September marks the beginning of my fifth year on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. I recommit myself to fighting for education equity for all children in the Commonwealth's public schools, so that each child is prepared for their future.

From: Intern, Press (GOV)
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2014 10:42 AM
Subject: GOVERNOR PATRICK APPOINTS THREE EDUCATION LEADERS TO BOARD OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Department
Office of Governor Deval L. Patrick
Press Release

GOVERNOR PATRICK APPOINTS THREE EDUCATION LEADERS TO BOARD OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

BOSTON – Tuesday, August 5, 2014 -- Governor Deval Patrick today announced that he has appointed three education leaders -- Margaret McKenna, Katherine Craven, and Mary Ann Stewart -- to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. McKenna has been named the new chairperson of the Board.

“I am very pleased to appoint three experienced education professionals to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education,” said Governor Patrick. “I know they will continue to be great partners in our efforts to close the achievement gap and ensure that all of our students are prepared for future success.”

“These appointments bring decades of professional and educational experience to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, ensuring a strong Board for our students,” said Secretary of Education Matthew Malone. “We have made great progress in closing the achievement gap, but I know these members will join the Board in their commitment to keep working towards this critical goal.”

Margaret McKenna served as President of Lesley University for 22 years, where, during her tenure, the University grew from 2,000 to more than 10,000 students and established itself as a national leader in teacher education. Following her leadership of Lesley, she went on to serve as President of the Walmart Foundation for four years, leading one of the nation’s biggest philanthropic foundations, supporting hunger relief, sustainability, women’s economic empowerment, and career opportunities. McKenna began her career as a civil rights attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice and later served as Deputy White House Counsel to President Jimmy Carter. She helped establish the United States Department of Education in the late 1970s, where she served as Deputy Undersecretary. In 1981, McKenna became Vice President of Radcliffe College, where she served until 1985 when she left to take over the helm of Lesley.  She serves as President Emeritus and Professor of Leadership at Lesley. McKenna has been appointed to numerous boards, including the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and has been the recipient of a number of awards and honors. She has been a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School and at the Aspen Institute’s Ascend Project. McKenna received her Bachelor of Arts at Emmanuel College and her Juris Doctorate at Southern Methodist University School of Law. Currently, McKenna serves as acting director and visiting professor of the Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy at the Heller School of Brandeis University. McKenna also serves on the Boston School Committee, a post from which she will step down prior to being sworn in as chair of the state Board. McKenna is a resident of Boston, and has two adult sons. Her appointment fills the vacancy left by Board chair Maura Banta, whose term expired in June 2014.

“Margaret McKenna is a proven and effective leader, with deep experience at the national, state, and local levels,” said Paul Guzzi, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. “Her considerable expertise in education and civil rights will be a tremendous benefit to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and its critical role of strengthening our schools and fostering the future talent of our region.”

“Given that this is such a critical time for the Commonwealth in its efforts to further improve the education system, I am excited that the Governor has tapped such a qualified leader for the Board,” said Jackie Jenkins-Scott, President of Wheelock College. “To envision the future, we need innovative, bold leaders who are strategic, collaborative thinkers like Margaret McKenna, who has the expertise, depth of knowledge and track record for leading change where needed.”

Katherine Craven currently serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of Babson College, one of the nation’s leading business colleges. Katherine began her career as a budget director and policy advisor to the Massachusetts House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means. Craven was named Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the newly created Massachusetts School Building Authority in 2004, where she won plaudits for her effective management and leadership. While leading the School Building Authority, Craven was also named First Deputy Treasurer of the Commonwealth.  Craven left the School Building Authority and the Treasurer’s Office in 2011 when she was appointed Executive Director of the UMass Building Authority and Assistant Vice President for Capital Finance for the University of Massachusetts. Craven received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Harvard University. She is a resident of Brookline, where she lives with her husband and four children. Her appointment fills the vacancy left by Board member Beverly Holmes, who stepped down from the Board last year. Craven will fill the business seat on the Board.

