A person who takes a quick scroll through the top news stories for Boston Public Schools will find no shortage of stories detailing administrative fumble after administrative fumble. From recent reports that BPS has been overstating its graduation rates for five of the past seven years, to a persistent underserving of students of color, to a seemingly revolving door of superintendents, parents, students, and teachers are often left to shoulder the consequences of these administrative changes for better or for worse.

I recently wrote an article for the Boston Globe about how the consequences of the decisions made at the top often trickle their way down to the bottom. When reading these top news stories, it’s safe to say that BPS is not without its shortcomings. But this does not tell the full story of our school district.

There is a common saying that people who can’t see the big picture fail “to see the forest for the trees.” But too often with BPS we spend so much time looking at the forest that we miss the individual trees that are strong, sturdy, and have deep roots in the community.

There are schools in Boston with teachers and administrators who come in every day and commit to the work of nurturing and uplifting our students. One such school is the P.A. Shaw Elementary in Dorchester, an example of a school that prioritizes community engagement, support for students of color, and the uplifting of mental health.

At a recent school committee meeting, one Shaw student testified, saying “When I started first grade, I did not know how to read. More than anything, I wanted to learn. I worked hard at home and at school. My teachers and my family worked together to help me. Look at me now! I am reading!”

It’s hard not to get choked up listening to the testimony of our community’s children, who have realized their potential in life, and, as a community, it would seem obvious that programs in schools like the Shaw deserve to be supported to the utmost extent.

Unfortunately, current administrators do not seem to think so. While the Shaw was originally slated to open up a fourth and fifth grade—which would allow students to stay with their friends and teachers in the same school—its has seen those plans cut back. Under the latest plan, not only will they not receive a fourth or fifth grade, but one of their two third grade classes is also being eliminated.

In a time when the cycle of un-enrollment is speeding up, and the district is reconfiguring its elementary schools to be K-6, smaller feeder schools like the Shaw are at risk of closing.

And while administrators have assured parents, teachers, and students that the Shaw isn’t going anywhere, we saw with the Jackson/Mann how quickly assurances can change.

Time is running out to help fight to secure the future of the Shaw. The School Committee will be voting on its budget in the upcoming weeks and the City Council will deliberate on its budget in the coming months. Advocates in the community, from parents to students to teachers, are currently organizing protests and rallies to help bring attention to what the community could be missing without the P.A. Shaw. Their upcoming rally, scheduled for March 16 at 8:30 a.m., will be an opportunity for the community to step forward and make their voices heard.

We have an obligation to ensure that schools like these are protected and uplifted because we can learn so much from what makes them successful. In an era of doom and gloom at the administrative level, it’s easy to miss the trees for the forest. But our task as a community is to nourish trees like the Shaw so that they can grow sturdy, with even stronger roots in the community.

Julia Mejia is a Boston city councillor-at-large and a Dorchester resident.