Boston City Council approves $1.73 billion schools budget over union objections

The Boston City Council approved a $1.73 billion operating budget for Boston Public Schools on June 3, approving the Ways & Means committee report on Docket 0734 by an 8–5 roll-call vote. The committee chair said the $1.73 billion figure reflects a roughly $88 million increase over last year and provides the district the operating authority it needs before July 1.

Councilor Weber, chair of the Committee on Ways and Means, urged passage to give the district “stability” and to allow the schools to meet contractual obligations and proceed with programs that depend on an approved operating budget. “This will provide stability for the district which needs an operating budget by July 1st,” the chair said on the floor.

The vote followed a packed floor debate in which opponents—including the Boston Teachers Union, which read a June 2 letter into the record—warned the budget will eliminate student-facing staff. A BTU representative urged the council to reject the proposal, saying it “will eliminate more than 400 student-facing positions” and calling instead for a supplemental budget that taps reserves and reallocates funds from other departments.

Councilor Flynn said approving the budget would be ‘‘balancing the budget on the backs of paraprofessionals’’ and urged colleagues to send a message. “Do we stand with students with disabilities and their teachers and paraprofessionals?” Flynn asked, arguing that cuts would disproportionately harm the city’s most vulnerable students.

Councilors who supported the budget said the district faces structural pressures—declining enrollment (councilors repeatedly cited a loss of about 3,000 students), rising health-care and transportation costs, and increased special-education spending—and that a formal budget must be in place to honor collective-bargaining agreements and to keep programs running. Councilor Durkan, while acknowledging concerns, said the increase allows continued investments in bilingual education, inclusive practices and instructional materials.

Votes at a glance - Docket 0734 (Boston Public Schools FY27 operating budget, $1.73 billion): passed, 8 yes / 5 no (roll call recorded on the floor). Supporters argued it was necessary to provide authority for July 1 obligations; opponents warned of personnel cuts affecting paraprofessionals and special-education services. - Related scheduling motion (Docket 0733: operating budget orders): the council voted to postpone further consideration and to schedule additional working sessions and a council meeting to take definitive action at a later date (see timeline). The postponement was put to a floor vote and moved to a day certain for further review. - Committee appropriations (Dockets 0756, 0757): the council accepted committee reports and passed appropriations from the Parkman Fund and the 21st Century (PEG/cable-related) Fund for parks and public-access/media services.

What remains unresolved Opponents pressed for specific offset proposals and asked the administration and School Committee to identify where cuts will be taken and whether alternative reserves or reallocation could prevent layoffs. The council voted to approve the budget document that will let the district operate while leaving open additional oversight and working sessions, and members said they intend to continue monitoring implementation throughout the year.

The council accepted the committee report and moved other related budget items to subsequent meetings and working sessions; a separate hearing schedule and next steps were set as the council sent some items back for further review.