Housing, health and safety, and education are among the priorities highlighted in fiscal year 2018’s $3.15 billion budget – a $148.5 million increase over last year – that was approved by the city council and signed by Mayor Martin Walsh last week.
All city councillors but Tito Jackson voted in favor of the new budget at their weekly meeting on June 28. Ayanna Pressley and Jackson voted against the $1.061 billion Boston Public Schools budget, which was projected to increase to $1.081 billion after collective bargaining. Pressley said budget lacks funding for health and counseling programs, while Jackson has maintained it fundamentally undervalues schools most in need of funds and inadequately provides for necessary programs.
Education funding was once again a contentious point. Although the school department would see a 29 percent increase, school-by-school funding overall would drop by one percent – about $4.3 million – with some of the schools facing reductions of up to 21 percent of investment since the 2017 appropriations. Other schools will see increases of up to 22 percent, according to BPS data.
Although she ultimately voted for the budget, District 4 City Councillor Andrea Campbell said at the hearing that “there isn’t a larger plan to fix the system as a whole.” She voted to secure fixes that would boost levels 3, 4, and 5 schools, many in her districts, but makes no guarantee going forward.
“Frankly, we need to hold them more accountable,” she said, noting low cost savings on the department’s almost $120 million transportation budget. “If we’re going to be giving the school department more money, and they can’t meet certain benchmarks and promises made to this body, they shouldn’t get the money.”
With a $1 million increase in the Vision Zero capital program, the city plans to launch five Neighborhood Slow Streets projects in FY18, add 7.75 additional miles of separated bike lanes through 11 projects under way in the capital plan, increase Boston’s bike racks by almost 10 percent, and improve Vision Zero outreach and implementation capacity.
Renovations to neighborhood ball fields, as well as single-digit millions allocated to parks across the city, are meant to keep green spaces in playable and safe condition. Among the local projects are about $3 million for McConnell Park in Savin Hill and $5 million for the Garvey playground.
The Office of Housing Stability’s programming will be expanded to offer training for landlords and tenants, develop a tenant orientation guide, and fund families in need of emergency placement.
“This budget invests in our broadest vision of the future and in the details that support quality of life everyday,” said Mayor Walsh in a statement. “Behind each line in the budget is a person and a neighborhood benefiting from these city services. It reflects the voices and the values of the people of Boston, and it is one that we can be proud of as a city.”
The full city budget is available online at boston.gov/budget.
