~ OP-ED ~ We Are Revere’s Teachers. And Our Students Deserve Better.

Educators in Revere want to set the record straight on the devastating 66 cuts happening in the Revere Public Schools. Every single one of these cuts will eliminate student-facing positions, harming our most vulnerable students, especially our special education students. Families, students, caregivers, and educators have been excluded from shaping the priorities of the Revere School Committee’s budget. Yet educators, families, and students will be forced to live with the consequences of rushed decision-making and the failure to hear from key stakeholders.

At the May 19th School Committee meeting, the Committee voted to adopt the budget presented by the Budget Committee with almost no discussion. Councilor Monterroso mischaracterized the cuts as being “less than 25 layoffs.” All 66 educator cuts represent unfilled positions, talented young educators being non-renewed, and student supports being slashed from our schools. Students do not experience cuts as line items; they experience them as trustworthy, caring educators being ripped away from their classrooms.

Equally concerning was the way these decisions were made. Educators were excluded from the conversation that will shape the daily reality of our classrooms. Public decisions were made at 9 a.m., when students are in school and families and educators are at work. Materials were not provided in a transparent and accessible way. Members of the public were not invited to speak, ask questions, or meaningfully participate in the discussion.

If educators had been involved, we would have begged to maintain special education staffing levels. If educators had been involved, we would have demanded that services be protected for the most vulnerable students. If educators had been involved, we would have asked to address classroom overcrowding.

Educators were not involved in shaping this budget.

The FY26 budget does not reflect the priorities of teachers, families, or students. This budget represents Superintendent Kelly, the School Committee, and Mayor Keefe’s desire to cut corners, cut supports, and cut opportunities for our students. This budget represents the Revere Public Schools taking a huge step backward and continuing to fall behind neighboring communities that are making hard decisions without cutting student-facing positions or positions that support our most vulnerable students.

We are educators. We understand tight budgets, enrollment shifts, and the broader failures of state funding. We are not asking for the impossible. We are saying that if we had been part of this process, we could have provided critical input on the devastating impact these choices will have on students and services.

Instead of cutting tens of thousands of dollars from public relations management, the School Committee has decided to cut Adaptive Physical Education for our youngest students. For many students with intellectual and cognitive disabilities, this is their only opportunity to access structured physical education outside of the classroom during the school day.

This is just one example of the harm our students will face because of this budget.

The School Committee must do better. Budget decisions of this magnitude require accessible public meetings, transparent materials, and genuine engagement with educators and families before proposals are finalized, not after.

School Committee — We need you to reconsider and amend this budget at the June 16th School Committee meeting.

City Council — We need you to uphold your fiduciary responsibility and ensure transparency by publicly reviewing the RPS budget and the impact of all 66 educator cuts.

Mayor Keefe — We need you to send a final RPS budget to the City Council that fully funds our schools instead of prioritizing stabilization and reserve funds over student-facing positions and services.

— The Revere Teachers Association

  (The Revere Teachers Association is a professional organization of teachers, adjustment counselors, guidance counselors, librarians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and speech therapists in the Revere Public School district of Revere, Massachusetts. It is composed of over 750 members working in the district’s 11 schools.)