Tag: Mayor Michelle Wu

  • In 7-0 vote, School Committee passes $1.73 billion budget

    The Boston School Committee on Wednesday unanimously passed a $1.73 billion budget for next school year, a more than 4.5 percent increase over this year’s spending plan, but ongoing financial pressures and declining enrollment will put between 300 and 400 jobs at risk. 

    Advocates are calling for the city to invest an additional 1 percent of its operating budget, about $48 million, to avert cuts to student services. The School Committee holds exclusive authority to revise line items in the budget. The City Council and Mayor may approve, reject or reduce the total recommended budget, but do not have the authority to revise individual items or increase the budget. 

    During a February budget presentation, Superintendent Mary Skipper said certain reductions would be necessary as costs continue to outpace revenues. She said fewer teachers would be needed because of an enrollment decline of about 3,000 students over the last two years. Other top financial pressures includee labor contracts, transportation expenses and rising health insurance costs. 

    Increased expenses have contributed to an estimated $53 million budget deficit this year, which led to a hiring freeze announced in January.

    “The budget that the city has proposed for the schools is not adequate to meet the needs of all of our members, particularly students with disabilities and multilingual learners,” said Boston Teachers Union President Erik Berg. “The restoration of any necessary services for our students is a move in the right direction. We’re seeking additional funding added into the BPS budget so they can restore some of the services that are currently [cut].”

    Those proposed cuts would primarily impact teaching and aide positions, as well as administrative roles and other support staff. Special education and bilingual faculty are to be especially affected.

    Mary Stenson, a school nurse at the Melvin H. King South End Academy Elementary School — a specialized school for students with increased social and emotional needs — said she has seen the effects of reductions first-hand, adding parents who have students with similar needs should find these cuts “alarming.” 

    “People see our students as ‘bad kids,’ but they just need their emotional needs met. Bigger schools can’t meet their needs,” Stenson said. “Listen to educators. Take it from the people in the buildings.” 

    Formerly known as the McKinley schools, the Melvin H. King Academy offers speech therapy, physical therapy and dental and vision care, among other services. Julie Cass, a paraprofessional, said it’s not uncommon to need multiple staff members to address the behavioral needs of one student. Reducing special education staff in favor of inclusion models could create unsafe environments for other students and staff, she said.

    “We do intense and effective work. Some kids can coast by, our kids can’t coast,” Cass said. “Many students come in with low self-esteem. They get to find out how smart they are.”

    Sumaya Sheike, a fifth-year educator at Dr. William H. Henderson Inclusion School in Dorchester, said cuts will “hurt” her students and may make the work of remaining staff more difficult.

    “There are a lot of steps to go through before eliminating student-facing roles,” Sheike said. “You can’t talk about the successes of BPS without the faults.”

    For Simel Rodriguez, who has a fifth grader at Blackstone Elementary in the South End with both behavioral and multilingual needs, cuts to special education services could mean losing communication with her daughter. 

    Rodriguez’s daughter has an IEP — an Individualized Education Program — and benefits from speech therapy and additional support in math and reading. 

    “All students, regardless of diverse needs, need this staff,” said Rodriguez, translated from Spanish. “By cutting these things, you limit all learners.”

    Rodriguez was one of dozens of parents, union members and advocates who rallied outside City Hall before the City Council budget hearing Tuesday, to call on the Council and Mayor Michelle Wu to prevent service cuts. In an overflowing chamber, Boston Public Schools students presented legislators with letters of intent tied to flowers and many more gave oral testimony.

    Ahead of the 7-0 vote on Wednesday, School Committee members discussed the allocation of transitional funds for schools that will close, improvements for future budget seasons and the role of public comment in amending the budget.  

    “I’m sure there are things we are doing in our schools because we’ve always done them, that may or may not give us the outcomes that we’re looking for,” said School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson, calling for an audit of the BPS central office and at the school level. “It’s time to do some self-reflection. Student outcomes don’t change until adult behaviors do.”

    The budget now goes to the City Council and Wu for final approval.

