Boston City Council Opens FY26 BPS Budget Review With $1.58 Billion Plan

BOSTON — April 14, 2025 — Boston City Council opens FY26 school budget review as BPS presents $1.58 billion spending plan. Committee on Ways and Means Chair Brian Worrell convened the first of a series of budget hearings Monday, with Superintendent Mary Skipper and a team of senior administrators presenting a budget reflecting 3.5 percent growth, its first year entirely without ESSER pandemic relief funds, and a slight enrollment increase. Skipper warned that a terminated federal bilingual grant — a five-year pipeline program for paraprofessionals to become teachers — was "fairly devastating," and said the district is waiting on guidance about roughly $2 million in ESSER funds at risk. Chief Financial Officer David Bloom confirmed $8.5 million in central office reductions, including 21 eliminated positions, redirected to school-level staffing. The district reported 17,192 multilingual learners — 35 percent of enrollment — and said inclusive education spending has reached $184 million, including $10 million in new investment for a phased grade-level rollout. A Boston Teachers Union contract covering 2024 through 2027, including approximately $62 million in supplemental appropriations, is expected before the City Council next month.