City Council opposes plan to move O’Bryant exam school to West Roxbury following community opposition

The City Council passed a resolution Wednesday opposing the controversial plan to move the O’Bryant School of Math and Science from Roxbury to West Roxbury proposed by the mayor and BPS superintendent this summer.

“It is the responsibility of the Boston City Council to prioritize the needs of students, parents/guardians, and educators in school building decisions that directly impact residents and their neighborhood,” the resolution states. “Moreover, decisions should not be rendered without an equitable community engagement process.”

The resolution, offered by Councilors Julia Mejia, Tania Fernandes Anderson and Erin Murphy, follows a impassioned five-hour hearing on the subject Tuesday night. It states that the council “stands with the O’Bryant community in opposing the current proposed plan” and calls on BPS to release a 10-year district-wide facility plan.

The resolution passed with 10 votes in favor and Councilors Ricardo Arroyo and Sharon Durkan voting against.

The O’Bryant school is currently located in the same building as Madison Park Vocational High School in Roxbury. The plan would allow both schools to expand, with the O’Bryant gaining 600 seats, and addresses transportation concerns with proposed shuttle buses to the school.

Many teachers, families, alumni and students have been critical of the proposal, arguing the community has not been engaged enough in the plan and the non-central location will present a real transportation barrier to many students.

For some students in East Boston, the transportation time has been estimated as high as two and a half hours.

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Community members have also noted the O’Bryant is Boston’s most diverse exam school and expressed concern that moving it into a less diverse area will change that community.

“I wouldn’t sell ourselves short and saying we can’t build a state of the art school in the heart of Roxbury, Dorchester for the O’Bryant,” said Councilor Ed Flynn. … “If you want a state of the art O’Bryant school in the heart of the African American community, you have to fight for it. And I think the residents last night were determined to do that.”

Councilors who opposed the motion argued for the amenities of the West Roxbury campus and expressed uncertainty in the possibility of another facility with the same opportunities. Across the board though, councilors agreed on the need to move the facility and for a better community outreach process.

“We’re saying that stopping this particular idea of going to West Roxbury will restart a new one, and we’re asking to work with the administration, with Mayor Wu, or a community meeting where we say, ‘Look, let’s put all of the options on the table,’” said Fernandes Anderson. … “We do have to stop it from going to West Roxbury.”

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