This story is part of a nationwide Patch series probing the economy's effect on local schools. When West Roxbury Patch started its EduNation series the Boston Public School system had yet to reveal its "Redesign and Reinvest" plan to save about $10 million a year and boost academic performance, according to BPS Superintendent Carol Johnson. BPS had yet to announce that the system is faced with a $63-million budget gap. But things can change that quickly. The last four years saw a BPS budget that increase very slightly each year.  But facing a school system with a budget gap and 5,600 empty …

This story is part of a nationwide Patch series probing the economy's effect on local schools. As the Boston Public School system looks to work with a budget that has been pretty much frozen the last several years - one way BPS cannot save money is by dropping the temperatures in schools. State law mandates a minimum temperature of 66- to 68-degrees for schools from Oct. 15 to May 15.  This was established by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Occupational Safety. Massachusetts General Law actually mandates temperatures for all public …

This story is part of a nationwide Patch series probing the economy's effect on local schools. The Boston Public Schools' operating budget has gone up slightly each of the last four years, while many districts across the country are facing massive cuts. That doesn't mean Boston schools are swimming in cash, so educators still need to find ways to stretch every dollar in the budget. During the recent tough economic period, school options like the Lyndon Pilot School in West Roxbury, have an advantage because pilots have budget autonomy compared to regular BPS schools. The Lyndon, one of the …