A Charlestown High program that has helped hundreds of struggling students graduate has been spared the chopping block.
The seven-year-old program, Diploma Plus, had faced a budget deficit of more than $300,000. But as the School Committee prepared to vote on a final school budget proposal last week, the Liberty Mutual Group stepped forward to provide financial support.
“This is a great example of the Greater Boston community coming through for a very important program,” Superintendent Tommy Chang said. “We are hopeful that with additional financial backing from the Greater Boston community, we will be able to take the best practices of the Diploma Plus program that Charlestown High has pioneered and expand them to other schools in the district.”
Diploma Plus builds a supportive community and allows students to study in small classes, at their own pace.
Almost all students in the program are black and Latino, and many come from difficult family circumstances. They face some of the greatest challenges at a school where most students have seen hardship.
The $1.027 billion budget for 2016-17 adopted by the School Committee represented a $13.5 million increase from the previous year. But it would reduce funding for special education and some pre-school programs, while making investments elsewhere to expand pre-school seats.
The vote followed passionate criticism from parents, students, and teachers, who said that cutting funds for schools would take away critical resources and eliminate jobs for teachers and support staff whom students rely upon for educational, emotional, and health needs.
To see previous stories in the Learning Curve series, go to bostonglobe.com/learningcurve
Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeremycfox.