Council schedule changes: the Nov. 9 school hearing switches to a special education audit, and two sessions are canceled

Several City Council committee sessions changed this week. The most notable: the Education Committee's Nov. 9 hearing on how BPS staff cuts affected students with disabilities was canceled, and the committee posted a hearing for the same time on a separate order to audit special education spending.

For families of the roughly one in four BPS students who have disabilities, the switch means the committee will examine the program's overall cost and results first, rather than this year's cuts.

Canceled

• Nov. 9, Education: BPS personnel cuts and students with disabilities (docket 1333). The notice was marked canceled Wednesday afternoon with no reason given. The order, from City Councilors Ed Flynn, Julia Mejia and Erin Murphy, has been in committee since July 8. Our Nov. 3 preview described it. No new date has been posted.
• Nov. 5, Government Operations working session: training for unarmed security guards (docket 1541). The online session on the ordinance from City Councilors Henry Santana and Ruthzee Louijeune was canceled Thursday morning, with no reason given. It has been in committee for 92 days (our preview).
• Nov. 10, Government Operations: a minority business procurement readiness pilot (docket 0808), canceled, to be rescheduled.

Added: a special education audit

The Education Committee will instead hold a hearing Monday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. on Mejia and Murphy's order to audit BPS special education services and "return on investments" (docket 0277; notice). It was posted Wednesday afternoon.

What our records add. The order was filed Feb. 4 and has waited 274 days, so it will have been in committee 278 days by the hearing. It has nine sponsors. The order says:

• BPS serves about 44,416 students this school year, 24.2% of them students with disabilities;
• the special education budget is more than $421 million in fiscal 2026, up about 1%, and nearly a quarter of the BPS operating budget;
• it serves more than 11,500 students in district programs, separate classrooms and out-of-district placements.

It asks for testimony on staffing, cost drivers, out-of-district placements and whether students' Individualized Education Programs are being followed.

The rest of the calendar

According to the city's public notices:

• Thu., Nov. 5, 2 p.m., Planning, Development and Transportation: the city's bike network plan and heavy truck safety (dockets 1418 and 1542; our preview).
• Fri., Nov. 6, 10 a.m., Civil Rights, Racial Equity, and Immigrant Advancement: Blue Hill Avenue and rapid transit (dockets 1340 and 1341). MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng will not attend (our story).
• Mon., Nov. 9, 10 a.m., Environmental Justice, Resiliency and Parks: nine mayoral appointments, one to the review board for the building emissions ordinance (docket 1590) and eight to the Boston Waterways Board (dockets 1686 to 1693). One of the Waterways Board appointees is City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata.
• Tue., Nov. 10, 10 a.m., Public Safety with Government Operations: the city's 2025 annual surveillance report (docket 1708), a revised police policy on "Social Media Analysis Tools" (docket 1709), and City Councilor Benjamin Weber's amendments to the surveillance oversight ordinance (docket 1796).
• Tue., Nov. 10, 3 p.m., Ways and Means: city funding for health screenings and wellness support for first responders, an order from Murphy with 12 sponsors (docket 1917).
• Thu., Nov. 12, 10 a.m., Post-Audit: the state Inspector General's report on BPS procurement and payments (docket 1716; our story).

Hearings are in the Iannella Chamber on City Hall's fifth floor unless noted, take public testimony, and stream at boston.gov/city-council-tv. There is no council meeting Nov. 11, Veterans Day. The next regular meeting is Nov. 18 at noon.

Notices can change on short notice; check the city's page before you go.