Last Night at School Committee: February 7th, 2024 Meeting Recap

Last night's meeting initiated the district's annual budget process. It started with the Superintendent’s Report, followed by concerns from school committee members about their previously requested agenda items not being addressed. Members Brandon Cardet-Hernandez and Stephen Alkins requested updates on several issues, including student outcome data for the district's key initiatives and the level of support school leaders are receiving from the central office, but received no responses. The Committee voted on applying for Massachusetts School Building Authority funding to repair eight BPS schools. Cardet-Hernandez questioned the alignment of these repairs with the district's broader facilities strategy, highlighting a concern of repairing buildings that might soon be closed.

The night's main report was Superintendent Skipper’s presentation of the FY25 preliminary budget proposal, which outlines a $1.6 billion budget. This amount represents a $200 million increase from last year's budget, despite the district's declining enrollment and a per pupil expenditure now exceeding $33k. However, the presentation offered limited details on the impact this budget would have on individual school budgets, even as several school communities testified about the detrimental effects of budget cuts on their school. When committee members sought to ask clarifying questions, Chair Jeri Robinson urged them to limit their questions to only the most crucial ones and to submit any additional questions in writing. This approach frustrated members and left many questions unanswered.