FYI from BSF, 04.28.23
A MassInc poll released this week shows, among other things, a clear consensus that Boston Public School parents - particularly parents of color - are concerned about school safety and want police presence back in schools.
What perhaps is most startling about this result is how quickly sentiment may have changed on this topic. Different sample and methodology, but just twenty months ago poll respondents were split pretty evenly on this topic.
One can speculate about the impact of high-profile incidents of violence or general post-pandemic behavioral concerns, but the city is considering police presence in schools again. A City Council hearing has been scheduled.
The upshot? That is up for debate. Recent history teaches that public sentiment does not always reflect nor translate neatly into educational policy.
In 2021, Boston voters overwhelmingly passed a non-binding referendum to move back to an elected school committee; multiple City Councilors and Mayor Wu opposed this measure and did not move forward. Also in 2021, the majority of polled Boston voters supported the use of tests for exam school admissions; standardized tests were not used for exam school admissions in 2021.
Boston voters chose by ~2:1 margin to not lift the charter school cap in Boston in 2016; since then, charter school demand and enrollment has increased by more than 1,000 in Boston.
An overwhelming majority of Massachusetts families believe that their schools have enough resources; towns and cities across the Commonwealth are tightening their belts in anticipation of an upcoming fiscal cliff.
Polling indicates many Massachusetts residents’ openness to teacher strikes for higher wages; the average teacher salary in Massachusetts in 2021 was ~$87,000, and, even when adjusting for cost of living, that is the highest of any state in the country.
This is not to make the point that the public and parents are “right” and policymakers are “wrong,” or vice versa. It is more a reminder that different stakeholders - students, families, educators, system leaders, advocates, voters - bring different perspectives and interests to the table, and finding consensus and forging good policy can be hard.
But it’s bad policy - and probably bad politics - to not listen to all of them.
NOTES IN THE MARgin
Short agenda, but busy week for Boston School Committee. Public comments addressed potential school mergers, and Superintendent Skipper announced Ernst & Young was rehired to audit exam school admissions. The district also presented its most comprehensive approach yet on "rightsizing" the district.
If you want a deeper dive on the economics at play here, go back to our explanation in 2021.
There was a big update on a proposed project Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools: a public-private partnership to renovate White Stadium.
Current Gen Z Bostonians may not be able to afford to become Boston parents.
The Board of Elementary of Secondary Education (BESE) also met this week. Full materials here. There was discussion of easing some teacher certification requirements to address staffing shortages. The Lawrence receivership was reviewed. And, starting in 2024, you will still be able to take the Orange Line to watch a BESE meeting, but you will have to get off at Wellington and walk a bit (the offices are moving to Everett).
The MCAS should be reformed, not scrapped, asserts a new coalition (disclosure: we are members).
Some updates on postsecondary options. A new bill would require all Massachusetts high school graduates to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), regardless of college plans. Transferring community college credits for four-year universities is not a smooth process. Governor Healey expanded innovation pathways at 27 more high schools across Massachusetts.
The new, empty Governor's portrait was three high school students' idea.
Lowell is attempting to address a common dynamic in urban districts: teachers who are mostly white, and students who are mostly not.
Joining cities such as New York, Philadelphia is considering creating an independent school building authority.
The rise of the “science of reading” got the full Sunday Times treatment.
With more and more school districts suing social media companies for negative impacts on students, there is now a bipartisan Senate bill to limit social media activities for users under the age of 17.
Other Matters
The McKinley schools will have a new name - for Mel King - and new renovations.
