Ads blasting Boston Public Schools with the slogan “BPS IS FAILING HER” went up on MBTA trains on September 30 and were gone within two days, pulled by the T after it said they violated advertising policy. The removal has set off a finger-pointing match between the nonprofit behind the $1.5 million campaign, Mayor Michelle Wu's office, the MBTA, and at least one Boston city councilor who says the mayor had a hand in taking them down.
A Fast Launch, A Faster Takedown
The campaign, organized by the nonprofit Next Chapter Boston, placed posters on MBTA subway cars criticizing the school district's academic performance, according to the Boston Globe. The ads featured an image of a child's eyes with the words “BPS IS FAILING HER” and cited state data on Boston third-graders performing below grade level in math and reading. The MBTA removed the ads Thursday, saying in a statement reported by the Globe that they had been posted by an advertising contractor without the required MBTA review for compliance with advertising guidelines and violated the agency's viewpoint-neutral advertising restrictions.
Mary Tamer, who convenes Next Chapter Boston and serves as executive director of the group MassPotential, disputed that account. She told the Globe the T had granted approval for the ads weeks earlier, and in a separate conversation with WCVB, she said the ads had been approved about a month before launch by the agency's advertising contractor, Outfront. The MBTA, for its part, said it had contacted that contractor about the compliance issue and removed the posters to ensure the campaign met its guidelines, which the agency says generally bar political advertisements, issue advocacy, or endorsements.
City Hall Denies Involvement, Councilor Pushes Back
Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn accused Mayor Wu of directing the MBTA to take the ads down, according to the seed reporting that first identified his comments. A spokesperson for Wu's office denied any such involvement, telling the Globe that “neither the city nor BPS has had any communication with the MBTA” about placing or removing the posters. The Boston Teachers Union and Boston Public Schools likewise said they did not lodge a complaint about the ads or have any role in their removal, per the same WCVB report.
Flynn said Boston has a school system that isn't working for the majority of students and BPS families, framing the ad fight as a distraction from deeper problems. Mayor Wu's office, in its response, called the ad campaign political and misleading, and argued that campaign funds would be better invested directly in educational opportunities and resources. The mayor's office also said state data shows progress in student achievement, attendance, graduation rates, and advanced coursework.
Dueling Numbers On Student Performance
The ad campaign claimed that 70% of third graders in Boston Public Schools cannot read or do math at grade level, a figure organizers tied to MCAS results. The underlying test data itself is contested: the Globe reported that 29 percent of Boston students in grades 3 to 8 met or exceeded expectations in English and math, while WCVB reported the campaign cited 2026 MCAS results showing 30% of Boston third graders met or exceeded expectations in those same subjects. Either figure places Boston behind the statewide average of about 40%, according to the Globe.
Those numbers track a broader statewide slide. Statewide MCAS results released in September showed 40% of Massachusetts students in grades three through eight met or exceeded English language arts standards in 2026, down two percentage points from 2025, while 41% met the math standard, unchanged year over year, according to WBUR. Both marks remain well below 2019 pre-pandemic levels, when 52% of students met the English benchmark and 49% met the math benchmark. Among 10th graders, WBUR reported English proficiency fell to 45% in 2026 from 51% the year before, with math dipping to 44% from 45%. Fourteen districts statewide managed to return to or exceed pre-pandemic performance in both subjects this year, the outlet noted.
BPS Defends Its Record Amid The Fallout
A BPS statement said the district remains focused on improving education and preparing students for success beyond the classroom.
Tamer said she found the MBTA's removal of the ads surprising and said few children are thriving in Boston Public Schools.
Tamer named local philanthropists Rick Burnes and Michael Champa as contributors to the $1.5 million campaign. The MBTA has said its viewpoint-neutral advertising restrictions exclude political ads, issue advocacy and endorsements.
