The Boston City Council voted 10 to 3 Wednesday to postpone a planned vote on Mayor Michelle Wu’s $4.9 billion budget proposal for the next fiscal year until next week, delaying action on a spending plan that has divided the council and drawn intense pushback from community groups for cutting certain department budgets and axing a number of grant programs.
The council did vote unanimously to approve a number of other spending proposals, including Wu’s move to pull nearly $70 million from the city’s emergency reserve fund in order to plug deficits in the city’s and Boston Public Schools’ budgets this fiscal year. After a passionate debate, councilors also voted 8 to 5 to pass a $1.73 billion budget for Boston Public Schools next fiscal year, which would cut hundreds of staff jobs.
That vote also came with scrutiny, particularly from the Boston Teachers Union, which had advocated for the council to reject the budget in protest of the planned layoffs. Some councilors, though, argued that wouldn’t solve the significant budget challenges the district is facing, in part due to declining enrollment.
“Rejection doesn’t change the very real circumstances that we have lost thousands of students, it doesn’t solve for the long-term budget issues,” said Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata. “Our teachers and parents deserve respect. They also deserve stability and long-term solutions.”
But other councilors argued that approving a budget with such large staff reductions would set a bad precedent.
“My fear is that this budget puts BPS on a pathway towards cuts this year, more cuts next year, and then more cuts the year after that, and every year, the students who need the most support will be asked to carry the heaviest burden,” said Councilor Brian Worrell.