A Springfield middle school is set to become the first Massachusetts public school to pilot an AI-driven education model this fall - and the teachers' union is trying to stop it before the first bell rings.
Kiley Prep, part of the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership, plans to launch the program in a single sixth grade class of about 25 students. The model, developed by Alpha School, a for-profit national network, uses AI to teach core academic subjects like math and reading. Students would spend roughly two hours a day learning with AI on laptops while a certified teacher circulates to provide support.
Matt Brunell, SEZP's co-executive director, said the pilot is a response to post-COVID learning losses at Kiley, where roughly 300 students in grades six through eight score well below state averages on the MCAS.
"We're in need of doing something pretty dramatic in the wake of post-COVID learning losses," he said. "We can at least see if this strategy could yield some success."
Parents were notified on Friday. School starts Monday, and the pilot is expected to begin in September. SEZP notified the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of the partnership, though a department spokesperson said approval is not required. SEZP has full managerial and operational control over its schools under a governance structure created in 2014 as an alternative to state receivership.
Union pushes back
The Springfield Education Association filed a cease and desist letter last week, threatening legal action. The union raised concerns about the program's effect on teachers' job responsibilities, the quality and efficacy of Alpha's AI and project-based learning models, and the company's ability to keep teacher and student data private.
Alpha spokesperson Anna Davlantes said the company's data is encrypted and its learning model has shown "exceptional" academic results over the years.
In a letter to the union, Brunell said SEZP does not anticipate the pilot will result in a reduction in teacher positions or bargaining-unit work. But union President Riley Hernandez said he worries the model underestimates teachers who deeply understand their content.
"We need specialized teachers in different subject areas to help students learn," Hernandez told WBUR. "How do you teach chemistry if you aren't a chemistry teacher?"
Brunell said the afternoon portion of the school day would be devoted to project-based workshops aligned with state standards. "Teachers will remain central to the work," he said. "This is not about replacing teachers with technology. It's actually about freeing up teacher time for relationships, for coaching of students, for small group support and for deeper learning."
How the partnership came together
The plan evolved quickly. Brunell attended a breakfast with Alpha and the company then hosted several webinars last spring for education leaders. In an email obtained by the union and shared with WBUR, Brunell described the Alpha model as a "VERY disruptive approach to school" and noted the company has "some big money behind you."
By early June, SEZP leaders were considering the program for the 2027-2028 school year, but Alpha pushed for a sooner start. Brunell initially resisted, writing in a June 10 email that a fall 2026 launch was "highly, highly unlikely." Alpha argued for starting with a single class, with an expansion in January to 25 more students and a cohort at John F. Kennedy Middle School.
Families can opt their children in or out of the pilot. Alpha is also expanding elsewhere in Massachusetts, with two private schools opening in Boston this fall at roughly $60,000 a year, and another under consideration by the Lexington School Committee.
Why this matters for education professionals
This pilot is a test case for how AI can reshape the classroom - and who controls that decision. For teachers, the stakes are in their job descriptions: whether AI becomes a tool that frees up time for deeper instruction, or a mechanism that erodes the need for subject-matter expertise. The union's cease and desist letter argues the program was rushed in without adequate vetting or input, a dynamic that educators in any district might face as AI vendors push to pilot their products in public schools. For principals and administrators watching from the sidelines, the Springfield case shows how fast an AI partnership can move - and how little oversight may be required before it does.
For educators looking to understand how AI tools can support their classroom practice, resources like AI for School Principals and AI for Primary School Teachers offer practical grounding in what these systems can and can't do.
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