  • Back-to-back snowstorms move electeds to pitch ‘strike force’ for removal efforts

    State Sen. Nick Collins and City Councillors Brian Worrell and Ed Flynn want to augment Boston’s snow-removal approach by establishing a snow clearance strike force. 

    Citing the “extra strain” on city workers when there is a heavy snowfall, Worrell proposed hiring a group of seasonal shovelers that can be deployed to help clear snow from high-traffic pedestrian areas, along with a group of volunteers who would shovel pathways for homeowners with limited mobility or are otherwise unable to do so themselves. 

    “The more investments, the more people that can help our public works department, the better they are out there,” Worrell said. 

    Last week, the District 4 councillor filed a request for a public hearing, and Flynn requested a hearing to discuss purchasing snow-melters to expedite its removal. These asks came in the week after the Jan. 25-26 northeaster dropped 23 inches of snow on Boston – and before another 4 inches fell this past weekend. 

    Flynn pointed to efforts made by South Boston’s Labouré Center, part of Catholic Charities Boston, which once ran a “Snow Angels” program that paired volunteer snow-clearers with older neighbors and people with disabilities.

    The scene along Savin Hill Avenue on Feb. 9, 2026. Seth Daniel photo

    “It is important for us to look at scaling a similar program across the city to help our neighbors in need when it comes to these difficult conditions that bring accessibility issues,” Flynn said. 

    The city requires property owners to clear sidewalks and curb ramps within three hours after snowfall stops. If it snowed overnight, those areas must be cleared within three hours after sunrise.

    Worrell said a corps of seasonal hires could be deployed to shovel and sand high-traffic public areas like bus stops, T stations, and key sidewalks.

    Collins said he has reached out to both the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Port Authority requesting the use of their snow-melting services once they complete statewide duties. That could mean heating and filtering the snow from salt and other chemicals before discharging it through the waste plant at Deer Island, he said. 

    “When we have a significant amount of snowfall that may not be prepared for… sometimes you need to go to the old-fashioned shovel, but you need people to do that,” said Collins, whose district includes Dorchester.

    However, his appeal to state agencies drew a rebuke from the president of one of the city’s largest public employees union last week.

    Chris Stockbridge, who leads the AFSCME Local Council 93, which includes many of the city’s public works employees, said Collins was ignoring the “reality on the ground.

    “Instead of recognizing the hardworking men and women, many of whom are your own constituents… who worked tirelessly for days and nights to keep the city running and looking its best,” he said, “you chose to use this moment as a personal platform to take shots at the mayor because of political disagreements.”

    Nick Gove, interim Chief of Streets for the city of Boston, spoke at a press conference about snow removal operations on Feb. 6, 2026. John Wilcox/City of Boston photo

    Mayor Michelle Wu, in public remarks last week about the city’s snow response, noted that the Jan. 25-26 storm was one of the top ten largest snowfall events in the city’s history. City code enforcement officers issued more than 2,800 violations to property owners who failed to clear their sidewalks, according to Nick Gove, the interim Chief of Streets in Boston. That number included 112 tickets issued to the MBTA, he noted.

    Worrell said residents should call 311 or reach out to their district councillor’s office if there is an area that needs additional attention from snow removal services. 

    No date has been set for public hearings or a potential joint hearing on Worrell and Flynn’s proposals, according to Flynn. Worrell said he hopes it will be “as soon as possible” and encourages community members to attend and share their perspectives. 

    “That is when you start seeing real movement in local government,” Worrell said. “When people are voicing their support and willingness to take part.”

    This story is the product of a partnership between the Dorchester Reporter and Boston University’s Department of Journalism.

  • Free Culture Access Surges: Boston Family Days Program Triples in Size

     Mayor Michelle Wu announced an expansion of the Boston Family Days program last month that will provide more students and families free entry to multiple cultural venues this fall.

