Skipper responded that the district focuses on vetting merger and closure options. "We're vetting all of it, and have the data to show that we've vetted it all, in that way," she said, explaining the district's 18-month timeline for closure notice in the context of other districts' practices, but not directly addressing whether more time could be given for community dialogue.

Several Charlestown students spoke, following up on an earlier walkout protest of the closure proposal.

"You gave up on us before we even had a chance to explain why we want to protect Charlestown High," said CHS student Tina. "You didn't give us a reasonable explanation, but simply walked away like we don't belong here. Our voice matters just as much as the decisions you make, because we know our school best. So I ask this committee: instead of shutting doors on us, why not invest in our school, support our teachers, protect our community, and believe in us."

The School Committee has not yet voted on the closure proposals. The district's long-term facilities plan remains under review as the committee weighs the recommendations and community feedback.