Thursday, April 16, 2026, 2 p.m. (Boston time), Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201
Hearing on Dockets #0733-0740, 0741-0743, FY27 Budget: BPS Operations, Revolving Funds
The Ways & Means Committee, chaired by Councilor Weber, held a hearing on the FY27 Boston Public Schools budget (dockets 0733-0740 and 0741-0743, sponsored by Mayor Michelle Wu), covering food service, safety, human resources/staffing, transportation, and the facilities, transportation, and technology revolving funds. BPS officials testified about roughly 175 position reductions (57 from central office), bus monitor and safety officer staffing, vendor fines assessed against TransDev for uncovered trips (about $105,000 in March), and rising transportation costs of about $200 million despite fewer routes. Councilors pressed for restoration of three cut district social workers, questioned why BPS is the only city department carrying its own health insurance costs, and requested data on central office positions, external funds, home schools, and salary savings. Four members of the public, including three Boston Teachers Union representatives, testified urging centralization of health insurance in the city budget and funding for school social workers. Several follow-up data requests were made; the hearing was adjourned with a further session planned the next day.
3:24 and.
10:21 I'm.
11:12 Not.
13:30 Good afternoon.
13:32 Uh, my name is ben weber.
13:34 I'm the district six city
13:35 councilor and the chair of the
13:36 boston city council on ways and
13:37 means.
13:41 Today is APRIL 16th, 2026 and
13:44 the exact time is 2:13 P.M.
13:46 This hearing is being recorded
13:49 is also being live streamed at
13:52 boston.Gov/city council tv and
13:54 broadcast on xfinity channel
13:57 eight or cn channel 82 and
13:59 files channel 964.
14:01 The council's budget review
14:04 process uh will encompass a
14:06 series of public hearings uh,
14:09 that began on tuesday uh and
14:11 will run through JUNE.
14:13 We strongly encourage residents
14:15 to take a moment to engage in
14:16 this process by giving
14:18 testimony for the record, you
14:20 can do so in the following ways
14:22 first, attend one of our
14:25 hearings, uh, and give public
14:25 testimony.
14:29 We will take public testimony
14:31 uh, during each hearing.
14:33 Uh, these the uh for these
14:34 hearings will be uh, taking
14:36 public testimony at the end
14:37 of the first round of questions
14:38 for my colleagues.
14:43 Um, uh and also at two hearings
14:44 dedicated to public testimony
14:47 call listening sessions, um,
14:49 the full hearing schedules on
14:52 our website at
14:53 boston.Gov/council-budget are
14:55 scheduled hearings dedicated to
14:57 public testimony are in person
14:59 here in city hall on tuesday
15:01 APRIL 28th at 6 P.M. And again
15:04 in person at city hall on
15:06 thursday, MAY 26th at 6 P.M.
15:07 you can give testimony in
15:10 person here in the chamber or
15:12 virtually via zoom for
15:13 in-person testimony.
15:14 Please come to the chamber and
15:16 sign up on the sheet near the
15:16 entrance.
15:18 Uh, which is over there for
15:21 anyone in the chamber um, for
15:23 virtual testimony, you can sign
15:25 up using our online form at our
15:27 council uh, budget review
15:29 website or by emailing the
15:33 committee at squirm@boston.Gov
15:35 or by emailing our central
15:38 staff liaison at karishma
15:39 chohan that's sorry krishna is
15:46 kkr I s h m a.Co and@boston.Gov
15:48 when you are called to testify
15:50 please state your name and
15:51 affiliation uh and residents
15:54 and limit your comments to uh a
15:57 few minutes to ensure that all
15:58 comments and concerns can be
15:58 heard.
16:01 Email your written testimony to
16:02 the committee or I'm sorry.
16:04 So in addition to showing up
16:06 and testifying in person or
16:07 doing that in person or
16:08 virtually, you can also submit
16:10 written testimony which you can
16:13 do by emailing the testimony to
16:16 the committee that scott wmi
16:16 boston.Com.
16:19 Third, you can submit a two
16:21 minute video of your testimony
16:22 through the form on our
16:22 website.
16:24 For more information on the
16:26 city council budget process and
16:28 how to testify, please visit
16:29 the city council's budget
16:32 website at boston.Gov
16:34 council dash budget in person
16:35 public testimony will be taken
16:37 uh following the first round
16:39 of questions again um and
16:41 individuals uh who are called
16:42 will have two minutes to
16:44 testify again if you wish to
16:45 sign up for public testimony
16:46 have not done so already.
