Council criticizes administration for not attending Blackstone hearing, schedules follow‑up

Committee Chair Erin Murphy and several councilors publicly criticized the absence of administration representatives from Boston Public Schools and Boston Centers for Youth and Families at the Sept. 24 hearing. Murphy said the administration had been invited and that their absence—scheduled conflicts aside—was disappointing to residents and advocates who travelled to testify.

Councilors committed to keep Docket 1335 in committee and to reschedule a follow‑up hearing with administration participation, likely in the community and in the evening to maximize public turnout. "We will keep this in committee and reschedule a hearing...we can have it either at the Blackstone School," Murphy said, and Flynn and others urged staff to pursue the capital budget implications ahead of the FY27 cycle.

The committee did not subpoena documents or take formal action at the hearing; its next procedural steps are to set a community meeting date, require administration attendance and request engineering and budget documentation for Blackstone.