Boston School Committee passes new $1.5B budget for 2025 with expected cuts to be made
A loss of federal funds, a drop in enrollment, and an increase in costs for things like busing, made this a tough vote for many members on the Boston School Committee.
The school committee passed a budget for the fiscal year 2025 of more than $1.5 billion.
According to the Boston Globe, 70% of Boston Public Schools will lose staffing, including cuts to music and the arts.
A school department spokesperson tells Boston 25 that much of the budget difficulty comes from the end of ESSER funds – “Elementary and secondary school emergency relief” money funded by the feds for Covid relief.
Boston received some $400 million in funds spread over four years and that has now run out.
But the City did step up with an $81 million infusion to bolster the budget. That money will go toward general maintenance and inclusive education.
The other glaring issue is a drop in student enrollment. There has been a 15% drop over the last decade. COVID exacerbated the problem now totaling some 8,000 students. And since funding is based on the total number of students if, that number drops so does the funding.
Boston School Superintendent Mary Skipper said the focus will be on funding student services, with 94% of the budget allocated directly to helping students.
Many of the cuts will be figured out now that the budget has passed among them cuts to library services are expected.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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