16:50 Um, you can email our director
16:51 of legislative budget uh,
16:53 analysis chris would show on at
17:00 uh k r I s h mccue hand at
17:01 boston.Com for the zoom link
17:03 and your name will be added to
17:04 the list again that's for
17:05 virtual testimony.
17:06 If you're here in person all
17:09 you need to do is sign up, um,
17:10 on the sheet and I'll call your
17:10 name.
17:12 This afternoon's hearing is on
17:18 docket numbers 073320740 and
17:23 docket numbers 074120743.
17:25 The focus of this hearing is on
17:28 the fy 27 budget for boston
17:28 public schools.
17:31 This hearing will cover topics
17:33 including food service safety
17:35 office of human resources slash
17:37 staffing uh and transportation.
17:40 This hearing will also
17:41 cover the facilities,
17:43 transportation and technology
17:43 revolving funds.
17:45 This is one in a series
17:47 of hearings to review the fy 27
17:48 budget.
17:49 It's also one of three hearings
17:52 we're holding specifically on
17:54 the fy 27 budget.
17:57 I want to note, uh, for my
17:59 colleagues and uh and for the
18:02 panelists that the central
18:04 office budget is relevant to
18:07 our discussions at all of our
18:08 hearings given the overlap
18:10 of this budget with many of our
18:12 specific topics in case of this
18:13 ,in the case of this
18:16 particular hearing, uh, we are
18:17 likely to discuss centrally
18:18 budgeted services and personnel
18:19 .
18:21 These matters were sponsored by
18:22 mayor michelle wu and referred
18:26 to the committee on APRIL 8th
18:26 2026.
18:28 Today I'm joined by my
18:30 colleagues in order of arrival
18:32 uh, councilor murphy,
18:33 councilor flynn,
18:36 councilor breadon uh uh and uh
18:38 I believe we received a letter
18:39 of absence from
18:40 councilor culpepper.
18:43 Um, I would like to introduce
18:46 our panelists, uh, from the all
18:47 from the boston public schools.
18:49 We have, uh, yeah.
18:51 Uh, senior deputy
18:52 superintendent of operations
18:54 doctor sam de pina, uh, chief
18:56 of human resources francis jay
18:57 canty.
18:58 Uh, right.
19:01 Uh, executive director
19:03 of transportation dan rosengard
19:04 executive director of safety,
19:06 security and school crisis
19:09 response izzy marrero, uh and
19:10 deputy chief financial officer
19:12 blair dockets right.
19:14 And I have been told that the
19:18 uh uh chief uh, financial
19:20 officer uh, who's also here
19:22 david bloom um, to answer
19:25 questions uh, he has a call at
19:25 330.
19:26 He MAY step out.
19:29 Um, he'll be coming back and
19:31 his deputy uh, sorry.
19:33 Blair can answer all questions.
19:37 Um, you know, in his absence,
19:40 um, uh let's see.
19:42 Um.
19:47 Let's, um.
19:51 Okay, so, uh, we are going to
19:54 start now I guess with uh, any
19:55 presentation or statement.
19:56 No.
19:58 Um, we just would want to again
19:59 just say good afternoon to
20:00 everyone here, the
20:01 council members and the public
20:04 joining us and uh, happy to
20:05 discuss uh, the topics here
20:07 this afternoon and look forward
20:08 to answering your questions is
20:09 sharing, uh, a lot about the
20:10 work that we're doing and more
20:10 planning to do.
20:10 Okay.
20:11 thank you.
20:12 Uh.
20:13 Let's get started.
20:13 Councilor murphy.
20:15 Uh, seven minutes.
20:15 Okay.
20:18 Thank you.
20:18 Chair.
20:19 Thank you all for.
20:21 Being here.
20:21 Um.
20:23 Some follow up questions.
20:26 I know we've met a few times
20:27 Um.
20:27 already.
20:31 And some outstanding questions
20:32 I have.
20:32 If you, david.
20:34 Could speak directly.
20:35 One of the questions I asked
20:37 twice now is to separate out
20:39 the central office budget
20:42 knowing that, um, it's not just
20:42 staff that.
20:45 Are working under skipper.
