Somerville Mayor And City Council At Odds Over School Budget

SOMERVILLE, MA — Mayor Katjana Ballantyne has voiced her disagreement with the city council over the potential adoption of a new law that would enable the council to increase the school district budget.

Chapter 329 of the Acts of 1987 gives the city council permission to unilaterally increase the school’s component of the city’s capital budget by a two-thirds vote. Ward Seven Councilor Judy Pineda Neufeld first brought the potential adoption of the act to her peers during a meeting on Thursday, May 8.

Ballantyne wrote a letter addressed to the council this week expressing her opposition to the act.

“The intent of this legislation is to elevate one city function, albeit a vital function, above all others. In practice, this legislation will lead to inefficiencies, instability, and inevitable cuts to other critical city services and programs,” Ballantyne wrote. “The ability to prudently plan, respond nimbly in a crisis, and formulate a reasonable budget that keeps the city together as a whole will be eroded.”

Ballantyne also argued that she has invested more in the school district than ever before during her tenure as mayor, and therefore adopting the act is not necessary.

Councilor-At-Large and mayoral candidate Willie Burnley Jr. expressed his intention to vote in favor of the law, and expressed that the 5% increase Ballantyne has proposed for Fiscal Year 2026 is not sufficient.