Councilors, Boston Public Schools officials and city archivists on March 4 outlined steps to document and preserve historical artifacts and school records as programs and buildings face closure or merger.

The hearing, convened by Councilor Henry Santana, chair of the Boston City Council Committee on Education, focused on docket number 0265 — an order sponsored by Councilor Aaron Murphy and Councilor Ed Flynn to discuss preservation of artifacts in Boston Public Schools slated to close or merge. No formal vote or ordinance was taken at the hearing.

Boston Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Brian Ford said BPS has a process for documenting items in school buildings and that objects “would continue to be maintained” in place while the district determines future uses. Ford said the district expects the Excel High School (formerly South Boston High School) to change use in 2026–27 and that BPS’s capital planning and facilities teams will inventory and record items before any physical moves.

Kristen Lafferty, city archivist with the City of Boston Archives and Records Management Division, said the archives has taken custody of school records and memorabilia in the past and can perform site surveys and inventories. “We can do an inventory,” Lafferty said, and added that archives follow the Massachusetts public records law and municipal retention guidance when appraising items for long-term retention. She said the archives can digitize photographs and some records and make them available online, though it lacks space for large exhibit installations.

Commissioner Robert Santiago of the Office of Veteran Services and representatives from the Boston Public Library also described roles they can play in preserving and rehoming artifacts. Jessica Vitley of the Boston Public Library said the library can advise on collections care and will play a supporting role; she cautioned that some items belong in archival custody rather than in the library’s collections.

Public testimony emphasized veterans’ memorials at South Boston High/Excel High. Mary Ryan, a South Boston graduate whose family members served in World War I and World War II, said she has researched more than a thousand metal portrait memorials originally commissioned in the 1930s and expressed concern about public access and long-term display. “The portraits in the high school … are very, near and dear to me,” Ryan said. Kevin Conroy, representing local veterans groups, urged that the portraits and a wooden cenotaph listing alumni who served in World War I remain accessible to the public without excessive security restrictions.

Councilors pressed officials for detail on how inventories will be carried out. Ford described a workflow that will involve four teams: IT (for digital/student records), capital planning (to document physical artifacts and future building uses), facilities (to manage moves), and the BPS arts or cultural teams (to evaluate artistic and historical significance). The district intends to record findings in a project plan or spreadsheet and to consult partners — including city archives, Boston Public Library and veterans groups — on items that merit permanent preservation or public display.

Lafferty described archival appraisal criteria, which include administrative, legal, fiscal and historical value, and said archives already hold collections from 42 closed school programs including about 24 closed high school programs. She said the archives can digitize photographs and make them available in the City of Boston’s digital repository (boston.gov/archives) but does not have large exhibit space for all items.

Councilors and officials discussed possible rehoming options — libraries, community centers and other municipal spaces were cited — but officials said feasibility depends on the item’s size, installation needs and conservation requirements. Ford said the district will prefer to retain items in BPS buildings where feasible and will coordinate relocations when buildings are repurposed.

No formal directive or vote was issued at the hearing. Councilors Aaron Murphy and Ed Flynn said they will hold at least one community listening session in South Boston before May and a follow-up session in the fall; BPS and the archives agreed to participate. Councilor Murphy said he and Flynn will co-chair the planned community meeting to explain the inventory process and gather residents’ information about specific artifacts.

The hearing produced these clarifications and next steps: BPS will document artifacts and records before moves; the archives can accept and digitize photographs and certain records; veteran-services staff and local veterans’ groups want public, accessible display for memorials; and community meetings will be scheduled to gather local knowledge about items and to explain the district’s inventory process. The committee recorded the hearing for docket 0265 and adjourned without action.