Prioritize the Classroom Over Bureaucracy: Demand a "Students-First" Fiscal Audit

Even as enrollment falls and expenses rise, Boston Public Schools continues to pump up its budget numbers for the next school year – to $1.7 billion.
“I really feel it’s a time that both at the school level and at central office, it’s time for an audit,” said School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson, as reported by the local ABC affiliate. She added, “$1.7 billion is a lot of money.”
Meanwhile, the district is projecting an enrollment loss of at least 3,000 students “since the 2024-25 school year,” the affiliate noted.
This budget proposal, passed unanimously by the Boston School Committee on March 26, marks the first time central office-based spending would exceed school-based spending.
That didn’t sit well with Julia Mejia, an at-large city councilor. The City Council will begin deliberations on the budget this month, according to the article.
“In terms of central staff, I’ve always said we have to trim the fat from central staff and central budget, period,” she said. “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.”