Boston City Council Hears Public Pleas to Spare BPS Staffing Cuts in FY27

BOSTON — March 24, 2026 — Boston City Council committee draws overflow crowd over proposed BPS staffing cuts. The Committee on Ways and Means, chaired by Councilor Ben Weber, held a standing-room public listening session March 24 on the city and Boston Public Schools FY27 operating budgets, with speakers overwhelmingly urging councilors to direct 1 percent more of the city budget to BPS to prevent cuts to bilingual teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, and librarians. Councilor Julia Mejia told the crowd, "Y'all are only asking for one percent of that BPS budget — y'all should be asking for more." Parent coordinator Dora Sandoval identified the Blackstone school as facing a 12 percent staffing reduction despite serving a student population 92 percent Latino and Black, while the less-impacted Hurley school serves a comparable demographic. A member of the Boston Student Advisory Council, testifying as a bilingual student at Boston Collegiate High School, asked councilors directly how the district planned to support English learners if bilingual staff funding was cut. The BPS budget vote was scheduled for March 25, 2026.