My goal for this newsletter is to provide a regular plain-language summary of what has happened in the Oxford Street Education/Croft School bankruptcy, and to flag key deadlines and dates.
This issue covers filings from June 18 through June 25, 2026. The main news is that the trustee has started formally giving up the buildings the school used to lease. The school year ended June 12, the school has closed, and these filings are part of winding it down. The proof of claim deadline is not until August; there is nothing families need to do right now.
Key dates & deadlines
- July 14, 2026, 9:00 a.m. — Meeting of Creditors
- August 14, 2026 — Deadline to file a Proof of Claim
What got filed this week
Giving up the Jamaica Plain building
The trustee, Harold Murphy, and the Jamaica Plain landlord, APW, LLC, agreed to end the school's leases for the building at 3815 Washington Street, where the school rented three floors. When a company in bankruptcy no longer needs leased space, the trustee can reject a lease. Rejecting a lease gives it up and ends the estate's duty to keep paying rent going forward.
As part of the deal, the landlord takes the building back right away. To allow that, the trustee agreed to lift the automatic stay — the freeze on collection and property actions that starts the moment a bankruptcy is filed. The court's permission to act despite that freeze is called relief from the stay.
As of the filing, the school owed this landlord $117,027.90 in unpaid rent and charges. Under the deal (if approved by the court), the landlord gives up any claim for rent that built up during the bankruptcy. The trustee, certain creditors with liens (including Friends of JP Education), and the owners of leased equipment have 30 days to remove property from the building.
The landlord filed a revised agreement and a request to approve it. The court set a hearing on the request for June 25 at 2:45 p.m.
Disclosure: I have served as an advisor to Friends of JP Education, a Jamaica Plain parent group.
Giving up the South End and Providence buildings
The trustee is also giving up the school's three other leased locations.
The South End building at 1310 Washington Street in Boston was leased from RSR Investments, LLC. The trustee and that landlord agreed to end the leases, and the landlord asked the court to approve the deal. The June rent of $21,035.26 had not been paid.
In Providence, Rhode Island, the school leased space at 144 Medway Street from Great, LLC. The trustee and that landlord reached a similar agreement, with a request to approve it. The June rent of $5,836 had not been paid.
The school also leased a building at 179 Wayland Avenue in Providence from 179 Wayland Avenue, LLC. The trustee asked the court to let him give up that lease, which ran until 2031 at about $16,000 a month.
In the South End and 144 Medway Street agreements, the landlords agreed to give up any claim for rent that built up during the bankruptcy. That leaves more money in the estate for other creditors.
The trustee asked to hire his law firm and an accountant
The trustee asked the court for permission to hire his own law firm, Murphy & King, as his lawyers, and the accounting firm Verdolino & Lowey as his accountants. A Chapter 7 trustee routinely hires professionals to help run a case. Their fees come out of the estate and have to be approved by the court.
In its supporting paperwork, Murphy & King repeated a connection the trustee had already disclosed. One of its lawyers briefly advised a group of Jamaica Plain families who had looked into buying the Jamaica Plain campus. That purchase never happened, and the firm says it is owed nothing for that work.
Key Links
This newsletter is a community update. Nothing in it is legal advice and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need advice about your own situation, please consult a lawyer.
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