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Steven Grossman Katherine 2 Craven Chairman, State Treasurer Bxveative Director July 18, 2011 Sent via US mailwith enclosures and via e-mait with attachments to: Dr, Carol R, Johnson ‘Superintendeitt of Schools Boston Public Schools 26 Court Street Boston, MA 02108 ‘Dear Dr, Johnson: | vite rogasting the school closure issues that the Massachusetts School Building ‘Authority (tho “MSBA”) has been discussing with the Boston School Department for the Inst several months, In connection with the Initial Compliance Certification that the City ‘of Boston (the City”) submitted to the MSBA for the Quiney Upper School, the City notified the MSBA thatit had closed the Grover Cleveland Middle School, the Alexandet ‘Hamilton Elementary School, the Quinoy Dickerman Elementary School, the Lucy Stone : Blementary School, and the Henry Higginson Hlementary School, ‘The City later notified ‘the MSBA of the Boston School Committee's vote and plans to close the Alighieri Hlementary School, the Rerly Education Conter/Fast Zone School, the' Agassiz, Tlomentazy School, the Emerson Elementary School, the Patragut Blementary School, te Fifield Elementary School, the Hyde Park High School/Hycle Paxk Educational Complex, and the Middle School Academy/Endicott School, effective July 1, 2011. Last week, the City confirmed the July 1, 2011 closure of these schools, Additionally, through the MSBA*s 2010 Needs Survey, the MSBA learned that the James Garfield Blemontary School and the Chureh Street Building on the Upper Quincy School Campus have been closed, ‘The MSBA has been working end will continue to work with the City to better ‘understand the City's decisions to close these school facilities, the City's plan for potentially rousing the facilities for educational purposes, and how these plans align with ‘tho City’s overall educational program, The MSBA remains committed to helping the City maximize tho upe of all of its school facilities; however, upon reviewing the {information that the City has provided to dato regarding school closings in the City of Boston, the MSBA has a number of concerns, Ihave outlined these concems below, but 1 first want to alert you fo a number of statutory and regulatory requirements related to the olosure of school facilities. ZO Broad Stree, Suite 500 » Boston, MA 02109 «Te: 617-720-1466 » Pan: 617-720-5260 » wwr.vassSchoolBuildings.com aSTATUTORY AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS Both the MSBA's enabling legislation, M.G.L, 0. 70B, and the MSBA’s regulations, 963 CMR 2.00 ef seq., specifically address the issue ef school closures and set forth a number of requirements that a district must meet in connection with any such closure (see attached), including: = Districts that are contemplating temoving a school from service aro requited to notify the MSBA six months in advance of the intended closing, = Districts that close a school for which they have received a school building grant from the MSBA or are currently receiving a geant from the MSBA. may not receive remaining grant payments, Additionally, the MSBA may yeeapture a portion of the financial assistance that the district has already recolved for such projects, ~ T£aschool disitict submits a Statement of Intorest-to the MSBA and applies for a grant after having removed a school facility from service, the district will only be eligiblo for a grant if the MSBA determines that the grant is not for the purpose of replacing a school facility that was removed from service in the ‘past ten years os that the need for the grant could not have been reasonably anticipaled al the time of the removal fiom service, ~ -When reviewing grant xequests for proposed projects, the MSBA looks at multiple options that may address the schoo! building deficiency. Foreclosing potential options that could solve school building problems by zemoving a ‘school faclity ftom service will affect the MSBA’s consideration of cutront and future Sintements of Interest and proposed projects, CLOSED SCHOOLS THAT ARE RECEIVING OR HAVE RECEIVED GRANT PAYMENTS Of the closed sohools that are listed above, the MSBA has provided grant payments, and {in some cases is stil providing grant payments, for the Grover Cleveland Middle School, the Quincy Dickerman Elementary Schoot, the Lacy Stone Elementary School, the Higginson Blementery School, the Alighiot! Elementary School, the Fifield Elementary School, the Fasragut Blomentary School, the Agassiz, Elementary School, the Hydo Parle High School/Lyde Park Educational Complex, the Middle School Acsdemy/Endicott School, und the James Garfield Blementary School. "This is conceming beowuse the iojects were approved based on the City’s representations that they were necessaty to extend the useful life of the subject school facility and to provide the educational program, inthe City, Closing these schools deviates fiom the teams of the respeotivo grants and could jeopardize the City’s funding ftom the MSBA depending on whether the City has plans to xeturn these facilities to use for educational purposes,‘The school closure that is of greatest concein to the MSBA as it relates to MSBA grant payments is the closure of Hyde Park High School/Hyde Park Educational Complex. Tn {1999, the City received approval for a grant for a zenovation project at Hytle Park High School. To date, the MSBA has paid $23,383,012 to the City for the Hyde Park School ‘project, and thore isa total of $12,664,978 remisining in grant payments which the MSBA. is scheduled to pay in arnual installments though fiscal year 2019, Due to tlie closure of this facility, however, the MSBA may consider putting a hold on the remaining paynienis for this project and xecouping a portion of funds that have already been paid to tho City for this project, pending the City’s future plans for the facility. ‘The MSBA may also consider freezing prant payments for the Higginson Blementary School, the Fifield Blementary School, and the Middle School Academy/Endicott School ‘which ave all still receiving grant payments from the MSBA, ‘To move forward and make a decision about the Hyde Patk High School grant and to ae a decision about whethoi to halt the grant payments ot secoup grant monies for the s, the MSBA requires information from the City about the potontial s, ‘The MSBA will need to fully understand the intended uso of each facility, including what grades and programs cach facility will servo if itis xeumned to service, In recent conversations between the City and the MSBA, the City ls explained ‘hat it may reuse some of the closed school facilities for educational puiposes, but the City has not provided a epeeific plan to the MSBA. To help the MSBA better understand the school olosures in the City and the potential reuse of the fcilitcs, the City must submit the following information to the MSBA by September 30, 2011: ‘© Delaiied information about the intended reuse of each facility, including what grades and programs eich facility will serve ifit is retumed to service © Deeiled information about the steps the City will take to put the schools back into __ serviee (e.g, public mectings, school committee votes, efe.) and a timeline for the process the City plans to undertake with details about when each facility will be put back info service @ A disttict-wide schoo! faciitios utilization plan which provides, et @ minimum, (a) a detailed description of the current use of all school facilites inthe City; (b) « dbotailed desoription of the proposed use of all school facilities in the City; and (e) ‘the latest enrollment data, by school faitty, available to the City Answers to the school specific questions on thie attached list Information about any plans the City has to close other schools Please note, the MSBA mey. put the remaining payments for the Hlydo Parke High Schoo! project tofaling $12,664,978 on hold, pending the outcome of these issues, and the MMSBA may decide to recoup & portion of the funds that it already has paid to the City for ‘tho Hyde Park High School project. Further, the MSBA may also consider holding grant payments for the Higginson Elementary School, the Fifield Elementary School, and the Middle School Academy/Endicott School and recouping grant funds already paid for ‘those and othe: school projects that are no longor in service as schoo] facilities