English learner services and spending in Boston Public Schools

At a glance

What: Docket No. 0276, an order for a hearing on transparency and accountability in service provision and spending for English learners (multilingual learners) in Boston Public Schools (BPS), including those with disabilities. Sponsored by Councilor Mejia (committee chair), Councilor Culpepper and Councilor Santana; referred to the committee February 4, 2026.
Where it stands: Second hearing held October 13, 2026 (about 3 hours 15 minutes); the first was March 10, 2026. No vote; the docket stays in committee. After the first hearing the Council passed a resolution (Docket No. 1147) supporting a comprehensive plan for multilingual learners.
What's next: Mejia said BPS and the Multilingual Learner Alliance will meet regularly and she will hold a quarterly check-in hearing. BPS is finalizing a five-year multilingual strategic plan and is in early FY28 budget forecasting (school budgets go out in December; Council budget review is in April).

About 17,000 BPS students (roughly a third) are English learners, and the Alliance and councilors cited low results: Murphy said under 20% read on grade level in grade 3 and 8% in grade 10; John Mudd said about 4% meet state English standards in grades 3 to 8 (as captioned) and the dropout rate is 6.5% against 3.6% districtwide.
Councilor Flynn said BPS has not publicly articulated a district-wide plan for native-language access and that families wait years for special education evaluations.
English learner enrollment is falling (about 2,200 fewer students over two years, per Councilor Louijeune).

Instruction model: about 10% of English learners get bilingual instruction and about 80 to 90% are in general classrooms with English as a second language; advocates say the research favors home-language instruction (Roseanne Tung, Mudd).
The end of BPS's cohort classes (the practice called BSI in the captions, for which the state cited the district) left beginning English learners in general classrooms without materials or home-language support (Katie De La Rosa).
Special education: long waits for evaluations and IEPs for English learners with disabilities, and a shortage of native-language evaluators; Murphy set out the federal timelines and said multi-year waits are unacceptable.
Access: bilingual seats are limited, programs add one grade per year, and families outside a program's neighborhood worry about getting in (Louijeune). Exam schools enroll a smaller share of English learners than the district.
Accountability: no disaggregated public reporting; councilors and advocates asked for annual data by school, program, home language, grade and proficiency level. Flynn called cutting paraprofessionals a mistake.
Process: Mejia said she was concerned that the advocates who know the history best are not at the table when BPS plans.

Simon Wright (Deputy Superintendent of Academics) said dual language and bilingual programs grew from 8 to 14 and enrollment from about 1,900 to 2,337 students since about 2021; the district is phasing out the cohort practice and keeps state-approved sheltered English immersion as an option; asked whether the district is meeting needs, he said it is working to.
Brittany Baggett and colleagues described new programs (Cape Verdean Creole at the Frederick, Blackstone Elementary dual language), program-based school funding for the first time, an added paraprofessional in first and second grade bilingual classrooms, and educator pipelines (a state grant proposal for about 40 educators, a Boston College partnership, and an accelerated teacher program of 20 to 25 a year; about 80 in total this year per BPS).
BPS offered to share disaggregated data, floated a quarterly dashboard, did not give a total cost to meet the vision, and said new dual language seats help later grades first.

A long-term plan with year-by-year measurable goals for bilingual programs, endorsed educators and licensed bilingual paraprofessionals (Alliance).
Citywide access to dual language programs and parent education on the value of the home language.
Regular BPS-Alliance working sessions with a quarterly Council check-in hearing (Mejia); a stand-alone plan for English learners with disabilities (Flynn, Mudd).

About 176 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-13 - Education Committee	176

2026-10-13 - 2026-10-13 - Education Committee - Second hearing on Docket No. 0276: councilor openings, BPS deputy superintendent and administration panels, a Multilingual Learner Alliance panel, four parent testimonies; no vote, docket kept in committee, regular meetings and a quarterly hearing planned.