20:46 That it's all of.
20:48 Our custodians.
20:50 If you could list all of the
20:52 other um, employees and bp's
20:54 who are paid through the
20:55 central budget and then
20:58 separate out the overall cut
21:00 and which positions were cut,
21:01 that would be helpful.
21:02 Thank you.
21:02 Yes.
21:03 um thank you.
21:08 So um, we have um,
21:11 approximately um, 2800
21:13 centrally funded positions.
21:16 Um, this is everything from um
21:19 bus monitors to custodians to
21:20 special education related
21:21 services staff as well as the
21:22 central office.
21:26 Um, our budget includes about
21:28 700 of the positions are what
21:30 you would, um, often think
21:31 of as sort of.
21:34 Traditional central office
21:34 roles.
21:37 Um, that includes for example
21:38 like the whole finance team.
21:38 Right.
21:40 All of our accounts payable
21:42 those sorts of things for
21:44 instance as team h.R um as well
21:46 as sort of supervision for
21:48 academics and other areas um we
21:52 have uh 56 I believe is our
21:55 most updated number uh, fte
21:57 of reductions uh.
22:00 Of the 700 up to 2800.
22:04 Of the 700 um about 175 from
22:05 the 2800.
22:09 So 175 total of which 57 are.
22:10 Our central.
22:11 Central office.
22:14 Um and because you had said to
22:15 last time that you know, you
22:17 had a percentage cut up to
22:19 central office so a smaller and
22:23 of the uh 120 or.
22:24 18.
22:27 Where are those are they bus
22:28 monitor like do you have the
22:28 list of who's.
22:29 Yes.
22:32 So um we are going to be
22:33 reducing some vacant positions
22:39 and bus monitors um and uh some
22:42 um special education staff that
22:44 are assigned based on the needs
22:45 of students ieps there's a
22:46 couple of vacant positions
22:48 there that we think will be
22:49 consolidating as well as some
22:51 vacant um city services
22:52 positions.
22:55 Um, the uh uh you're asking
22:57 about sort of the remaining one
22:58 tenth right now there's also
22:59 some some custodial reductions
23:01 as we have fewer buildings.
23:02 Um.
23:06 You mentioned some of our bus
23:07 monitors.
23:10 Dan, if you could chime in here
23:12 because when we had our hearing
23:14 on transportation last month we
23:14 were talking about.
23:16 the need to have.
23:17 More bus.
23:17 Right.
23:19 And that many of the busses
23:22 they're.
23:22 can't leave the yard if
23:25 Not following the ieps the one
23:27 to ones the safety monitors.
23:31 So how is that going to affect
23:32 that conversation.
23:34 ?
23:38 As a uh.
23:41 Yeah I appreciate that question
23:41 councilor.
23:43 Um so the the reductions as.
23:44 Chief flynn.
23:46 mentioned are in vacant
23:47 positions right now.
23:47 So we are.
23:50 Um keeping the same number
23:51 of active bus monitors that we
23:53 have and what we found is that
23:55 with that staffing that we've
23:56 had we have not seen any
23:58 coverage issues yet this year.
24:00 And as we're projecting further
24:01 reductions in the number
24:03 of routes aligned with uh, you
24:04 know, school closures and
24:04 enrollment.
24:06 I know they've permanently been
24:07 cut.
24:08 Yes.
24:09 that's correct.
24:12 And we haven't seen any
24:16 interruptions on busses being
24:17 able to pick up, drop.
24:19 Off or have the correct number
24:20 of bus monitors.
24:23 At all this year there's been
24:26 100% attendance matching the
24:26 needs.
24:30 not just the one I'm we're
24:32 talking I get it that it's ieps
24:33 and what's written.
24:35 Uh what what we've found is
24:37 that um the the number of bus
24:39 monitors we have is, you know,
24:41 sufficient to cover daily
24:41 operations every day.
24:42 Yes.
24:42 Okay.
24:45 I'll go back um, after this
24:47 but I feel like that was
24:48 different from the conversation
24:50 we had when we were just
24:50 talking about.
24:52 Bus busses last time.
24:54 Um, okay.
24:58 Izzy, um, I have a question.
25:00 I know we were just talking
25:00 earlier the.
25:06 I hear, um we talk a lot or you
25:08 know, a lot of attention is
25:09 brought to some of the.
