Boston City Council Grills BPS on Food Access, Homelessness, and Stadium Equity

BOSTON — April 14, 2025 — Boston City Council pressed Boston Public Schools administrators on food equity, student homelessness, and federal funding threats during a Monday FY26 budget hearing. Chair Brian Worrell, District 4 City Councilor, convened the Committee on Ways and Means session, which featured Superintendent Mary Skipper and her team defending a proposed $53.4 million spending increase over FY25, including $22 million in new investments. Food and Nutrition Director Annalise Tanner said the district is now serving roughly 50,000 meals daily across breakfast, lunch, and after-school programs, and confirmed that a Trump administration cut to the USDA Local Food for Schools program eliminated an expected $250,000 to $350,000 in local food purchasing funds, forcing menu adjustments to preserve relationships with local farmers. Chief of Student Support Corey McCarthy put BPS's current student homelessness estimate at approximately 5,000 students. Councilor Enrique J. Pepén raised the local farming cuts; Councilor Julia M. Mejia questioned White Stadium access for Black and Brown students; and Council President Ruthzee Louijeune pressed administrators on restorative justice investment — with BPS reporting 115.8 full-time equivalent school psychologists and $42 million in Title I funds potentially at risk from federal policy changes.