Council reschedules free museum hearing

Two Boston city councilors critical of a mayoral program that limited free museum access to public school kids, chose not to proceed with their long-awaited hearing on the matter after their preferred Wu administration invitees didn’t attend.

Councilors Erin Murphy, the lead sponsor, and Ed Flynn, opted to reschedule a Monday morning hearing “to discuss the extension of free museum passes exclusively for Boston Public Schools families” after the virtual Education committee session began, upon finding out about the administration absences.

Given that Mayor Michelle Wu has already announced her plans to expand the program to all city schoolchildren next year — which is what Murphy and Flynn had been advocating for — the hearing, per a statement from Murphy, was set to shift to being centered around how the program will be funded moving forward.

“This expansion represents a significant step toward inclusivity and equity for our city’s diverse families,” Murphy said in a statement. “While I appreciate the mayor’s commitment to expanding the program starting in January 2025, I want to stress the importance of a robust fiscal plan to support this initiative.”

“To ensure that this expansion is both feasible and sustainable, I have invited Ashley Groffenberger, chief financial officer for the City of Boston; James Williamson, director of the Office of Budget Management; and Stephen Chan, senior advisor of partnerships, to join us at the hearing. They will address key financial questions and help us understand the path forward.”

After Councilor Henry Santana, who chairs the Education Committee, noted that the committee also invited Kara Elliot-Ortega, the city’s chief of arts and culture, and representatives from the Boston Children’s Museum, Flynn questioned whether Murphy’s invited administration officials, Groffenberger and Williamson, were on the call.

Informed that they weren’t by Santana, Flynn asked for a brief recess to give them time to join, and Murphy hit on what she sees as the Wu administration’s tendency to bail on hearings she’s invited them to testify at regarding issues that pertain to the Boston Public Schools.

“It’s a pattern that continues to happen,” Murphy said. “I appreciate the Children’s Museum for being here … but I do think it’s important that we take a break and make sure that the administration who can answer the important questions we have are here for this hearing, or I ask that we end and reschedule.”

After a recess, Santana confirmed that the two financial chiefs weren’t able to attend the hearing, and said that the hearing would be rescheduled for a later date to accommodate the lead sponsors’ request to have the “upper personnel” attend.

No reason was given for their absence, although it was stated at a City Hall press conference where Groffenberger was also set to appear later in the day that she could not take part in that press conference because she was tied up in meetings.

“Chief Kara Elliot-Ortega was prepared to discuss financial supports for the program at the canceled hearing,” a Wu spokesperson said in a statement.

At the outset of the hearing, councilors had pitched questions around how the program would be financed moving forward, and how it would tie into the cultural institutions’ requested payments — either cash or community benefits credits —for the city’s PILOT, or payment in lieu of taxes, program.

Mayor Michelle Wu said after an unrelated event Monday that the program, which her office said has cost $944,000 since its launch last February, will continue to be funded through a mix of city, philanthropic and corporate funds, in addition to in-kind or direct contributions from the six participating institutions.

Her office declined to provide an annual estimate on how much the program would cost moving forward, saying, “We will have more details on the further expansion in the coming weeks.”

A Wu spokesperson added, “BPS Sundays involves many leading cultural institutions, and the city and institutions are discussing how it might be reflected in future PILOT reports.”