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“Young people have made it clear: paid career opportunities during the school year are vital. These roles allow them to support their families while exploring their identities and future career paths,” a City official said.
Mayor Michelle Wu, left, with Boston’s chief financial officer Ashley Groffenberger David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe
Mayor Michelle Wu said she’s secured jobs for nearly 500 Boston high school students for the upcoming school year via private partnerships and hopes to find 1,500 more, as a city-funded afterschool job programs is on the chopping block in her 2027 budget plan.
“I’m grateful to the organizations that have already stepped up and invested in creating sustainable pathways for our students and our workforce,” Wu said in a press release Monday.
A coalition of private organizations has already agreed to employ 475 students part-time during the next school year, Wu’s office announced. The city aims to have a total of 2000 students hired for part-time, afterschool jobs as part of the City’s “learn-to-earn” program, Wu’s office said.
The City will administer the program but will no longer fund the positions; companies and nonprofits that are a part of the coalitions will have to fund the teenagers themselves, The Boston Globe reported.
The altered program was announced days before the City Council is scheduled to vote on Wu’s $4.9 billion budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal year.
The new budget would hack more than $5 million in public funding for the city’s youth employment program, which currently funds summer and school-year jobs for Boston teens. This would “effectively kill” the city’s current iteration of the afterschool jobs initiative, the Globe reported.
The City of Boston did not reply to a request for comment Tuesday evening regarding the mayor’s proposal to decrease funding for the afterschool job program.
During the 2025-2026 school year, 1,722 students participated in the City’s school-year jobs program, Wu’s office said.
“Young people have made it clear: paid career opportunities during the school year are vital. These roles allow them to support their families while exploring their identities and future career paths,” said Allison Vernerey, Executive Director of the Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity.
The YMCA of Greater Boston, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, and Artists for Humanity have pledged to hire 200, 100, and 175 Boston teens through the program this upcoming school year, respectively, the city said.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston also plans to continue hiring BPS students during the summer and school year. The Boston Private Industry Council and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation have pledged to help organize and support local businesses in hiring Boston teens, Wu’s office said.
Boston businesses, community groups, colleges, and funders are encouraged to join the coalition, Wu’s office said.
“Organizations can get involved by funding career-connected positions through the Boston Private Industry Council, directly hiring high schoolers into part-time roles, or strengthening the ecosystem by leading job-readiness workshops, hosting employer site visits, launching a job shadow program, sponsoring a school vacation week bootcamp, or co-training students on certifications,” the mayor’s office said.
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