Boston City Council Unanimously Codifies LGBTQ+ Office, Passes $1.58B School Budget

BOSTON — June 4, 2025 — Boston City Council codified the city's LGBTQ+ office into law and passed a $1.58 billion school budget on a split vote at its June 4 session. The council voted 11-0 to formally establish the Office of LGBTQIA2S Plus Advancement as a permanent city department through Docket 0968, with Councillor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, chair of the Committee on Government Operations, declaring the move ensures the office survives any change of administration. The $1.58 billion Boston Public Schools operating budget passed 11-2, with Councillors Erin J. Murphy and Julia M. Mejia voting no; Murphy cited a near-80 percent fourth-grade reading proficiency failure rate and the refusal of transportation contractor TransDev to appear before the council following two serious bus incidents, including the April death of a 5-year-old student. The council also unanimously adopted an amended FY26 city operating budget after what Councillor Brian Worrell, chair of Ways and Means, described as 123 hours and 53 minutes of hearings, and advanced capital loan orders of $266.1 million for city departments and $196.9 million for BPS on an 11-2 vote, with Councillor Liz Breadon voting no and citing a decade of data showing Allston-Brighton ranked last in new capital authorizations in most years since FY16.