Last Night At School Committee

Earlier this month, we recorded a special conversation with Boston Globe reporter Christopher Huffaker. Huffaker is a reporter for “The Great Divide” - an investigative arm of the paper that analyzes and reports on educational inequities throughout the state. 

Huffaker spoke to our team about a prominent issue we have covered at length on Last Night at School Committee: MassCore. The interview began with a conversation about AP scores around the Commonwealth, and whether the results indicate true success for the state. From there, Ross asked Huffaker to talk a bit more about his recent report that almost one-third of BPS seniors risk not graduating high school in June. In his analysis, Huffaker noted that MassCore, put forth by the state, is a logical benchmark for students to meet, as it aligns with requirements for entry to the Massachusetts college system. He also flagged that this new system, initially voted on in 2021, was really a situation that raised the standard for many students. As a result, while some students reached a new level of academic achievement, others were left without an opportunity to graduate.

Throughout the conversation, Ross and Huffaker touch on whether the district will vote to amend MassCore as a graduation standard at a future meeting, what “exemptions” may look like for students, and ways to ensure all students meet the completion of MassCore requirements

Be on the lookout for more from the Shah Foundation team later this month.
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On Wednesday evening, the district held a hearing focused on the Central Office budget. In their presentation, district leadership stated that they prioritized "student-facing" investments that directly supported schools. Highlights from the central office budget (https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1772555621/bostonpublicschoolsorg/ohke7hrux3oayndphpag/FY27BudgetPresentation-CentralBudgetProcess1.pdf) include an $86 million increase due to four main categories: health insurance, transportation expenses, special education, and collective bargaining. More specifically, transportation saw a year-over-year rise of 9%, and special education saw a significant jump of 22%. The district was able to find some operational efficiencies in the budget. For instance, they were able to reduce the number of staff at the central office, thus saving $11 million for FY 27. Nevertheless, there are significant financial outlays in the district’s budget that hamper the impact of these minimal savings. 

During the public comment period of the hearing, there were 38 public speakers, many of whom were concerned about the impact of staffing cuts on student life and experience. School committee members then pushed the district to respond to questions about cuts to paraprofessional staffing levels, the enormous cost of transportation, and how student outcomes align with the budget. The budget process will continue with a final hearing on March 18, followed by a School Committee vote on March 25, before heading to the Boston City Council for final appropriation.
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Last night, the district had a two-part meeting, beginning with a Budget Hearing for FY 2027 and then a short School Committee meeting. The budget hearing largely touched on many of the same financial themes we have heard from the district before, including transportation costs and collective bargaining expenses, while also highlighting some more granular fiscal challenges at the school level. School Committee members asked a number of questions about multilingual programming, cuts to personnel, and the connection between the FY 27 budget and the long-term facilities plan. 

After a brief public comment period, the meeting moved on to a discussion of a new collective bargaining agreement between School Bus Monitors and the district. Notably, this new agreement requires BPS to ask Boston City Council for an extra $1 million this fiscal year to fund the contract. We will keep tabs on how the City Council reacts to this request as well as similar asks in the future. 

Here at the Shah Foundation, we wanted to provide readers with an in-depth look at some of the budget issues for FY 2027. Our team has put together the below analysis, with further commentary and statistics at the link on the bottom of the page.

Budget and Staffing: 

Boston Public Schools proposed a $1.71B budget for FY2027, a 4.5% increase over the current budget, and greater than 8% increase from the $1.58B budget initially passed for FY2026. The total employee headcount for BPS will drop to 10,496, down 5% or 531 positions from FY2026. Total enrollment for the 2026 school year is just 44,416  (46,547 including in-district charters), down more than 1,600 students from 2025 – the lowest enrollment on record. This 8.3% budget increase over last year’s adopted budget is the second largest increase since FY2019. Since that year, the budget has increased by 54%, and total staffing is more than 12% higher. Over the same period, enrollment dropped by 14%, and the total number of BPS schools receiving funding has decreased to 106, down from 124.

To read more interesting analysis about next year’s budget, click here. 