    City officials say the program has grown each year since it was introduced as BPS Sundays in February 2024. That first year, six cultural institutions were open on the first and second Sunday of each month. Today, students and families may visit 23 venues. Last year, 65,000 people were provided free access to cultural events and performances. The Boston Ballet, Boston Symphony Orchestra and Huntington Theatre plan to provide more than 2,500 tickets this fall.

    Sage Morgan-Hubbard, director of learning and management at The Museum of African American History, said the program and experiences have resonated with young people.

    “We’ve had more young people come out, and our Juneteenth was probably our best visitation day,” she said. “We had like 450 people … of all different ages.”

    As one of the smallest museums in the program, Morgan-Hubbard said the additional traffic will advance the organization’s effort to spread a message of empowerment through education. Tours begin at the Abiel Smith School, the nation’s oldest public school to educate African American students exclusively. Among other exhibits, visitors can explore the African Meeting House, where prominent figures such as Frederick Douglass spoke to crowds, and abolitionist and writer William Cooper Nell attended school.

    When the Museum of African American History joined the initiative last year, it incorporated performing arts into its programming. The museum partnered with dance group Jean Appolon Expressions, and the Front Porch Arts Collective – a Black theater group, as well as others.

    “I think there’s nothing more transformative than having live arts because you know all your senses are engaged,” said Morgan-Hubbard. “They’re just much more interesting ways for young people to learn about different topics and be exposed to different art forms than sometimes a regular tour.”

    The Boston Family Days program was originally open only to Boston public school students and their families. Private school students and families are now eligible.

    Bostonians gathered on a recent Saturday at RoboBoston, Mass Robotics’ annual block party, held this year in the Seaport District. The free event showcased robotics from more than 50 institutions and companies throughout the city. While separate from the Boston Family Days program, the event attracted technology enthusiasts, families and students, including Jovie Slagle, a mother from Quincy, who said she was vaguely familiar with the city-sponsored program. But it sounded interesting.

    “I’d like to see some arts too,” said Slagle, who mentioned that disciplines such as math and science are important to childhood education, but creative expression is another powerful way to open their minds.

    The Huntington Theatre is tucked between the neighborhoods of Fenway, Back Bay and the South End. The theater joined the city program as part of the expansion, which staff members say is a continuation of an investment in Boston’s art scene.

    “It was pretty easy … we want in,” said Meg O’Brien, the theater’s director of education.

    Huntington staff members and representatives of other performing arts venues met with city officials last summer. The goal was to integrate theaters into a program originally designed for museums.

    The working group faced challenges. Museums allow visitors entrance at any time, while theaters operate with a fixed number of seats and specific performance schedules.

    A plan to expand the program was unveiled this spring. In May, the Huntington Theatre hosted two family days for “The Light in the Piazza” directed by its Artistic Director Loretta Greco. The events fueled optimism for the fall, according to O’Brien.

    To accommodate theaters, the city will release a rolling schedule of upcoming performances instead of set times throughout the fall. That way, families can decide when they are free rather than schedule an event in advance. “The goal is to make it feel as inviting and as welcoming as possible so that they actually do come out and spend the time with us,” O’Brien said.

    The city will continue the program through June 2026, according to a press release from the mayor’s office.

    “I would want to see more programming at the institutions themselves,” said Sam Fidler, director of administration and finance in the mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. “I think that is something also that we’re in the process of working on.”

  • Robert Cappucci makes yet another bid for mayor; one of three challenging Mayor Wu

    Robert Cappucci. Georgia Epiphaniou photo.

    Robert Cappucci has been campaigning for public office for more than five decades, with runs for state representative, Congress, City Council and now, for the fourth time, mayor of Boston. 

    “A winner, as they say, never quits, and a quitter never wins,” says the 80-year-old one-time Boston Police officer.

    He has been successful twice: In 1987, and again in 1989, he was elected to the Boston School Committee. He didn’t have an opportunity to win a third time because membership on the school panel became an appointed position in 1991.

    Before, during, and in between his attempts to win public office, he has had his hand in different lines of work. In addition to his time with the BPD, he was a substitute teacher in the for Boston Public Schools and, for several years, he was involved in real estate.

