FYI from BSF, 03.12.21

Things look a little different this week…

The first Friday email I sent three or so years ago went to a handful of people on a bcc. It was something we just did ourselves here at BSF, trying to make sense of all of the stories, research, and data in education in Boston. And it sort of grew.

I am surprised as anyone that we now have hundreds of people receiving this email every week, reading it, and emailing me back about it. 

The only downside is that cutting and pasting contacts and email addresses became a part-time job.

So, after a few rounds with some longtime readers (thanks!), we have moved the newsletter over to an email management platform. The small cost of adjusting your spam filter and how you scroll means we can more easily share this newsletter with you and even more people each week. 

Even if it looks a little different, I hope you will easily find the same information, analysis, and spirit so many of you look for on Friday mornings from us.

BPS Budget Series, Part III

With another hearing on Tuesday, Boston Public Schools is continuing to move along in its budget process.

And so are we.

For anyone who missed it or didn’t have time, below is the Cliffs Notes version of our third release in our budget series. For those who want extra credit, you can download the deck or take 9 more minutes to read our Medium post.

It is a technical story, but we’ll distill it down to three plot points.

Enrollment Decline is Real

This is not news. We have written about it. Others have written about it. BPS has reported it. But it is a whole other thing to see in the context of this budget.

5,000 students is roughly the equivalent of two Massachusetts school districts.

Less Students, Less Money

Since 2017, though, BPS has increased its teaching force by 13.5%.

The result: many schools have more staff and have less students.

That may be great for individual attention and workload, but the BPS budget is not built to support this. Following a complicated weighted-student formula, BPS budgeting follows a really simple rule:

Less kids means less money. That trickles all the way down not to just to the school level, but the actual classroom. A simplified comparison of a fully enrolled vs. not fully enrolled:

And the consequences.

Soft Landings

But, BPS doesn’t want to cut programs this year (we agree). So, “soft landings” are additional funds deployed to smooth out inevitable enrollment fluctuations that happen in a big urban system. Makes sense. 

This issue is that this year the enrollment dip is so diffuse the vast majority of schools need a soft landing. 

This is a significant increase from years past. And, most importantly, the $33M needed to fill the cost of empty seats eats almost the entire BPS budget increase this year ($36M).

Soft landings were an exception that became a rule. Can that last?

With additional state funds and the passage of the American Rescue Plan this week, BPS is on track to receive nearly a half a billion dollars in new revenue over the next three years.

Half a billion dollars.

What will that money be spent on? 

Big investments to help children, families, and educators recover and thrive? 

Or will we be pushing boulders back up the other side of the cliff?

Reopening in boston, ma and beyond

Increased in-person learning continues in BPS, with more grades adding on next week. BPS and the city have quickly stood up their own vaccination clinic and systems for educators.

BPS is currently hybrid, but will this continue?

Following the official vote last Friday to mandate, waivers aside, a return to full in-person elementary school learning by April 5th, the state has also required reopening for middle schools by April 28th.

The state is pulling together educator specific vaccination days, but the raw numbers imply that CVS and local clinics are going to need to be quite busy, too. Requests to set aside additional vaccines for teachers got a chilly response from the Baker administration, with disagreement from teachers unions. Should firefighters be involved? Bus drivers want to be included, too.

At an event this week hosted virtually by Tufts, Dr Fauci weighed in by describing the state’s school approach as “realistic,” and previewed a potential timeline for child vaccination. National data now supports MA data that there is no safety distinction between 3 and 6 feet (assuming protocols are in place).

Challenges remain for teachers, and for high school students, many of whom in Boston have struggled with attendance without a remote/hub option. The next few weeks will be pretty telling around families’ hopes and fears. Have attitudes shifted? We may have a better idea next Wednesday when MassINC releases another round of family polling data (RSVP here).

With MCAS now postponed, there continues to be a local and nationaldebate about administering common assessments this year.

Education 2021

Will education be a major issue in this year’s election? Not one, but twoBoston political veterans think so.

Other matters

With public resignations and accusations of “cult-like” behavior, what exactly is going on in student government in BPS? An impending investigation could have real consequences.

With all the turmoil in K-12, higher ed is quietly gearing up for in-person return, although not before more institutions may fold.

New York City’s gifted and talented programs are now being challenged. Arguments on the lawsuit on Boston’s exam school admission policy for this year start next week.