Parents, teachers, and students voiced their opposition to plans to close public alternative schools for troubled students at a community meeting in South Boston on Thursday night.
Interim Superintendent John McDonough attempted to reassure about 60 supporters of Middle School Academy in South Boston and Community Academy in Jamaica Plain that the school department would continue to provide resources for at-risk students.
“If you go away with nothing else tonight, I want you to understand that we are not backing away from the quality or the intensity of support for your children,” he said.
McDonough said it is necessary to close the alternative schools and three others — the Elihu Greenwood Leadership Academy and William B. Rogers Middle School, both in Hyde Park, and West Roxbury Academy — because costs of running the city’s schools are rising much faster than revenues.
“In the financial world, that’s the definition of a broken business model,” he told those on hand at the Middle School Academy.
The interim superintendent’s recommended closures must be approved by the School Committee in a vote March 25.
McDonough said that because each serves only about 65 students, the cost per student is about $55,000 at Middle School Academy and $28,000 at Community Academy.
“The impact is that rather than being a district that invests in strength, we are pulling resources from everybody,” he said. “We need to make a change so that your students have the kinds of support not only that we are obligated to provide, but that they deserve.”
His explanations failed to satisfy many parents and teachers, who said the schools meet the needs of students who might otherwise drop out.
Roxbury resident Angel Espinal, 57, choked back tears as he told McDonough that Middle School Academy had altered his son’s life direction.
“Our family changed because of this school,” he said, wiping his eyes as he described how the school had helped his son improve his grades from C’s and F’s to A’s and A-pluses.
Sam DePina, the school department’s chief operating officer for student support, said that declining enrollment was because of a change to the department’s code of conduct that kept more students with behavioral issues in mainstream schools, and caused an increased use of external support services to help them.
Liam Griffin, 37, a math teacher at Middle School Academy, said the policy change did not alter the needs of students.
“We are schools for students who just haven’t been successful, and those students are still out there whether the code of conduct has changed or not.”
Aisha Porcher, whose son attends Community Academy, said taking away the schools deprives at-risk youth of hope.
“Most of these students are males, and they’re of color, and it’s called the school-to-prison pipeline,” said Porcher, 37.
Another mother said her son had been in six different schools before winding up at Community Academy.
“My son is hanging on by a thread ... and Community Academy is the first place that he’s beginning to succeed,” she said. “They really get him.”
Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeremycfox.