Council committee hears city funding request to cover Boston Teachers Union contract increases

The Boston City Council Committee on Ways and Means on May 7 received requests to move money in the city budget to cover pay raises and new staffing requirements in a collective bargaining agreement with the Boston Teachers Union.

The committee was presented two related orders: a request to reduce the FY25 appropriation for the reserve for collective bargaining by $33,262,466 and a supplemental appropriation to Boston Public Schools of $33,262,460. The administration said those amounts reflect FY25 and FY26 cost items arising from the contract, whose term is Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 30, 2027.

Why it matters: Councilors and union leaders said the agreement front-loads pay increases for lower‑paid employees and adds commitments tied to the city’s inclusion work for students with disabilities, and that funding will be needed now to cover retroactive and near‑term costs.

Lou Mandarini, testifying for the administration, described two central aims of the agreement: expanding supports so students with disabilities can access services in more schools and lifting pay for the city’s lowest paid school‑system workers. "The ability to retain, and recruit paraprofessionals and have them have a salary that lets them support themselves and their families and live in the city is a key prerogative for us,"…