Boston School Committee: 3·27·24 Meeting Recap

Last Night At School Committee

Last night’s meeting concluded the district’s FY25 budget process, with a vote by the School Committee to approve the Superintendent’s budget proposal. Before the vote, the School Committee heard dozens of public testimony about three issues. There were about half a dozen public commenters speaking about funding cuts for librarians across the district, urging for the continuation of this funding. There were also more than a dozen families and staff from the Henderson Inclusion School community speaking about ongoing issues regarding safety and need for stable leadership. Lastly, we heard from staff members from the Dearborn STEM Academy speaking about foul odors that have gone unaddressed. Following public comment, the School Committee then heard a report about the renaming of the BCLA-McCormack school community to the Ruth Batson Academy.

The School Committee then held a discussion and vote on the Superintendent’s FY25 budget. For the past two months, the School Committee has held numerous discussions and budget hearings about the FY25 budget, which totals $1.52 billion. While the budget represents an increased contribution from the city, the end of federal relief money and declining enrollment has led to many schools receiving budget cuts. Multiple members expressed concerns about the budget and frustration that their questions about the budget remain unanswered, which have been highlighted over the past few weeks in policy briefs. This prompted Chair Robinson to request frequent updates about the implementation of the budget and its impacts moving forward. The Committee voted and approved the budget, with two members voting no.

The budget will now move on to the City Council, where the Mayor will look to get approval from the Council as part of the city’s budget.

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