Boston mayor won't change free museum program for students, despite some city councilor objections
BOSTON - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says she won't be making any changes to her program that gives Boston Public Schools students free admission to cultural sites around the city.
Wu went to the Boston Children's Museum Sunday afternoon to celebrate BPS Sundays, which she announced in her State of the City address back in January.
What is BPS Sundays?
On the first two Sundays of the month, Boston Public School students and three family members can visit the Children's Museum, the New England Aquarium, Franklin Park Zoo, Museum of Science, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Institute of Contemporary Arts for free.
But some city councilors argue it should be renamed "Sundays for all," to also include the more than 23,000 students who attend charter, parochial, or METCO schools.
"All city kids and families should have access to these exceptional museums and cultural institutions. Let's work together!" City Councilor Ed Flynn tweeted Sunday.
BPS Sundays negotiations over
"This was a very carefully negotiated opportunity over the course of an entire year of conversations and negotiations," Mayor Wu told reporters Sunday. "We're not going to reopen those negotiations in the middle of the agreed upon pilot."
Wu added the point of the pilot program is to examine the exact impact on the finances of the six institutions during different seasons, in hopes of making the program permanent. Right now more than 45,000 Boston Public Schools students can participate.
"We're looking to very, very carefully learn about this program, see exactly the impacts on the finances of these institutions, on the community members and families, so that we can have the best idea about how to turn this into something permanent at the end of the pilot period," Wu said.
For now, the Children's Museum says it's an invaluable learning opportunity.
"Every single museum exhibit is geared towards developing children's skills. They don't know it because they're just having so much fun," said museum president Carol Chardo.