Like the Celtics, Gateway City legislators are working to finish strong

The Gateway Cities Journal

As the Celtics quietly steeled themselves for the final stage of the banner 18 quest, legislative activity on Beacon Hill reached a crescendo this week. The budget process moved to conference committee, the housing bond bill got its first floor votes, and the joint committee on economic development reported out a redraft of the Governor’s economic development

Musings on the House budget, the SOA, families, and the state’s long-term fiscal health

The Gateway Cities Journal

Baseball at Fenway, runners arriving for the Marathon, with these sure signals that Beacon Hill is moving into full budgeting mode, out came the eagerly anticipated FY 2025 budget from the House Ways and Means committee last Wednesday. The bill gives us a first glimpse at how the legislature will respond to the state’s declining

Who Will Rescue the Student Opportunity Act?

The Gateway Cities Journal

The problem in a nutshell: The Legislature hasn’t provided certainty that the state will make good on its promise to deliver the funds in equal increments over the law’s seven-year phase-in period. Lacking confidence that they will see these scheduled increases in Chapter 70 aid, school districts have been hesitant to develop plans to deploy the new funds strategically.

5 ideas for generating better school district improvement plans

The Gateway Cities Journal

Gateway City educators returned to school following the winter break pinching themselves. Just before the holidays, Gov. Baker signed the Student Opportunity Act (SOA), a landmark bill that promises to deliver $1.4 billion annually in new state aid. Districts now have until April 1 to file spending plans with the state detailing how they will

With education bill-signing, cheers and challenges

State now must maintain funding and ensure it’s well spent

AFTER YEARS OF false starts and Beacon Hill standoffs on a growing funding crisis that has seen school districts shed hundreds of teachers and pare back vital curriculum offerings to balance budgets, Gov. Charlie Baker signed landmark legislation on Tuesday committing the state to $1.5 billion in new aid to Massachusetts schools.  There was a

Cultivating allies in the business community with Early College expansion

The Gateway Cities Journal

Massachusetts’ state Senators gather under the golden dome for a historic floor debate on education funding today. The $1.5 billion Student Opportunity Act is a game-changer for Gateway City school districts, and a Massachusetts economy thirsting for skilled workers to replace aging Boomers. Today’s Globe records this moment as a debate about who gets what.

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