On October 29, 2025, CLE staff attorney Alexis Rickmers spoke at the BPS School Committee meeting to oppose the superintendent’s recommendation for a new exam school admissions policy. This recommendation would replace the policy BPS implemented in 2021, which divides Boston into areas based on resident income, with equal allocations of exam school seats across all tiers. The new plan would reserve 20 percent of all seats for students with the highest score on the Measures of Academic Progress test, no matter where they live. It would also remove the bonus points that applicants receive for attending a low-income school. The current policy has increased the share of Black and Hispanic students in exam schools, as well as students who are multilingual and have disabilities.
In her testimony, Attorney Rickmers points out that while the existing policy explicitly states its aim to “increase racial and economic diversity,” the new plan omits this language, which is “at odds with the state’s commitment to equity.” And Attorney Rickmers highlights that a commitment to equity and increasing access for marginalized groups has been legal and remains legal.
Listen to Attorney Rickmers give her testimony here and read CLE’s written testimony here.
