A coalition of 17 educational and community organizations, including the NAACP Boston Branch, signed on to a letter last week opposing a BPS plan to close schools in Boston, including Dever Elementary on Columbia Point.

The letter comes ahead of a March 20 School Committee meeting in which the appointed board will be asked to approve the closure plan, which includes the Dever, the Roger Clap School, the John Winthrop School, and Excel South Boston High School, among others.

“Our organizations have long demanded a clear, comprehensive plan which would lay out what schools will be built, which will be closed, why, how, when, and who will be affected,” read the letter. “If such a plan were in place, the community could judge whether the district’s plan would help children and promote equity…Closing the Dever Elementary School is especially difficult to justify.”

The letter notes that the Dever — with 444 students—does not fall under the “small school category” outlined in the BPS plan. The advocates say the school’s enrollment is growing, not shrinking, and that the building is near capacity.

“State officials seized control of the Dever in 2013 promising to make dramatic improvements,” read the letter. “They broke that promise and now they are walking away, saying BPS can close it. We don’t know when state officials were told about the closure plan, but we do know that the school communities were informed after the decision was made. School communities must be involved in making decisions that are life-changing for children, not told afterwards.”

Those signing on to the letter include Black Advocates for Educational Excellence, Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts, Boston Network for Black Student Achievement, Black Teachers Matter, Citizens for Public Schools, Eastie Progressives, Harbor Point Community Task Force, JP Progressives, the O’Bryant High School Parent Council Executive Committee, Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH), Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, NAACP Boston Branch, Quality Education for Every Student, St. Stephen’s Youth Programs, Save the Dever, Showing Up for Racial Justice, and Stories Inspiring Movements.