Kennedy-Longfellow School To Close Following Unanimous Vote by Cambridge School Committee

The Cambridge School Committee voted unanimously to close the Kennedy-Longfellow School at their last scheduled regular meeting of the year, following extensive criticism during a nearly two-hour public comment period.

The school committee’s Tuesday vote follows Cambridge Public Schools interim superintendent David G. Murphy’s Dec. 10 recommendation to close the elementary school. The school, which serves predominantly high-needs students, has long struggled with low test scores and under enrollment.

Murphy reported that the closure, which will take effect during the 2025-26 school year, is necessary to “resolve the school’s untenable situation.”

But of the more than 50 Cambridge residents who spoke at the meeting, many said the decision had been made without sufficient outreach to K-Lo affiliates. Some said they thought the School Committee’s prior discussion of the closure had placed blame on students and educators, rather than systemic failures.

“Educators must be included as equal partners in our decisions going forward,” said Alyssa Tyler, a math interventionist at Rindge Avenue Upper School. “Please trust us that we are here to help our students. We are here as partners, not as adversaries.”

Tyler, along with several other speakers, blamed CPS’ controlled choice system — which assigns students to their families’ preferred schools through a weighted lottery that considers gender and socioeconomic factors — for allowing students and resources to drain from K-Lo.

While presenting his recommendation to the committee, Murphy noted plans to relocate all students to other CPS schools — including Martin Luther King, Jr. School and the King Open School. The district also identified John M. Tobin Montessori School as a destination for English language learners currently enrolled in K-Lo’s Sheltered English Immersion program, Murphy said.

Under a late order proposed by School Committee member Richard Harding, Jr. and approved by the committee, K-Lo families would have the option to register students at their preferred schools, as long as space was available. Displaced K-Lo students would receive priority for available seats.

Many Cambridge residents, community advocates, and K-Lo affiliates criticized the decision at the meeting, voicing concerns that K-Lo faculty and staff would lose their jobs.

“No job cuts. Period,” Cambridge Education Association president Dan Monahan said. “Our scholars need additional support now, not less. Any position cut, not just CEA, will be viewed as evidence that finances were a factor in the decision.”

Murphy said that he planned to reassign “vast majority ” of K-Lo employees to elsewhere in the district but did not promise no jobs would be cut.

“I don’t anticipate a significant reduction in positions of any kind,” Murphy said. “I expect to retain the vast majority of individuals that are serving.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.