25:11 Bigger safety concerns and
25:13 issues if it's a firearm, if
25:15 it's a fired, if it's a video
25:16 that goes viral or you know
25:18 texting to us and concerns
25:21 which are definitely concerns
25:22 and need to be addressed but I
25:24 know we spent a lot of or most
25:25 of the time talking about that.
25:26 I wanted to talk more.
25:28 About the.
25:30 You know, kindergarten first
25:31 second the elementary grades,
25:33 the lower grades where you hear
25:36 often um, especially with the
25:38 expansion of inclusion and just
25:40 placement and if we're.
25:42 Cutting is the supports needed
25:44 for many of our students and
25:46 just many kids maybe not
25:48 feeling safe parents raising
25:50 these concerns teachers
25:51 themselves in a safe space if
25:53 they feel like they can relay
25:55 that safely or get support from
25:56 their administration.
25:58 So can you talk about like what
26:01 is your role and how you play
26:03 into that need or is that
26:04 something that you don't step
26:05 in for?
26:07 Excuse me.
26:08 Thank you for the question.
26:12 So school leaders have total
26:12 autonomy um.
26:15 Especially with the elementary
26:16 schools whether they want
26:17 safety personnel on site or
26:18 not.
26:18 Um.
26:24 currently, uh the bulk
26:26 of the safety officers are
26:28 dispatched to the schools, uh,
26:29 that are in higher need.
26:31 Uh, so most of the high schools
26:33 will have a one or more.
26:34 Um.
26:38 we currently have 58, uh,
26:41 safety officers, um, after the
26:43 cuts and stuff I have two
26:43 openings.
26:47 Um, so I'll have uh, 60 and
26:50 when when fully staffed uh, we
26:53 have uh, over 120 buildings
26:54 that we have to provide
26:55 security for so you can
26:56 understand that those
26:57 situations the resources are
26:58 stretched thin.
27:02 However, with that said, um,
27:04 school leaders school
27:05 administrators have the
27:07 opportunity to call when
27:09 incidents of concerns arise.
27:12 Um, we do deploy, uh, safety
27:14 personnel to those elementary
27:17 schools um, when when the need
27:19 is uh is great.
27:22 Um they also are secondary
27:23 sites for those that are
27:23 assigned to schools.
27:25 They're there for dismissal and
27:28 then we do dispatch so that
27:30 safety personnel are there um
27:31 as a secondary site for
27:34 arrivals dismissals uh and our
27:37 um the lieutenants to
27:38 supervisors and a sergeants are
27:39 required to go and check in
27:41 with those uh, elementary
27:42 schools uh, regularly.
27:44 There's another division that
27:46 we have called the vipers uh,
27:48 that is an acronym for violence
27:50 intervention prevention and
27:51 restorative specialist.
27:53 These are folks that have been
27:53 trained.
27:54 It just started the school year
27:55 .
27:56 So this is why you MAY be
27:57 hearing it for the first time.
27:59 Um, they were formerly the
28:00 community connection
28:02 coordinators from last year who
28:04 were prior to that was saws or
28:05 street workers.
28:07 Um and so they've all been
28:09 trained in mediation and
28:11 conflict resolution and so
28:12 they're also how.
28:13 Many do we have?
28:17 Uh ten uh members and one team
28:19 leader who plays both roles.
28:21 So it'll be a total of 11.
28:24 Um, they can be requested to
28:26 come in when you know, when
28:27 we're informed, uh, or when
28:29 safety is informed of an issue,
28:30 referrals can be made.
28:32 So don cromwell is the team
28:32 leader.
28:33 Uh, she'll get dispatch, she'll
28:36 get notified, she'll assign
28:38 somebody, uh, the case that
28:39 person is responsible for
28:40 connecting with the school.
28:42 Uh, connecting with parents.
28:44 The mediations work when all
28:47 parties volunteer are on board.
28:49 Uh, and so they understand like
28:50 when we're dealing with, uh,
28:52 elementary school kids, it's a
28:53 different approach than we
28:54 would with uh, with the high
28:55 school students.
28:58 So, um, we can schedule regular
28:59 check ins and things of that
29:01 nature to make sure that the
29:02 school feels supported.
29:04 So there are some options there
29:05 for the school leaders if they
29:06 requested it.
29:07 Thank you.
29:08 I know my time's up.