Exam School Overhaul Aims To Level Playing Field: The HUB

The HUB is a daily newsletter designed for what you want — to be caught up on the most interesting, important news in 5 minutes or less. It's a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but if there's something you want more or less of, email me at alex.newman@patch.com.

Today is Thursday, July 15. Let's get started.

The Boston School Committee passed a major overhaul of the exam school admissions process in a unanimous vote Wednesday night. Proponents of the move say it will give more opportunities to disadvantaged students.

The vote came after tense public debate and political interference that led the task force to change course at the eleventh hour and set aside 20 percent of all seats to students with the highest composite scores citywide.

From The Boston Globe's James Vaznis:

Hours before the meeting started, Superintendent Brenda Cassellius stepped into the fray, releasing final recommendations that rejected a politically influenced measure reluctantly advanced by a task force that would have reserved 20 percent of all seats to students with the highest ranking composite scores citywide. The rest of the seats would have been allocated in rank order within tiers based on geography and socioeconomic factors.

Instead, Cassellius favored the task force’s original desire to allocate all seats for Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and the O’Bryant School of Math and Science through eight tiers based on census tracts. The approach would group together qualified applicants from areas of the city with similar socioeconomic characteristics in an effort to reduce the likelihood that a low-income applicant would compete against an affluent one.

Here's how the new process will work, The Boston Herald's Alexi Cohan reports:

Under the new admissions system, to become eligible for an exam school invitation, students must have at least a GPA equivalent of a B. Those students will receive a composite score based on an admissions test and their grades.

All invitations will then go out through straight rank within eight socioeconomic tiers, a plan opposed by some parent groups that wanted a 20% set-aside of the best applicants regardless of socioeconomic status.

The socioeconomic tiers are geographic groupings within the city with similar socioeconomic characteristics. Each tier will be allocated about the same number of seats. The tier with the lowest socioeconomic score goes first in one of 10 selection rounds.

There is no special tier for children in the Boston Housing Authority or in the care of the Department of Children and Families as was once discussed, but such students gain extra points with a high poverty indicator.

Lawmakers are seeking to quell a rise in vaccine exemptions as parents and students hit back against mandates. While exemptions make up a little over 1 percent of the total student population in the state, legislators are concerned over a six-fold increase in exemptions being sought since the 1980s. (Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald)

Should we be concerned about rising coronavirus cases? The Boston Globe spoke to several medical experts about a – slight – uptick in cases. Some say any increase is cause for concern, while others feel widespread vaccinations will mitigate the impact of a third wave. (The Boston Globe)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting 11-18 days of high-tide flooding next year. Such flooding occurs when tides reach anywhere from 1.75 to 2 feet and can damage critical infrastructure in Boston.

"For the first time in human history, the infrastructure we build must be designed and constructed with future conditions in mind," Nicole LeBoeuf, director of NOAA's National Ocean Service, said. (Barbara Moran, WBUR)

A national look

Democrats say they will push through a $3.5 trillion budget to back a range of items on President Biden's agenda, including expanding social and environmental programs, taxing the wealthy and addressing global warming. (The New York Times)

In a win for the #FreeBritney movement, pop star Britney Spears was granted approval to choose her own attorney in the fight to end her conservatorship. (The Hollywood Reporter)

A DOJ watchdog says the FBI bungled its investigation into widespread sexual abuse by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. Officials made false statements, exhibited "extremely poor judgment" and failed to adequately respond to the accusations, allowing Nassar to work with athletes for more than a year during the investigation. (USA Today)

What I'm reading today: Alden Shoe Company executive Richard Hajjar seemed to have it all – the multi-million-dollar mansion, lavish parties, a popular TV host by his side – until he was accused of embezzling $30 million from his company. Boston Magazine has the skinny in "The Man Who Fell To Earth."

Weather: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Partly cloudy at night, with a low around 70. Southwest wind around 7 mph.