We, the undersigned citizens of Boston, strongly support the project to develop a new school building in Chinatown for the Josiah Quincy Upper School, a Boston public pilot school for grades 6-12.

The Josiah Quincy Upper School was founded specifically to create a grades K-12 pathway for the Josiah Quincy Elementary School in Chinatown

In 1999, former BPS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Bak Fun Wong and a group of Josiah Quincy Elementary School parents founded the Josiah Quincy Upper School as a grades 6-12 Boston public school for children who graduate from the only elementary school in Chinatown. This grades K-12 pathway minimized social and cultural transitions for children, particularly during their adolescent years. The grades 6-12 school innovation has become the norm for BPS schools.

The Josiah Quincy Upper School needs a new space to unify students currently at multiple campuses

When the school was founded in 1999, the city designated Parcel 21A on 900 Washington Street as its “temporary” site, erecting a double-stacked modular building. As the school outgrew the modular building after its second year, the city provided the small 1920 administrative office building at 29 Church Street and later the 1912 “Abraham Lincoln” school building on 152 Arlington Street. These multiple sites have separated the student population and undermined the original intent of a cohesive grades 6-12 school.

The Josiah Quincy Upper School’s new IB programs may be jeopardized by the inadequate school facilities

In 2009, the Josiah Quincy Upper School received authorization from the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB) to offer its prestigious Diploma Programme (DP) for the 11th and 12th grade students. In 2012, the school received further authorization to offer the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) for the grades 6-10 students. The IB Organization issued authorization to the school in spite of inadequate physical facilities, having received assurances from the school department that the City of Boston was in the process of developing a new school building for the students. The IB 5-year evaluation cycle is upon us in the coming school year. If the school is unable to demonstrate reasonable progress in addressing the space inadequacies, it runs the risk of losing its IB MYP and DP authorization.

(1) The 102-year old school building at Arlington Street has no functioning science lab space. Science teachers must use YouTube videos to simulate virtual science experiments. The school has also partnered with Boston area colleges to provide science lab experiences for the students. These virtual and ad hoc lab experiences challenge quality science teaching and learning. (2) The school lacks a gymnasium, so the school has been contracting with the local Wang YMCA to provide physical education (PE) for the students, effectively creating another campus to which students must travel. Also, the PE curriculum and assessments, however, do not conform to IB standards. (3) None of the school buildings have a functioning library or study space for student use. (4) All JQUS students are required to learn a second language for all six years of their attendance at the school. Yet, neither the Spanish nor the Mandarin programs have any functioning language lab facility. (5) The Arlington Street building has been assessed by BPS as the least serviceable school building among all BPS school buildings.

The Josiah Quincy Upper School provides a quality alternative to exam- and charter-schools

Student achievement at the school has accelerated since the implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program in SY 2010/2011. State MCAS scores have steadily improved. Based on the US News & World Report’s “College Readiness Index,” last year’s seniors are projected to rank 2nd among public schools in Boston and 6th among public schools in Massachusetts. Students have received admission and scholarship funds to Columbia University and other competitive private colleges such as Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Brigham Young, Holy Cross, NYU, Northeastern, Suffolk and Tufts.

Substantial MSBA funds for other BPS schools

The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) is providing substantial subsidies for the construction cost of the new school building (up to 79%). This school building project would prove the city’s capacity to work collaborative among its department staff and community members. The project would enhance the opportunity for other BPS schools to receive sizable funding for renovations and new construction on the order of tens of millions of dollars annually.

Revitalization of downtown Boston

A strong residential community is based on excellent schools in its neighborhood. A new Josiah Quincy Upper School building sited in Chinatown would attract and retain young families and encourage further business investments in downtown Boston.

Equity for Chinatown

Boston Chinatown has experienced land takings and social dislocation like no other neighborhood in Boston. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, the state and city took by eminent domain acres of land from Chinatown residents to extend the Mass Turnpike and to develop the Expressway. Not only did the land takings decrease the size of Chinatown proper but also bisected Chinatown, such that the community south of the Pike experienced substantial loss of Chinatown residents and businesses. The school building project costs a considerable sum. This high cost, however, resulted from regional highway development at the expense of Chinatown. It would seem to add insult to injury to deprive Chinatown of adequate middle- and high school facilities.

Furthermore, the city relocated the “Combat Zone” from Scollay Square to Chinatown when it constructed the current city hall building in 1968. In spite of gentrification around Chinatown, vestiges of prostitution and narcotics use continue to persist in Chinatown, especially on streets along the Mass Pike corridor. It’s not uncommon for the school custodial staff to retrieve spent condoms and hypodermic needles on school playgrounds.

Mindful of the vital importance of the Josiah Quincy Upper School to Chinatown families and businesses, the following Chinatown organizations have supported the school building project:

Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC)

Boston Asian: Youth Essential Service (YES)

Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC)

Boston Chinese Evangelical Church (BCEC)

The Chinatown Coalition (TCC)

Chinatown Master Plan Implementation Committee

Chinatown Safety Committee

Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA)

Chinese Progressive Association (CPA)

Chinatown Residents Association (CRA)

Josiah Quincy Elementary School

Tufts Medical Center

Wang YMCA

In the face of past social inequities inflicted upon Chinatown, the Josiah Quincy Upper School building project would provide a form of equitable restitution to the Chinatown community.