Boston City Council Advances $21.6 Million School Repair Appropriation on First Reading

BOSTON — February 1, 2023 — Boston City Council advances $21.6 million school repair fund and NBA All-Star bid in busy February session. The council took a required first reading on Docket 0111, a $21.6 million appropriation for boiler, window, and door replacements at Boston Day and Evening Academy, Henderson Upper School, Raphael Hernandez School, and William E. Russell School, with the city anticipating $12.7 million in reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Councilor Brian Worrell introduced a hearing order to secure the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend for Boston, citing the 2022 game's reported $141.4 million in direct spending and noting that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has encouraged the Celtics to bid. Councilor Erin J. Murphy filed a separate hearing order demanding answers on more than $16 million in back pay owed to nearly 9,000 current and former Boston Teachers Union members. Councilor Tania Fernandez-Anderson made an extended case for a moratorium on city-owned land development in District 7, citing statistics showing 54 percent of Roxbury's housing units are income-restricted compared to 19.2 percent citywide.