Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Boston City Council's Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing on October 6, 2026, at 10:03 AM to consider ten appropriation orders (dockets 1829–1838) totaling $517,000 to fund fiscal year 2027 salary increases for five Boston Public Schools (BPS) unions. The hearing featured testimony from City Budget Director Jim Williamson, BPS labor relations representative Jeremiah Hassan, Chief Operating Officer Brian Ford, and safety services director Izzy Morrero. Councilors expressed general support for the contracts, while Councilor Flynn raised concerns about an unsigned memorandum of understanding (MOU) between BPS and the Boston Police Department and called for greater transparency. Public testimony from the Boston Policy Institute questioned the city's fiscal outlook and the pace of reforms following a recent Inspector General report on BPS mismanagement.
The District Six City Councilor and the Chair of the Boston City Council on Ways and Means. Today's October sixth, two thousand twenty-six. The exact time is ten oh three AM. In accordance with chapter two of the acts of two thousand twenty-five, modifying certain requirements of the open meeting law and relieving public bodies of certain requirements, including the requirements that public bodies conduct their meetings in a public place that's open and physically accessible to the public.gov slash council dash. Oh, sorry, Boston.gov slash city dash council dash TV and broadcast on Xfinity Channel Eight, RCN Channel Eighty Two, and File Channel Nine Sixty Four.gov. It will be made a part of the record and available to all counselors. Public testimony will be taken at the end of this hearing. Individuals will be called on the order in which they signed up and will have two minutes to testify. If you wish to sign up for public testimony and have not done so, please email our central staff liaison, Kurishma Chon at K A R I S H M A.C. O U H A N at Boston.gov for the Zoom link and your name will be added to the list. The unions represent school police officers, superior officers, and superior officers, planning and engineering professionals, plan administrators, and school store keepers and delivery workers. The cities asked to move approximately $517,000 from the collective bargaining reserve so the district can cover the raises and salary increases agreed to in the contract for fiscal year 27. There's 10 dockets. I'll now read those into the record. Okay. Docket number 1829. Message in order to reduce the fiscal year 27 appropriation for the reserve for collective bargaining by 268,887 to provide funding for the Boston Public Schools for the fiscal year 27 increases contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the Boston School Committee and the Boston School Police Patrolman's Association. Docket number 1830, message in order for a supplemental appropriation order for the Boston Public Schools Department for fiscal year 27 in the amount of 286,887 to cover the fiscal year 27 cost items contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the Boston School Committee and the Boston School Police Patrolman's Association. The terms of the contract are September 1st, 2026 through August 31st, 2027. The major provisions of the contract include a base wage increase of 2% in October of 24, 25, and 26, and a flat dollar amount increase of $250, $900, and $800 to be added to annual salaries in January of 2025, 2026, and 2027, respectively. Docket number 1831. Message in order to reduce the fiscal year 27 appropriation for the reserve for collective bargaining by 111,802 to provide funding for the Boston public schools for the fiscal year 27 increases contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the Boston School Committee and the Boston School Police Superior Officers Federation. Docket number 1832, message and order for the supplemental appropriation for the Boston Public Schools Department for fiscal year 27 and the amount of 111,802 to cover the fiscal year 27 cost items contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the Boston School Committee and the Boston Public Boston School Police Superior Officers Federation. The terms in the contract are July 1st, 2024 through June 30th, 2027. The major provision of the contract include a base wage increase of 2% in October of 2024, 2025, and 2026, and a flat dollar amount increase of 250, $900, and $800 to be added to annual salaries of the January in January of 2025, 2026, and 2027, respectively. Docket number 1833, message in order to reduce the fiscal year 27 appropriation for the reserve for collective bargaining by 800, sorry, by 85,879 to provide funding for the Boston public schools for the fiscal year 27 increases contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the Boston School Committee and SCIU Local 888, Professional Employees Chapter, Department of Planning and Engineering. Docket number 1834, message in order for the supplemental appropriation order for the Boston Public Schools Department for fiscal year 27 in the amount of $85,879 to cover the FY27 cost items contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the Boston School Committee and SCIU Local 888, Professional Employees Chapter, Department of Planning and Engineering. The terms of the contract are September 1st, 2026 through October 31st, 2027. The major provision for that contract include a base wage increase of 2% in September of 26 and a flat dollar amount of $800 added to annual salaries in January of 2027. Docket number 1835 message in order to reduce the FY27 appropriation for the reserve for collective bargaining by $40,365 to provide funding for the Boston Public Schools for the FY27 increases contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the Boston School Committee and Boston School Department Plant Administrators Association. Docket number 1836 message and order for a supplemental appropriation order for the Boston Public Schools Department for FY27 and the amount of $40,365 to cover the FY27 cost items contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the Boston School Committee and the Boston School Department Plant Administrators Association. The terms of the contract are September 1st, 2026 through October 31st, 2027. The major provisions of the contract include a base wage increase of 2% in September of 2020 and a flat dollar amount of $800 to be added to annual salaries in January of 2027. Docket number 1837 message in order to reduce the FY27 appropriation for the reserve for collective bargaining by $10,320 to provide funding for the Boston Public Schools for the FY27 increases contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the Boston School Committee and AFL CIO, Council 39, Local 2814, Storekeepers and Stores Delivery Men Union. And finally, uh docket number 1838 message in order for a supplemental appropriation order for the Boston Public Schools Department for FY27 in the amount of $10,320 to cover the FY27 cost items contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the Boston School Committee and AFL CIO, Council 93, local 2814 store keepers and stores delivery men's union. The terms of the contract are September 1st, 2026 through August 31st, 2027. The major provisions of the contract include a base wage increase of 2% in September 2026 and a flat dollar amount of $800 to be added to annual salaries in January of 2027. These matters were sponsored by the Mayor Michelle Wu and referred to the committee on September 30th, 2026. We'll be discussing the contracts related to Plant Administrators Association Planning and Engineering and Storekeepers first. I don't know, that's what the script says. We've got uh budget director Jim Williamson, uh director for the Office of Labor Relations for Boston Public Schools, uh Jeremiah Jeremiah Hassan. Uh we've got uh Chief Executive Director for the Office of Safety Services for Boston Public Schools, uh Israel is role roll, sorry, Izzy uh Morero, um, and chief operating officer for the Boston Public Schools, Brian Ford. Uh uh Brian has a hard stop at 1130. So if people have questions for Brian, uh let you know, please uh ask those up front. And if you if you have a call on you and you still have you have questions for Brian before he leaves, let me know, and I can call my colleagues out of order. Um, let's see here. Uh so um I'm gonna pass this off to our panelists. Um you have the floor. I don't know, uh Director Williamson. I'll I'll start with you and you can pass out where you want.