‘There's a lot of uncertainty in this budget': Boston School Committee approves $1.58B budget, but officials wary of future federal cuts

Boston Globe

27-03-2025

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'This budget honors our commitment to putting students first, while maximizing and strengthening programs and initiatives that are showing the greatest success and growth,' Superintendent Mary Skipper told committee members Wednesday.
The budget will start on July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
Administrators have said the budget increased by $53.4 million, including $31.4 million in general costs for running the school district. The district's fiscal 2026 budget is also the first in several years to not include federal pandemic aid.
The expenses include an extra $10 million on health insurance and $8 million more for student out-of-district placement and transportation. Administrators said they will also boost spending on student services by $43 million next year -- roughly half of those funds will be drawn from the budget increase itself, while the remainder comes from cost-cutting measures like building closures.
But overshadowing the schools' budget is President Trump, who has issued a slew of executive orders that punish public K-12 schools if they offer curriculum or services he opposes. His orders have been aimed at rooting out
He's also
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Michael O'Neill, the committee's vice chairperson, noted many other districts are cutting their budgets, and laying off staff. While Boston is not seeking those reductions, administrators have said the district receives about $100 million of federal funds, which represent about 6 percent of the budget. Losing those funds would have a significant impact, officials have warned.
O'Neill also noted that future schools' budgets could also be impacted by falling commercial real estate tax revenue, as the market for office space in Boston remains soft years after the pandemic.
'There's a lot of uncertainty in this budget,' O'Neill said.
Jeri Robinson, the board's chairperson, suggested that the district establish a working group or committee to help prepare BPS in case it needs to make changes to its budgets.
'How do we go about making the harder choices?' Robinson said. 'And we know, given where we're heading in this country, we're going to get to the point that we're going to have to make hard choices.'
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The union has said the agreement would include higher pay for staff like teachers and paraprofessionals, and require staffing levels for inclusive classrooms with high concentrations of students with disabilities.
The School Committee discussed the contract during a closed-door session before the budget vote, and is expected to decide on the proposal at a future meeting. The union is expected to hold a ratification vote April 9.
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Administrators have said the budget approved Thursday includes $10 million more to expand inclusive practices in grades 1,2, 8, and 10. There is also $4 million more for English language learners.
That plan, announced in 2023, is intended to eliminate barriers that have isolated English learners and special education students for years, and is critical for breaking down systemic racial disparities in education. This was the first year for the plan which has been rolled out in kindergarten, grades 7 and 9.
Administrators have said it will continue being expanded into other grades, with the goal of district-wide implementation by fiscal 2028.
Improving services for special education students and English learners is required under the state improvement plan for BPS, which was launched in 2022. The plan is due to expire June 30, and while it remains a work in progress, the plan is not expected to be extended, district administrators and some state education officials, including Russell Johnston, the state's acting education commissioner, have said.
'The work is not over yet. It will continue on,' Johnston told the Globe.
On Tuesday,
Matt Hills, the state board's vice chairman, said the board hasn't seen better academic outcomes for BPS students.
'There was supposed to be a series of more aggressive academic goals within a year... and it hasn't happened,' Hills said. 'Fixing the bathrooms and buses are all fine. Ultimately, it's the academic improvement that we're looking for.'
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Katherine Craven, chairperson of the state board, criticized the district's continuing issues of late buses.
'Students [are] trying to get to school, but they aren't getting there because of transportation,' Craven said. 'This is a very adult problem getting in the way of kids learning.'
During Wednesday's meeting of the Boston School Committee, Skipper and Robinson were among those who pledged BPS would continue to work on school improvements.
'This is not the end, it's simply a milestone,' Robinson said of the plan's expiration. 'We remain dedicated to doing right by our students.'
Mandy McLaren of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
John Hilliard can be reached at