Boston Public Schools facing $50 million budget gap
The superintendent says no schools will close in the coming year despite the deficit.
Boston Public Schools is facing a budget deficit of up to $50 million in the coming year due to rising expenses and a decline in state and federal aid.
Despite the gap, Superintendent Tommy Chang promised in a letter on Tuesday that no schools would close in the 2016-17 school year.
“Closing schools must be a deliberate process based on equity of access and student needs,’’ he said in the letter. “Our current work with the Facilities Master Plan is collecting data and information that will critically inform smart long-term decisions for Boston. We do not want to move forward with any dramatic changes absent that input, which includes the deep engagement of our community in the coming year.’’
Chang said $20 million will be cut from the central office budget and the district will save another $10 to $12 million by adjusting the per-student funding formula, which will affect the budgets of individual schools.
Charter school reimbursements are a main cause of the budget gap, according to school officials. State law mandates that the district pay tuition to charter schools that enroll Boston Public School students. The state is then supposed to reimburse the district for those costs, but has fallen short. This year’s reimbursements covered less than half the cost, leaving the district with a deficit of $18.6 million.
The district expects to receive a $1.027 billion budget for the next school year, which is a $13.5 million increase over this year’s budget.
The Boston School Committee will hold public budget discussions February 3, and the School Committee is scheduled to vote on the new budget March 23.
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