Boston Schools Eye 300–400 Layoffs in FY2027 Budget $53M deficit forces Skipper to propose deep staffing cuts

Boston Public Schools is facing its most significant staffing reduction in years, with Superintendent Mary Skipper presenting a proposed $1.71 billion budget for the 2026–2027 school year that would eliminate between 300 and 400 positions district-wide. The proposal, outlined at a February school committee meeting, targets more than 200 teachers and more than 100 paraprofessionals, support staff, and administrative employees.

The cuts are driven by a $53 million deficit in the current 2025–2026 school year and a projection that costs will rise by approximately $86 million next year — outpacing available revenues. BPS Chief Financial Officer David Bloom identified four primary cost drivers: health insurance, transportation, out-of-district special education, and labor contracts. Roughly 160 of the positions marked for elimination are linked to three school buildings scheduled to close at the end of this school year. The proposed reductions follow the elimination of approximately 400 positions the prior year.

Skipper framed the situation directly at the school committee meeting. "As I've been saying since last year, we're facing challenging times and this budget represents those times," she said. "We'll need to make hard decisions and reductions in spending that does not directly support students." A key driver behind the workforce math is a projected enrollment decline of roughly 3,000 students since the fall of 2024, which reduces per-pupil funding and the instructional staff needed to serve a smaller population. Despite the cuts, the proposed budget still reflects a 4.5 percent increase over the current year, directed toward inclusive education and bilingual programming.

Community members and faculty raised concerns that the layoffs could disproportionately affect educators from Black, Latino, Asian, and bilingual backgrounds. John Mudd, a former member of the district's English Learners task force, urged school leaders to give explicit guidance to principals protecting teachers from underrepresented communities during the reduction process. The school committee must finalize budget decisions before the end of the school year.

As Boston public school enrollment continues declining, should the district accelerate school consolidations to stabilize its finances — or does closing more buildings risk deepening educational inequity across neighborhoods?