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The decision comes as the city begins to phase out middle schools. 

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
BPS will add a sixth grade level to three elementary schools due to the closure of Irving and Timilty middle schools

The Boston School Committee voted to close three schools Wednesday night, beginning plans to phase out middle schools in the city. 

The three schools that will close in June 2022 are the Washington Irving and James P. Timilty middle schools as well as the Jackson/Mann K-8 School in Allston. 

Students will be sent to other schools in the district — sixth graders to elementary schools and seventh and eighth graders to English High School in Jamaica Plain, according to the Boston Herald.

According to school officials, research shows students better academically when they face fewer transitions.

The goal is to have city students attend one school through grade six and another through grade 12. 

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Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said the closed schools will not be sold or even be closed permanently, but instead will be repurposed and renovated in an effort to have students transition to fewer schools during their academic careers. 

“We need these buildings,” she said.

Cassellius said that transition specialists have been hired to help students and families adjust to the changes. She also said staff will be encouraged to apply for positions at other schools in the district. 

“We are in a significant labor shortage right now and every single member of our BPS team is a valued member. We will do everything we can to retain our employees,” she said. 

According to the Boston Globe, the decision to close the schools has caused concern with some parents about where their students would be attending classes next year. 

Parents at the Sumner, Blackstone, and Mendell elementary schools were especially concerned and spoke up about it. 

Cassellius thanked the families at the Sumner, Blackstone, and Mendell schools who demanded that administrators “get it right for them and their kids.” 

“I appreciate their willingness to creatively problem-solve with our team in order to find solutions that would work for their school,” she said.