Rival textbook publisher Pearson Education plans to move its K-12 school publishing group from Needham to Boston next spring, bringing 500 jobs with it, and prompting Mayor Thomas M. Menino to declare next Tuesday as ``Pearson Day'' in the Hub.
Pearson, a unit of London-based publishing giant Pearson Plc., says the move will make Boston the largest center for educational publishing in the country. The Hub is already home to Houghton Mifflin, as well as offices for most of the major education publishers.
Pearson says "intellectual capacity'' and "diversity of ideas'' in Boston - along with its thriving education publishing industry - are the draw.
"Access to that work force is huge,'' said Wendy Spiegel, a Pearson spokeswoman. ``Also access to the academic community. Potential employees often come to us from higher education, and this gives us access to the new graduates.''
Pearson plans to move into about 100,000 square feet of space on two floors of The Newbry building at 501 Boylston Street, best known as the old New England Life Building. The growing publisher has an option for another 100,000 square feet, and hopes to eventually double its space, Spiegel said. Pearson's higher educational publishing group already has about 700 workers at 75 Arlington Street.
The move from Needham will be difficult for some of Pearson's employees, said Martha Smith, president of the school group. But, she added, Pearson is offering incentives to make it easier, including emergency child care, car service and commuting money.
"A lot of our employees are ex-schoolteachers or academics,'' Smith said. "They thrive in the urban environment. They're willing to make some adjustments.''
Pearson Education publishes reading, math, science and other books for young students with brands that include Prentice Hall, Scott Foresman and LessonLab.
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