Boston Council Hears Pleas to Restore $6 Million in School-Year Youth Jobs

BOSTON — May 5, 2026 — Boston City Council committee hears four hours of testimony against proposed elimination of school-year youth jobs. The Committee on Ways and Means, chaired by District 6 Councilor Ben Weber, convened May 5 to review Mayor Michelle Wu's fiscal year 2027 budget, which would cut all $5.9 million in city-funded school-year youth employment — dropping the number of funded school-year positions from 1,721 to zero. A separate $2.2 million reduction in state Youth Works funding pushes the total shortfall facing the city's youth jobs ecosystem to roughly $8.1 million, with no firm private-sector commitments yet secured to fill the gap. Trinh Nguyen, Chief of Worker Empowerment, said the administration is "working around the clock" on private fundraising strategies but could not guarantee answers before September. Councilor Henry Santana called the cut "unacceptable," pledging to make restoring the $6 million his "number one priority" in the budget process before the June 3 council vote.