WCVB BOSTON —

The Boston School Committee voted unanimously to pass a $1.7 billion school budget despite community concerns about the 4.5% spending increase over last year and dwindling enrollment in Boston Public Schools.

BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper said during the meeting that the projected cost of health insurance went up since the last hearing, increasing the final budget by $14 million dollars.

Just ahead of the vote, School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson called for an audit of BPS spending, noting increases in funding that are not "moving the needle on outcomes."

Robinson said it's time for "self-reflection," saying "student outcomes don't change until adult behaviors do."

“I really feel it's a time that both at the school level and at central office, it's time for an audit,” Robinson announced. “$1.7 billion is a lot of money,” she added.

For the first time, central office-based spending would exceed school-based spending. That includes transportation, staffing, and rising health insurance costs.

The budget now goes to the City Council for approval. At-large councilor Julia Mejia said she was concerned about the amount of money going to central office spending, including administrators.

“In terms of central staff, I've always said we have to trim the fat from central staff and central budget, period. I think that these dollars need to be directly in the classrooms, and I think that we need to do a better job at

making sure that we're supporting those folks who are doing the frontline work,” she said.

A spokesperson for Boston Public Schools said the majority of the central office budget directly supports students and schools.

“Students are at the center of our work, which is why 90% of the BPS budget funds student-facing services. There have been some mischaracterizations, but our families need to know that the vast majority of the central office budget also funds direct student services with positions like occupational therapists, physical therapists,

a variety of Special Education related service providers, speech pathologists, school custodians, bus monitors, and more."

She continued, "Staffing reductions are always difficult, and with the enrollment decline of approximately 3,000 students, we have to ensure that we are staffing appropriately.”

Ross Wilson, a former deputy superintendent in the Boston Public Schools and now executive director of the Shah Family Foundation, said the budget showed misplaced priorities.

"I'm worried about BPS and the future of BPS," said Wilson, who is also co-host of the podcast, "Last Night at School Committee."

"I'm worried that we have buckets of spending that are out of control at the central office, and I'm worried that schools will be cut more. So ultimately, as a parent, and as a taxpayer, and as a resident of Boston, I'm

concerned about our kids, and I'm concerned about the future of our school system," Wilson said.

When asked by 5 Investigates if the budget is failing students, he said, "Absolutely."

Less than one-third of BPS students met or exceeded expectations on last year's Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System.

"All of our investments should be going into teacher training, should be going into professional development for our staff and all of our staff members, and we should be implementing high dosage tutoring in all of our schools, longer school days, summer school; whatever it takes to make sure our students are on track by grade three," Wilson said.

BPS spending accounts for 40% of the city's entire budget. In the past decade, enrollment has declined by about 10,000 students. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said Boston Public Schools always gets a large allocation of the city's budget, and that investments have been working.

"We've celebrated some really important progress and some milestones that have shown the trajectory of where our investments have really delivered results," Wu said, noting high graduation rates, low dropout rates and strong attendance records.

In a statement, Boston Public Schools said the budget "prioritizes student-facing strategies that are driving academic outcomes in the district ... We are committed to investing in our long-standing academic priorities: inclusive classrooms, bilingual education, college and career pathways, and high-quality instructional materials."

The district said it is planning for an enrollment decline of 3,000 students since the 2024-2025 school year.

"We are making necessary adjustments by closing schools and consolidating classrooms to align staffing with the students we serve. While these decisions are difficult for school communities, they are essential to

maintaining strong supports for students and sustaining progress," the statement read.

The mayor-appointed school committee has passed every single action item before it for the past four years. The budget will now move on to the City Council. The City Council will begin budget deliberations in April.

“When the budget does make its way to the city council, how will you vote?” 5 Investigates’ Brittany Johnson, asked.

“No,” Mejia replied. “I will absolutely be voting no on the BPS budget because it does not reflect the will of the advocates, the staff, the educators and the students that have been sounding the alarm in regard to the cuts that we are now having to contend with.”