A community meeting intended to discuss the Boston Public Schools (BPS) budget drew just a handful of local parents to the Mildred Ave. Community Center in Mattapan last Thursday evening, Feb. 22. The intimate conversation between parents and BPS representatives focused on where to trim the budget, from transportation to the tenure of teachers. The meeting came just days before the Walsh administration issued a comprehensive assessment of school facilities, the latest step in a ten-year plan to overhaul the system.
Elica Hector-Varrs, a Mattapan parent, told BPS officials that she is frustrated by the lack of options for her children within walking distance from her home.
“Why should I have to ship my kid out, instead of fixing what’s broken?” she said, specifically mentioning the Mattahunt Elementary School, which is closing this summer to make way for an Early Education Center serving students in K-0 to first grade.
Hector-Varrs said she was one of many people who campaigned against Question 2 on last November ballot, a measure which would have expanded charter schools. Like many opponents, she sought to protect existing funding for public schools.
“We were out there pounding the pavement, holding signs,” said Hector-Varrs.
The issue of transportation was discussed early in the meeting as David Bloom, the Budget Director at BPS, outlined the current system. Out of the largest 200 districts in the country, BPS ranks second in the US for per student spending on transportation. Suggested budget cuts could come from adjusting where students are placed, reducing long-distance transportation and saving $4-18 million dollars, Bloom estimated.
One parent who was focused on infrastructure asked why more money is not spent on the school buildings themselves, which she said desperately need to be updated.
“A child can’t learn if the building is dilapidated,” she said. Almost two-thirds of BPS school buildings were built before World War II.
The group also discussed homelessness among students. BPS estimates that there are about 3,000 students in the system experiencing homelessness. The Walsh administration plans to target them with $1 million via the Homeless Education Resource Network.
Hector-Varrs described seeing students who didn’t even have socks to wear to school, or who didn’t have warm coats for the winter weather.
One teacher from each school will be sent for a training session on the issue of homelessness, and the resources will be differentiated by the needs of students at each school. The money could be spent on necessities like food, clothes, and shelter.
Roy Chan, the Co-lead at the BPS Experience Lab, said, “A lot of that information is really sensitive, but it’s on our radar.”
