Boston School Committee to Vote November 5 on Sweeping Exam School Admissions Changes

BOSTON — September 25, 2025 — Boston School Committee sets November 5 vote on exam school admissions overhaul. Superintendent Mary Skipper presented a plan to remove all school-based bonus points, reduce housing-based bonus points from 15 to 10, and reserve 20 percent of seats at each of the three exam schools for the highest-scoring students citywide, with the remaining 80 percent distributed across four socioeconomic tiers. The committee approved five grants totaling $903,490, including a $640,000 Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources food security grant and a $203,000 Massachusetts General Hospital nutrition grant, before a two-hour debate on the admissions proposal. Twenty-one public speakers split sharply, with City Councilor Ben Weber supporting broader BPS-wide bonus points while task force alumna Roseanne Tongue warned the citywide round would privilege higher-income families. Several members, including Chair Jeri Robinson, expressed interest in a simulation of a 50-50 GPA-to-MAP weighting before the November 5 vote, as the current 70-30 formula was not revisited as part of this process.