FYI from BSF, 02.17.23
With whom do you trust your children?
Simple question, with a surprising range of recent answers.
At the national level, polling this week reflects the political polarization we have become accustomed to seeing.
Source: Boston Public School Budget Development Pages, All Funds (here, and for following analyses and graphs)
On the topic of curriculum (which has become a flashpoint), self-identified Democrats and Republicans disagree sharply on the role of families and teachers, with a lot of room in the middle.
In Boston, a different choice is being offered: trust the Mayor (and her appointed committee) or an elected school committee? With a non-binding referendum vote in 2021, Boston voters chose the latter. However, this requires state approval (good, short history here), requiring a home rule petition approved by the City Council and the Mayor, and then approved by the Massachusetts House and Senate, and then signed by Governor Healey. In other words:
With a narrow 7-5 vote on Wednesday, the City Council approved a home rule petition to return to an elected school committee with 13 members (and a separate petition to allow students to vote). Councilors supportive of the home rule petition referenced calls for representation and racial equity (as opined here). Councilors supportive of mayoral control or a hybrid committee argued the Mayor, and Superintendent Skipper, deserved trust in the context of pandemic recovery, transitions, state oversight, etc.
The next stop, Mayor Wu's desk, is likely the last stop. Subtly, Mayor Wu did not include elected school committee in her state legislative priorities. Not so subtly, Mayor Wu basically said she wouldn’t sign it (a point even made during the City Council debate, 1:25:30).
This is the type of accountability the late Mayor Tom Menino welcomed. In the same year that Boston voters gave him authority over the schools, by a margin of 2 to 1, Mayor Menino addressed this issue at the State of the City. “If he failed [to improve schools] he told the audience, ‘then, judge me harshly.’”
27 years represents a lot of time and debate to end up right back to where we started.
With little change in families' trust or satisfaction.
Notes in the Margin
In case you missed it, a long form profile of Superintendent Mary Skipper.
On the Boston bus contract, the state warns: buyer beware. That topic, transformation schools, and grading policies were all discussed at Wednesday night's Boston School Committee Meeting. Materials here.
Henderson students expressed safety concerns directly to the Superintendent.
Citing the decline in the child population in the city, Saint Joseph’s in Brighton (9-12) is closing.
The modern equivalent of pulling the fire alarm - “swatting” - is far more disruptive and expensive, and was rampant in Massachusetts this week.
Is Topsfield the next testing ground for teacher strikes?
The Commonwealth's cities and towns are positioning for increases in local aid, partially to address education costs. They may need a lot more in the years to follow. From Dr. Marguerite Roza’s presentation, the graph below estimates the impact on state budgets when federal recovery funding ("ESSER") ends in September, 2024.
Yes, that reads "bloodletting."
Mixing metaphors, but think of federal stimulus funds in waves.
After the Great Recession 15 years ago, the federal stimulus package ("ARRA") presumed, correctly, state revenues would dry up quickly. Money would be needed through a "trough" of three or so years to maintain school budgets and educator jobs until state budgets rose and returned to pre-recession levels. That worked.
This is not the situation we find ourselves in now. The economic shock of the pandemic in 2020 did not result in state budget shortfalls; quite the opposite, as Massachusetts and many states generated and continue to carry surpluses. ESSER funds didn't fill a trough; it created an additional wave of funds to respond to pandemic. The crest is passing, with a trough to follow as the federal funds expire. With ~50% of ESSER funds having gone to staffing, many states and school districts could face budget deficits over night.
There is $196M (page 12) that will not be in the BPS budget in September, 2024. Among other things, those dollars pay for 433 staff members. The plan? See notes from last night's budget hearing.
UMass Amherst will have a new Chancellor.
Notwithstanding a Republican-controlled House and local budgetary and bargaining authority in America, there is a proposal to create a federally-mandated base educator salary.
Other Matters
Multilingual learning in Boston schools, including at one of our partner schools, Conservatory Lab.
