BPS’ Ruth Batson Academy Invited to State's Major School Renovation Funding Process

Batson Academy renovation will advance City’s long-term facilities vision and allow deeper collaboration with neighboring UMass Boston to expand college and career pathways

Mayor Michelle Wu and Superintendent Mary Skipper today announced that Boston Public Schools (BPS) has been invited into the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Eligibility Period, the first step in the MSBA construction process to support a major renovation of the Ruth Batson Academy in Dorchester. Under the leadership of Ruth Batson Academy School Leader Ondrea Johnston, the school offers rigorous coursework and early college pathways, in partnership with UMass Boston and the Columbia Point community. The renovation will enable this in-demand high school to serve a larger student body in grades 7-12, as called for in the City’s long term facilities plan, and allow for a deeper partnership with UMass Boston. 

"I’m grateful to the MSBA for this important investment in our long-term facilities plan and in this incredible school community,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “The Ruth Batson Academy embodies Boston’s commitment to academic excellence, early college pathways, and opportunities for students beyond the classroom, and I’ve been so honored to get to know this school community and its fantastic leadership. They are the first university-assisted community hub school in the district, and their close collaboration with UMass Boston is redefining early college, internship, and higher education pathways. Last May, when Boston was the only American city invited to join the global climate summit hosted at the Vatican, where only seven students presented to climate scientists on behalf of all youth around the world, two of the young leaders were Ruth Batson Academy students. It’s beyond time for them to have the school facilities to fully empower their learning and growth.”

“The Ruth Batson Academy is the district’s first university-assisted community hub school in partnership with UMass Boston, with a rich history of providing high-quality, inclusive education, integrated with exposure to early college and other advanced coursework, to a diverse group of learners,” said Superintendent Mary Skipper. “I am thrilled that the MSBA Board has voted to invite the district into the Eligibility Period for a second consecutive year - this time to update the Ruth Batson Academy’s facilities. We look forward to working with the MSBA and the Ruth Batson Academy to deliver on our commitments and create a learning environment supportive of our students' needs and aspirations.”

"Being invited to collaborate with the MSBA brings our school one step closer to a state-of-the-art facility that all students and families deserve,” said Head of School Ondrea Johnston. “A newly modified space will allow us to offer educational experiences that meet the varying needs of each student at Ruth Batson Academy. Working with the City of Boston, BPS, and the MSBA, we are able to work towards the vision that Ruth Batson had for Boston Public Schools many years ago. We hope to honor her legacy as we envision an updated Ruth Batson Academy that better serves our students, families, and the surrounding community.”

“UMass Boston is proud and honored to work in partnership with BPS and the Ruth Batson Academy to support its students and develop a model, Massachusetts's first-ever university-assisted community hub school, furthering our commitment to community-engaged education, to holistic student success, and to the values we cherish,” said UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco. “We know that the exceptional scholars at the Ruth Batson Academy deserve state-of-the-art facilities that match their talent and are pleased to learn of the MSBA’s support toward that end.”

The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) is a state agency that offers competitive grants to school districts to support capital improvement projects in public schools across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Funded by a one-cent surcharge on the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax, the MSBA process involves close collaboration with school communities to design and build fiscally responsible and educationally appropriate solutions to create safe, sound, and sustainable learning environments. 

The invitation from MSBA into the Eligibility Period means that the Ruth Batson Academy can enter the next phase of project development. Over the next 270 days, the district will work with Ruth Batson leadership and the MSBA to lay the groundwork for a large, capital project, supported by both local and state funding, that will meet the community's need for facilities that support a high-quality student experience for the full grade 7-12 community. The next step after the Eligibility Period is an invitation to Feasibility Study. To learn more about the MSBA Eligibility Period, click here. 

This marks the second time in two years BPS has been invited to take this step. After being invited into the MSBA pipeline in 2023, BPS and the City have been working to complete the Eligibility Period requirements on the Shaw-Taylor School, and look forward to an invitation of the MSBA Board into Feasibility Study in 2026. In October, the Boston City Council approved an appropriation of $2.225 million to support the feasibility study and schematic design for the Shaw-Taylor School. The MSBA has supported several other transformative BPS projects over the last few years – including the new Josiah Quincy Upper School, which opened this fall, and the new Carter School, on track to open next fall.

The Ruth Batson Academy underscores the District’s commitment to partnership and college and career pathways. In January 2024, BPS and UMass Boston signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) to create access to college coursework and resources, partner educators from both institutions, and create a seamless pathway into UMass Boston for Ruth Batson Academy graduates, establishing the District’s first university-assisted community hub school. 

The BPS and UMass Boston partnership has already provided opportunities for students. In May, UMass Boston sent two students to participate in a climate summit hosted by Pope Francis at the Vatican. Mayor Wu also participated in the summit, which convened leaders from around the world to talk about climate solutions. While in Rome, the students visited sites, met the Pope to present letters from middle schoolers, toured a preschool with Mayor Wu, and spoke on a youth panel about climate change. They were two of seven young people from around the world to participate in Session XII - Voices of the Youth. 

In June, Mayor Wu, Boston Public Schools (BPS), and UMass Boston (UMB) announced a new scholarship program to a graduate of the Ruth Batson Academy. The new scholarship – the Robert and Ruth Starratt Endowed Scholarship – is UMass Boston’s largest endowed scholarship fund. It underscores the deep partnership among the City of Boston, Boston Public Schools, and UMass Boston to build collaboration to foster college-level opportunities for high school students. The scholarship will benefit students each year and will be renewable for up to four years. Starratt Scholars will be asked to return to the Ruth Batson Academy to share their experiences to promote education as a career choice to other students. 

Additionally, the late writer and poet Nikki Giovanni visited Ruth Batson Academy students while she visited UMass Boston for a talk. At the school, she spoke with students and teachers and some students had the opportunity to read their poetry.