The whole system is the reason why I'm forced to send my kids to Catholic school at $4k a kid.

All schools should be neighborhood schools with equal per pupil funding from the state. If the local community wants to kick in extra funding, that money goes into a general pool shared by all school districts. That would be fair.

"Good schools " is a term that is defined in this article (and most articles written by the Globe) as schools with high test scores. What you don't see discussed much is that test scores correlate best with the student population.In other words, the students drive the scores, not the schools or the teachers.

So what is John Connolly actually saying? Is he for the new proposal or is he not? Or he just stirring the pot?

Part 1 of 2

     The Boston Public Schools is the Number 1 urban school system in the United States.  According to Michael Casserly, Executive Director of the Council of the Great City Schools, "the district’s many excellent teachers to guide classroom instruction have resulted in academic progress that is the envy of other cities."  Mr. Casserly goes on to say, "Boston is the only big-city school district to have actually caught up with the nation in any grade or subject after having started significantly below it. Eighth graders in Boston have gone from proficiency levels in math, that were 10 percentage points below national averages in 2003, to levels that match the country in 2011!"

     Student test score data to the incoming schools is what the BPS hasn't provided.  The children are the data; the quality of the school will travel with them to the neighborhood schools.  If Boston wants to have "quality schools," in a cost effective way, in all neighborhoods, it is time for the Boston Public School to embrace a "Comprehensive School Model" and drop the "portfolio of schools" model.  Communities, that do not use a "portfolio of schools" model, like the Boston Public Schools, always seem to make AYP? Why? Have you ever heard of schools in Lexington and Wellesley not making AYP? No! There is a reason for this, and it not that kids in those communities are smarter in the communities making AYP, all students attend traditional "heterogeneous" schools. Advanced students are offered Advance Placement (AP) courses, or have International Baccalaureate (IB) programs within their regular schools. These communities don't separate and send students to separate exam, in-district charter, themed pilot schools, or the Metco program which helps other school systems diversify their schools, at the expense of our less affluent communities in Boston.  We do not have students from these suburban communities traveling on a bus 2-3 hours a day to help the Boston Public Schools diversify.

Part 2 of 2

It is time for participation in the Metco Program to be income based.  How many middle and upper class families of color are using the METCO program? In what Boston communities do these families live? When these suburban communities, for instance Lexington, felt that their schools AYP was going to plummet down because of sub-group aggregated scores of Metco students, members of those communities wanted to "uninvite" Metco, and in the interim quickly implemented programs to "close the achievement gap," going so far as to make kindergarten classes for Metco students; 4 and 5 year olds were on a bus to Lexington 2 hours a day!  When the state started to shift the cost of Metco to these communities, and these communities realized that Metco students had a high percentage of special needs, they weren't satisfied with the money they spent on students, they wanted the $16,666+ BPS pays for students. So, because it wasn't the gravy train it has been, these suburban communities "consolidated" bus and support services with other Metco communities, and the bus ride got longer for Metco students.  Were these suburban communities concerned about Boston students?  No, they were concerned about real-estate values in their community.             

As the BPS continues the push to neighborhood schools, if it is going to be fair and equitable to all Boston citizens, using the "portfolio of schools" model, is going to get very expensive.  Zones must mirror each other, in offering programs and services at neighborhood schools. For example, if Zone 1 offers 5 AWC classes, then ALL Zone must offer 5 AWC classes.  If Zone 1 offers a dual language school than ALL zones must also offer a dual language school. 

Will the reduction in busing really cover the cost of replicating these programs and schools in each of the Zones?  Will Boston’s homeowners shoulder a tax increase to support this model?  Will the large non-profit organizations, hospitals, museums, colleges and universities, who own 50% of the land mass in Boston, finally step up and pay their full share for municipal services, in Mayor Menino’s PILOT Program, so that Boston Public Schools can maintain a "portfolio of schools" model?  Or will the Boston Public Schools continue their current course, providing families with "have and have not" schools?