Boston Council Scrutinizes $22.8 Million BPS Supplemental Budget Request

BOSTON — May 27, 2026 — Boston Council committee grills BPS finance chief over $22.8 million supplemental appropriation request. The Ways and Means Committee heard testimony Wednesday from Boston Public Schools Chief Financial Officer David Bloom on Docket 1031, which would appropriate $22,845,672 to cover health insurance overruns of $18,087,750 and utility overruns of $4,757,922 for fiscal year 2026. Bloom told the panel that health insurance costs have risen close to 40 percent over two years, driven by higher employee take-up rates and GLP-1 drug usage, while a cold winter pushed electrical and natural gas bills roughly $5 million over a $30 million budget. The district identified $32 million in internal savings since December but still faces a $28.3 million gap, of which the supplemental covers $22.8 million. Councillors Flynn and Culpepper pressed Bloom on classroom temperatures reaching 97 degrees at some schools and on the loss of approximately 290 teaching positions and 150 paraprofessional positions, with Bloom confirming that some provisional educators with fewer than three years of service will not have their contracts renewed and will be without jobs. A full council vote is expected before June 30.