Tag: Boston Public Schools projects

  • Needham residents brave the elements for Election Day

    Candidates and their supporters shrugged off fierce winds Tuesday to campaign on Election Day in Needham, political signs gripped in gloved hands as voters entered polling stations across town.

    In the early afternoon, school committee candidate Leanne Ratti and a few of her supporters stood at the corner of West Street and Hillside Avenue, next to the Center at the Heights polling location.

    As a special education, elementary and English as a Second Language teacher of 16 years for the Boston Public Schools, Ratti said she is passionate about equitable education for the Needham community.

    “I think this is a great opportunity to get to know everyone in the community,” Ratti said. “Hearing from parents and residents, talking about their concerns, answering questions, learning, listening, you really feel in touch with your community.”

    Melissa Rotman and Carolyn Kenline, two of Ratti’s supporters, said they helped her campaign because she’ll advocate for their children.

    “I’m really excited about the potential of having a teacher on the School Committee and a mom of three kids,” Kenline said.

    Across the street stood two supporters of Sri Baqri, another School Committee candidate. Her husband, Rehan Baqri, said Sri is passionate about the schools and wanted to get involved. They have two daughters in the system.

    He was flanked by Syed Rizvi, a supporter of Baqri who said proper representation on the School Committee is important, especially someone who has kids, knows the system and is invested in the schools. 

    Down the road, at the top of the driveway leading to the polling station at the Rosemary Recreation Complex, stood a group of campaigners with signs for a variety of candidates.. 

    Jeanne McKnight, a Town Meeting member running for reelection, held two signs: one for herself and the other for Select Board incumbent Heidi Frail. 

    McKnight, who has represented Precinct F as a Town Meeting Member for 22 years, said municipal work has been her life. She began as an urban planner in Framingham for six years, went to law school and worked as a municipal attorney for 25 years. McKnight stepped down from the Planning Board last year.

    McKnight described Frail as a hard-working member of the Select Board — one who is “very respectful of others on the committee.” “The hardest job in our town, as far as being a volunteer, is to be on the Select Board,” McKnight said. 

    Next to McKnight stood David Wertheim, who was running for Town Meeting in Precinct G. Wertheim grew up in Needham and moved back 13 years ago. A finance professional who served on the Finance Committee in Ashland, Wertheim said he was inspired to return to civic engagement after the divisive town vote in January that repealed the Town Meeting decision to comply with the MBTA Communities Law, which requires municipalities served by the MBTA to create a zoning district conducive to multifamily housing.

    “There seemed to be a lot of misinformation that was going around,” Wertheim said. “I’m hoping that with a financial background, I can bring some more to the table and hopefully some more honest conversation.”

    A few feet from Wertheim, Abigail “Abby” Carr, a public relations professional, was also running for Town Meeting in Precinct G. She said the “horrific nature” of politics in Washington inspired her to turn to local government. Carr has lived in Needham for 10 years, and her three children went through the Needham school system.

    “If you can’t win at the national level, then you can make soup and plant flowers and help housing and other issues in your local community,” Carr said.

    She described the divisiveness of the Needham housing issue as “disturbing.” “I think it’s really important that we have people on Town Meeting who respect facts and are willing to dive deep into the issues and not face decisions by whipping up other people’s fear,” Carr said.

    This story is part of a partnership between the Needham Observer and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

  • Mayor Wu proposes $4.8 billion budget, girding for federal cuts

     Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced her $4.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2026 Wednesday morning, one she said aims to provide stability while preparing for uncertainty in the future of federal funding.

    Boston relies on $300 million in federal funding each fiscal year. Wu said the city has never made a mid-year budget cut to staffing positions, except when it’s had to adjust for cuts at the state level.

    “So far, that has been relatively legally protected, but we know that right now the law is not seen as a boundary either,” Wu said of federal funding at the annual budget breakfast. “And so we need to be preparing for the worst in every case.”

    Wu said given the new federal climate, city layoffs could have to be considered in the future.

    The proposed budget marks a 4.4% increase from last year, adjusting for a one-time Housing Accelerator Program appropriation. It would eliminate nearly 500 city government positions that have been vacant for over a year; it does not call for any new positions and reduces spending on non-personnel items, such as equipment and supplies.

    The City Council must still approve the budget, which would take effect July 1.

    Wu also unveiled a five-year $4.5 billion capital plan to invest in essential services across the city, from roads and sidewalks to school renovations, parks and library buildings. The plan decreases slightly from the last one in size and number of projects; it includes 72 Boston Public Schools projects and aims to improve responsiveness to safety requests on the 311 line.

    Property taxes remain the primary revenue source for all city services. The mayor said her administration continues to “push for relief for residents who’ve had to bear the increased tax burden,” as the commercial tax burden has decreased.

    In comments after the speech, Wu emphasized the risks to local funding under the Trump administration: “We know this will still be a period of uncertainty that will last probably the next 4 years at least,” she said, noting she’s hearing from residents across the city who “really are struggling right now.”

    Josh Kraft, who’s running against Wu in the mayor’s race, has criticized her handling of the budget.  He told WBUR in an interview this week, “Nothing is more core than fiscal responsibility, and a budget that’s grown 20% in three years is something that I don’t think shows a lot of fiscal discipline.”

    City officials say this year’s budget was a more collaborative process between the mayor’s office and the City Council than in the past. City Councilor Brian Worrell said budget conversations began in November and have gone through working sessions and public hearings, which will continue until the council votes on the plan.

    The council’s recommendations include prioritizing housing and food insecurity, protecting diversity and inclusion amidst the Trump administration’s crackdown, and funding quality-of-life issues, including clean streets and better pest control.

    “The mayor’s proposed budget therefore reflects much of the Council’s advocacy, and much of what we’ve heard from community,” council President Ruthzee Louijeune said.

    One beneficiary is a community center in Allston-Brighton. The center is slated to get revitalization funding, Louijeune said, after longtime calls from the community.

    The city’s chief financial officer, Ashley Groffenberger, also highlighted programs such as downtown office conversions to create more dorms and workforce housing, and a partnership with Eversource and National Grid to help residents manage utility bills.

    “This year, we’re focusing on achieving that balance point: preparing for the worst case scenarios, given federal uncertainty and the larger economy,” Wu said, “while not jumping ahead to slash city services that we know are more critical than ever for our residents and businesses.”

    This story is part of a partnership between WBUR and the Boston University Department of Journalism. With additional reporting from WBUR’s Mira Donaldson.