$9 million investment to replace roofs, boilers at five Boston schools

As part of the Walsh Administration's commitment to improve schools, Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the City of Boston will invest over $9.2 million for roof and boiler replacements at five schools, after approval by the City Council on Wednesday. The five schools that will receive funding are: Boston Latin School, James F. Condon Elementary in South Boston, John W. McCormack Middle School in Dorchester, Paul A. Dever Elementary School in Dorchester and the William E. Channing Elementary School in Hyde Park.

The Walsh Administration has put a renewed focus on maximizing the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) as a resource for improving facilities. While Boston has contributed almost $1 billion to the MSBA since its creation, the City has only been approved for $65 million in capital spending.

"While the teaching and learning inside schools is of the utmost importance, the actual physical school building themselves need to provide a safe and welcoming environment for our kids to grow and thrive," said Mayor Walsh. "Accessing and utilizing MSBA funds allows Boston to update and modernize our facilities and increase cost-savings. I want to thank the City Council for approving these critical investments."

This roof and boiler replacement project leverages nearly $6.1 million in MSBA Accelerated Repair Funds, a program focused on performing energy-efficient and cost-saving upgrades, which will result in direct operational savings for the school district.

"Projects like these make an important difference in our students' learning environment while also providing significant savings for the school district," said BPS Superintendent Tommy Chang. "This is one of the many improvements the City of Boston has in store for Boston Public Schools over the next decade and I look forward to the end results."

Mayor Walsh recently announced a $1 billion commitment to improve Boston's school buildings through BuildBPS, a ten-year Educational and Facilities Master Plan for Boston Public Schools. Mayor Walsh also committed $13 million in near term investments for schools across the district through the creation of the 21st Century Schools Fund.

In 2016, Mayor Walsh invested $25.1 million for door and window replacement at seven schools, which leveraged nearly $16.4 million in MSBA accelerated Repair Funds. This project will allow for nearly 3,000 windows to be replaced at these schools by the fall.