    A lifelong East Boston resident who grew up with four siblings and served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War (1968-1974), he has never been married. He describes himself as a “workaholic.”

    In 2013, he announced a campaign for mayor but failed to turn in enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. In 2017 and 2021, he made the ballot, but did not advance beyond the preliminary municipal elections, receiving 6.7 percent of the vote in 2017 and 1.1 percent in 2021.

    Cappucci has roots in electoral politics. His father, Enrico, represented East Boston as a Democratic member of the Massachusetts House from 1937 to 1949. He says his father told him that he wasn’t cut out to be a politician. “I guess he knows what a politician is, and I don’t.”

    Still, Cappucci didn’t know exactly what his father meant by his assertion – Enrico died in 1976, two years before his son’s first run for public office, for state representative – but he later interpreted it to mean that politicians pander to different audiences. 

    “As I got older, I think of a politician as someone that is pretty good with their words, so they don’t really commit themselves,” Cappucci says. “A politician to me seems to have no — I hate to say it — conscience.”

    He is running as a conservative in a city that has had a Democrat in the mayor’s office continually since James Michael Curley took office for the third time in 1931. But Cappucci has never been deterred by the political makeup of his city, where 39.7 percent of voters are Democrats, 55.2 percent are unenrolled, and 4.3 percent are Republicans.

    “Although it’s a liberal city, there are plenty of people out there that have my way of doing things,” he says, “a conservative way.”

    John Dillon, a self-styled “liberal,” has supported Cappucci the office-seeker from his first run for School Committee through his bid for mayor in 2021. A knee injury has kept him on the sidelines this year.

    “He did his service on a nuclear submarine. Do you know what you have to do — to go through — to do that?” Dillon asked. “You’re put through all sorts of psychological tests and everything else, so it told me he was a real bright guy. And the fact that he always wanted to help the poor was another thing that really hit me.”

    Cappucci says he is running as a “unifier candidate,” which to him means bridging the gap between Democrats and Republicans on certain issues.

    In 2021, he was a critic of so-called “sanctuary cities.” Though he didn’t clearly lay out his stance for his latest campaign in this interview, he did say he favors President Trump’s efforts to increase arrests and deportations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

    “He’s going after, from what I have been observing, people that are very bad,” Cappucci said. “They’re killers, they’re murderers, they’re rapists. That’s who he’s targeting.”

    When pushed on this statement with examples of detentions involving undocumented individuals without criminal records — like Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a Milford teen who was detained by ICE on his way to volleyball practice in May — Cappucci said he wasn’t sure that media accounts were accurate. 

    “As my father always told me, being an attorney in politics, he said, ‘Don’t believe everything you read,’” he said. “So, when you get situations like that, I’m not sure we’re getting the truth.”

    Cappucci is a critic of incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu, especially with respect to her handling of the situation at Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, an area with a history of rampant substance misuse. 

    Richard Masterson, a Cappucci supporter and lifelong Roxbury resident, said no one is solving the problem. 

    “It seems like they just push it from one area to another area to another area,” he said. “There are people shooting up drugs, needles hanging out of their necks and out of their arms, and sitting on the curbs. They have nowhere to go.”

    Cappucci holds Wu responsible for the ongoing problem. He told Masterson that, if elected, he would seek to reopen Long Island Hospital, which offered addiction treatments but was closed in 2014 when officials deemed the bridge to Long Island to be in poor condition. 

    Among his other concerns about Wu’s mayoralty is the ongoing redevelopment of White Stadium in Franklin Park. “I really have a problem with trying to do things when you’re giving away the tax dollars,” he said. “We need that money for so many reasons.” He said housing, education, and infrastructure should take precedence over the stadium.

    Although wins and losses are out of his control, Cappucci says that running for office is what he wants to do for the rest of his life.

    “As a Catholic, I’m trying to do the best I can. So when I go before him — when I pass away — he can say, hopefully, ‘You did a good job.’”