Ways and Means on October 6, 2026

The Boston City Council Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on October 6, 2026, on dockets 1829–1838 covering five Boston Public Schools collective bargaining agreements. City budget and BPS officials requested transferring approximately $517,000 from the FY27 collective bargaining reserve to the BPS budget to fund the agreements’ FY27 costs. The represented groups include school police patrol officers and superior officers, planning and engineering professionals, plant administrators, and storekeepers and delivery workers. Officials described wage increases that generally include 2% base-wage increases and flat-dollar additions, with terms varying by agreement. The FY27 city budget included a $22 million collective bargaining reserve; officials also noted that two earlier agreements approved this fiscal year totaled $3.3 million.

No vote was taken at the hearing. The budget director asked the committee to report the dockets for approval at the next City Council meeting. Councilors asked about staffing and the effect of the Office of the Inspector General’s findings on BPS contracting and financial controls; officials said the district was still reviewing the findings and formulating its response. A public commenter criticized the lack of detail on how the findings would affect these and future agreements.