Next up for the Education Committee: how BPS staff cuts are affecting students with disabilities

The City Council's Committee on Education will hold a hearing Monday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. on how this year's Boston Public Schools staff cuts have affected students with disabilities (public notice). The order, docket 1333, was filed by City Councilor Ed Flynn in July. It was referred to the committee July 8, and the hearing will come 124 days later.

Federal law guarantees students with disabilities services such as speech and occupational therapy, behavioral support and transportation. The question for families is whether the classroom aides, bus monitors and specialists who deliver those services are still there after the budget cuts.

Students with disabilities came up at this week's other school hearings too. At Monday's bus hearing, BPS's transportation director said not every large bus has a monitor, Boston.com reported (our story). In the district's new closure plan, 45% of Charlestown High's students have disabilities, Boston.com reported (our story).

What the order says

The order (text) says that after the council approved the school budget, "hundreds of teachers, paraprofessionals and other front line workers" were expected to lose their jobs. It cites the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the state's guarantee of a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive setting. It warns that without paraprofessionals, students may struggle to get classroom support and accommodations. It has 11 sponsors: every councilor except Gabriela Coletta Zapata and Brian Worrell.

What our records add

The budget vote. The council approved the FY27 school budget 8-5 on June 3 (docket 0734; meeting). Voting no were Flynn, Worrell, City Councilor Miniard Culpepper, City Councilor Julia Mejia, who chairs the Education Committee, and City Councilor Erin Murphy.

When the order was filed. On July 8, Flynn told the council that the cuts "will result in devastating impact" for students with disabilities. He said about 400 workers had been reported as affected and he believed the number might be closer to 500 (watch at 1:07:32). Mejia, who joined as a co-sponsor, said she voted against the budget because the cuts to student-facing positions would hurt all students, especially those with special needs and multilingual learners (watch at 1:09:01).

What the district said in October. At an Oct. 6 Ways and Means hearing on school union contracts, Flynn asked what had happened to paraprofessionals who lost their jobs. A district official said the office was working through a recall list and offering vacancies to paraprofessionals affected by last year's cuts, and was "almost through" the list (watch at 37:20). Flynn said paraprofessionals, mostly women of color, help students with disabilities and do "an outstanding job" (watch at 38:12). At an Oct. 13 Education Committee hearing on English learners, he called letting aides go "a mistake" (watch at 1:58:36).

How to take part

The hearing is in the Iannella Chamber, fifth floor of City Hall, and streams at boston.gov/city-council-tv. People who want to testify in person sign up at the hearing. To testify online, contact the committee staff listed on the notice. Written comments go to ccc.education@boston.gov. Interpretation and disability accommodations are free on request.

What's next

After the hearing, the order stays in committee unless Mejia reports it back to the full council. The council meets Wednesday, Nov. 4, at noon (agenda).