Parents with young students at the Paul Dever Elementary School on Dorchester’s Columbia Point, which is due to close at the end of the 2026 academic year, say they have successfully lobbied BPS officials to make their children’s transition to new schools easier.
As a result, many students in the younger grades who have been bracing to transfer to new schools in the fall, will remain at the Dever for another academic year, according to parents who spoke to The Reporter in recent days.
In a statement, a BPS spokesperson confirmed that the district has “committed to including a full transition school year” at the Dever based on “feedback from past district closures.”
Parents say the policy shift is most meaningful for students in grades 1-4. When the announcement that the Dever would close was announced last December, many of those students expected that they would need to enroll in a new school by this September.
Cheryl Buckman, a Dever parent whose son graduated from the school this month, credited the BPS officials for listening to their concerns.
“[They] were willing to do this to ease the anxiety of kids the following year,” she said. We also asked for some accountability that they check in on these kids as they move on to see how they are adjusting…The district is going to work with them on finding a new home.”
After it closes next June, the Dever building will be used as “swing space” for students during the anticipated construction of a new facility at the Ruth Batson 7-12 Academy, which sits adjacent to the Dever complex.
Haval Abdulrahman, a member of the Dever’s Parent Council and a Harbor Point resident, remains disappointed with the closure decision, but hopes the transition year will be less stressful for families.
“Give us enough time to make any arrangements,” he said. “That’s my message to BPS…Close it down, okay. But close it fairly and treat us nicely and give us a nice option.”
Abdulrahman and others had lobbied hard to keep the Dever open, but after the School Committee approved the closure in March, their focus turned to the transition with a “counter-proposal” that would give Dever staff, parents and students more time to review options for their next school decision. The parent-led proposal included placing Dever students together at one school and trying to maintain existing classroom cohorts when possible – maintaining friend circles and familiar learning environments. It also called for a Dever Transition team of parents, students, teachers focusing on an orderly transition.
Additionally, they want BPS to monitor academic progress and social-emotional wellness over the next several years, and not to put students in another school marked for future closure.
Buckman said she believes the district will agree to all of their requests. “Everyone is adjusting, and they are going to make this the best final year at the Dever that they can for these kids,” she said.
Abdulrahman wasn’t as confident, but hopes his family finds an acceptable new school community. “I’m not against the plan,” he said, “but I’m not satisfied with the solutions they have given for teachers, parents, and students so far.
He added: “I think they should work with us and guarantee we get one of the three options we pick, and not come back and say our choice is locked out or full…We feel right now that BPS is against the present and future successful environment of students, parents, and teachers, unfortunately.”
A spokesperson from BPS offered a rosier opinion than Abdulrahman: “We are grateful that this timeline, which was presented to all of the impacted school communities alongside the December announcement, aligns with the Dever community’s expectations.”
