BPS student walkout wins half-victory
High schools spared, other programs hit
Boston public school teens received a mixed victory last week as the mayor reversed plans to cut high school budgets, days after the students held a thousands-strong walkout protest. BPS high schools were expected to face a $6 million funding shortfall, with teachers, classes, extracurriculars and, in some cases, entire programs on the chopping block.
Citing pushback from parents as well as students, Mayor Martin Walsh declared last Thursday that he will realign the budget to protect high schools. That moves the funding gap to new education initiatives — delaying or halting implementation — and takes funding from other lines in the district-wide budget.
“For the young people that expressed their concerns the other day, this addresses their concerns,” Walsh told the Boston Globe.
The move is both a testimony to the power of student action and a sign that BPS’s problems are not solved, said Saheed Adebayo, a junior at the Jeremiah Burke school.
“We sort of, kinda, got we wanted, but we also didn’t fully secure what we were going for,” Adebayo said. “It’s great [the budget gap] is not going to affect high schools, but other schools— middle schools, elementary schools — need to be prepared for entering high school.”
Many students the Burke were satisfied with the mayor’s response, he said.
“I feel everyone at school is good now. We mainly wanted our teachers to be safe and stay with us along the way, and for other people to have the opportunity to work with them also.”
Youth walk-out
The protest began when three Snowden International High School students posted a letter on social media at the end of February. The letter urged other students to join them in a walkout to protest budget cuts, which, the letter said, could impact their ability to get into their choice of college as well as strip extracurricular and certain classes from their schools.
According to the school department, 3,650 high schoolers heeded the call on Monday March 7. For some, such as Adebayo and Jade Williams, a sophomore at the Burke, this meant sneaking out of school and avoiding school police who guarded the doors to prevent people leaving. Many students got in trouble, Williams said, resulting in calls home and being marked absent. Two students whom she knew were caught leaving by the principal and suspended.
While Adebayo was not satisfied with mayor’s budget response, he noted the event’s power.
“The walkout was a great idea and it was great for youth to step up and be active in the community,” he said. “Youth voice was very powerful.”
The evening of the walkout, parents, teachers, students and other activists contributed their own voices opposing the cuts at the BPS budget hearing at English High.
Williams said she was disappointed with Walsh’s comment that adults were behind the walkout and said she did not believe Walsh recognized youth’s voices.
Walsh reportedly suggested adults had organized the walkout and had spread misinformation to students.
“I’d love to see who’s behind the walkout,” he said, according to The Boston Globe. “Whoever’s behind it, I hope they start to feed the young students in our city with accurate information and not misguided information.”
“[Walsh] doesn’t seem to be getting the point, to be acknowledging us,” Williams said. “He doesn’t have faith in the youth.”
Shifting the shaft
To prevent cuts to high schools, the city instead will put on hold several initiatives intended to be implemented this year. Plans available on BPS’ website proposed $11 million allocated to items such as more rigorous coursework for fourth grade students through an “Excellence for All Pilot,” extended learning time, covering the loss of a summer learning grant, a transportation data system, increasing K1 seats, special education support teams, special education data system and other strategic priorities.
The special education support teams and data systems estimated to cost roughly $2 million, will go forward, Superintendent Tommy Chang said. He intends to see most of the preschool seat expansion — which would cost $4 million — go through as well, and said he expects more funding from the state, according to the Boston Herald.
Earlier this year, Rebekah Tierney, librarian at the Burke, signed paperwork stating her job would be cut for next year. As new budget details are emerging, the headmaster told Tierney it is likely that items slated for cuts will now be restored. Tierney has not yet received confirmation that she or the librarian position will be kept on next year.
Activism’s future unclear
A consistent argument from BPS activists is that the budget cuts reflect a decision not to fully fund the schools — not an inability to do so. Williams questioned a current proposal to install a Ferris wheel on City Hall Plaza while schools still struggle with budgets.
Now that high schools appear funded, it is unclear if the energy that drove the walkout will be harnessed again.
Williams said she saw the potential for further activism, while Adebayo was more doubtful.
“Some students are like, ‘That’s enough,’” Adebayo said. “To me personally, I don’t feel like that’s enough. I don’t know if students will really be moved to spur to action.”
