Boston Schools Face $53M Deficit: Staff Cuts Loom

Boston Public Schools (BPS) is grappling with a substantial $53 million budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year 2027, which begins July 1. While the proposed budget includes a 4.5 percent increase over this year, amounting to an additional $74 million, it is insufficient to cover escalating costs in healthcare, labor, and special education. Administrators estimate that between 300 to 400 staff members could be cut, with about 160 of those coming from the closure of three school buildings at the end of the current school year.

Parents and advocates are voicing strong opposition to the proposed cuts, emphasizing that reductions should not come at the expense of student support services like paraprofessionals, programming, and mental health. A petition signed by 590 families urging greater support for bilingual education programs was presented, with advocates calling for a decade-long plan to ensure all students receive home language support and access to high-quality bilingual programs, including those with disabilities. Concerns were also raised that the cuts could disproportionately affect Black, Latino, Asian, and bilingual educators.

The district's financial challenges are compounded by declining enrollment, which has fallen from 53,000 students in the 2019-2020 school year to approximately 46,800 currently. This trend, coupled with increased staffing levels over the past several years, contributes to the budget deficit. Mayor Michelle Wu has set a goal of making BPS the best school district in the country, but advocates fear the proposed cuts will hinder this ambition.