What’s Next: 

We are in the midst of the budget process - the next budget hearing will be held on March 4th! Stay tuned for more coverage. Be well! 
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Last night kicked off the FY 2027 budget season with an overview and a release of all the budget documents. The district’s preliminary FY27 budget proposal totals $1.71 billion, representing a $74 million increase over current spending. This increase comes even as BPS serves roughly 3,000 fewer students than last year, continuing a multi-year trend of declining enrollment. On a per-pupil basis, the district is now spending approximately $37,000 per student. What makes this especially concerning is that increased spending has not translated into improved outcomes. Only one-third of high school students are currently on track to meet BPS graduation standards, and proficiency in ELA MCAS for students in grades 3–8 has declined from 35% in 2019 to 29% in 2025. During that same period, the district added approximately 1,700 positions, raising fundamental questions about staffing growth, productivity, and accountability. Transportation costs illustrate this disconnect. The FY27 budget proposes an additional $11 million for transportation, bringing total spending on yellow buses to approximately $200 million annually, despite ongoing reports from families that buses remain unreliable and poorly coordinated.

Perhaps the most important exchange of the night came when Member Skerritt asked how the district could be confident that this budget would not lead to another fiscal crisis. District leaders touched on some new practices, including requiring schools to budget for benefits and eliminating positions rather than creating positions with the expectation that they remain unfilled. But that response only underscored the deeper concern: why were these safeguards not in place already? 

What’s Next: 

This is just the beginning of the budget process. Over the next six weeks, we will be covering the district’s budget presentation to the committees, at both school and district levels, to illustrate how BPS is navigating this challenging time. Be on the lookout for more information related to this budget cycle, as this is crucial for the future of the district. 

The next meeting will be held next week on February 12th at 5:30 pm. Stay warm and stay tuned for more on the Boston School Committee! 
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The Boston Public Schools (BPS) School Committee held its first meeting of 2026 this week, coming at a critical moment for the district with new committee members, the current $53 million budget deficit, as well as serious questions about inclusion and transparency.

Superintendent’s Report: Staffing, Closures, and Next Steps

Superintendent Mary Skipper began her report by addressing the district’s next steps following the recent vote on school closures. Superintendent Skipper stated that BPS has held meetings with school leaders to plan transitions, assigned senior project managers to each affected school, and started reviewing student-level data to provide targeted support. Additionally, Superintendent Skipper noted the focus is on student and family transitions, staff support, and community engagement.

Later in her report, Superintendent Skipper turned to one of the district’s most urgent challenges: a projected $53 million deficit in the current fiscal year. She attributed the shortfall primarily to rising health insurance costs, filling vacant positions, additional bus routes, food services, and out-of-district special education.

New Committee Members: 

The Superintendent also acknowledged changes to the composition of the School Committee. Two new members, Lydia Torres and Franklin Peralta, joined the body, and Rachel Skerritt was named Vice Chair. The changes come alongside notable departures. Long-time member Michael O’Neill resigned after 17 years of service, and Brandon Cardet Hernandez was not reappointed despite applying for a second term.

Inclusive Education: Two Divergent Visions 

The most contentious portion of the meeting came during a joint presentation on services for students with disabilities. Superintendent Skipper reaffirmed the district’s commitment to inclusive education as part of the now-concluded DESE Systemic Improvement Plan.

But Edith Bazile, Chair of the Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpEdPAC), offered a starkly different assessment. She argued that BPS lacks a clear inclusion strategy, a defined timeline, and a dedicated budget. Instead of expanding successful inclusive models, she noted, the district is closing them, including nationally recognized programs like Henderson Upper School.

Ms. Bazile also raised concerns about access to data, particularly data needed to assess outcomes for students with disabilities. She highlighted autism as a racial and gender equity issue, noting that nearly 80% of students with autism in BPS are male and that Black and Latino students make up the majority of these students. Inclusion, she argued, must be measured by outcomes and the district has not provided sufficient data to evaluate its own practices. Notably, what was framed as a joint presentation often felt like a public debate, revealing deep misalignment between Kay Seale, Director of Special Education for BPS, and parent advocates. The contrast raised serious concerns about communication, trust, and whether the district’s vision for inclusion is shared. 

Conversation with a Former Committee Member: 

Lastly, we had the opportunity to speak with former School Committee member Brandon Cardet-Hernandez. Member Cardet-Hernandez spoke about the recent decision relating to the Madison Park rebuild, how failure of the district to adhere to MassCore requirements, as well as a number of other topics. 

Here at the Shah Foundation, our team put together a deep-dive into both the renovation of Madison Park, the state of MassCore completion, and the aforementioned budget gap. To gain a clearer grasp of the district’s budget concerns, please click here. To learn more about Madison Park, please click here, and to better understand how students in BPS are handling MassCore, please click here. 

The next meeting will be on February 4th at 5:30pm. We look forward to connecting with you then!
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