“Public service is a huge part of who Katherine Craven is - it is what drives her,’’ said University of Massachusetts President Robert L. Caret. “With her boundless energy, sharp intellect and creativity, I am convinced that her service on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will be as valuable as was her service at the UMass Building Authority.”

Mary Ann Stewart served as President of the Massachusetts PTA from 2010-2012. She has served on the PTA State Board since 2005. Since 2009, Stewart has served as an elected member of the Lexington School Committee, leading the Board as chair from 2011-2012. Stewart received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts for Music Education. Stewart currently serves as Director of Education and Programs for Children, Youth, and Families for the Parish of the Good Shepherd in Newton. Stewart is a resident of Lexington, Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband and three children. Her appointment fills the PTA vacancy left by Board member Ruth Kaplan, whose term expired in June 2014.

“I am confident that Mary Ann Stewart will be an outstanding member of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education,” said Lexington Public Schools Superintendent Paul Ash. “She has served as a member of the Lexington School Committee with great distinction. Her thoughtful decisions are always made in the best interest of all students and educators.”

Reflection: the Year(s) in Review

February 2017: this is the midway point in my five-year term as Parent Representative on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Governor Deval Patrick appointed me in August 2014, and as a sitting, twice-elected School Committee member at the time, Massachusetts General Laws required that I step down from that role in order to accept my new role on the State Board.

Coming in, I knew there'd be differences, although, arranged around the table as we are with the Commissioner, the State Board looks very much like a School Committee sitting with their Superintendent and, insofar as both bodies create policy and hire and evaluate their department leader, that's understandable thinking. However, the work is not the same (and I have a whole, new appreciation for elected School Committees and their work). It's not that decisions are "easier" or "harder"; a locally elected policymaker and advocate sees and hears steadily from residents about how their decisions impact locally. That local impact from community members is what's missing from my appointed role and that, apparently, is by design. To the degree that parliamentary procedure is acknowledged and recognized, we have some discretion.

Still, no other State Board of Education reserves a seat for a parent's perspective and it's a privilege to be that parent with a voice in the decisions being made here.

A decision I made when coming on Board was to communicate via this blog to parents, educators, and others about what it's like to sit at that table and to share some of my thoughts about it. Many of my twitter and Facebook followers have made a point of telling me how much they appreciate hearing from that perspective, since they know of no one else doing it. I've been reflecting on that decision, and on my public life; here's what's worth sharing, halfway through my term:

• Public Service and Volunteerism are alive and well in local, state, & national roles. In addition to serving on the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, I continue serving as an elected rep from my neighborhood to Town Meeting. My State Board colleagues nominated me, then, at the annual conference in October 2015, representatives from 10 NASBE states elected me as Northeast Area Director to the NASBE Board of Directors. That was a bonus bit of involvement I could not have anticipated at the time of my appointment. It's rewarding to see so many interested in my NASBE posts, especially when they juxtapose with issues locally and statewide. Since we are in the period of transition to a new White House administration (DeVos) and to a new education law (ESSA), it is, as they say, "interesting times". Decisions made at national and state levels have the most impact when they resonate locally.

• Online & Offline Life: balance lies in dropping on and off. Facebook friends are the longest suffering, so I encourage people to follow my Facebook page instead. Twitter followers will give me a poke (if I've been away so long that they've actually noticed) and have reached out to be sure I wasn't too ill to tweet. Instagram is a nice place to spend some time, too.

• Upshot: I'm not nearly as courageous as I'd like to be. Reflecting back on that statement reveals that I've sought clarity about what matters and have been willing to step out of my comfort zone. Also, that I'm resilient to keep going in spite of it all. When I'm feeling pressure "to be more courageous", I've discovered that if I focus less on the action itself ("What's the bold action I can take here?") and more on the relationship ("Who matters most to me here?"), then bold action is much more clear. From there, it's much easier to understand the thing that I seek to do.

Notebook::Holyoke

Looking back to last March and April

Above and below: Emails, letters, and testimony about the Holyoke receivership from students, parents, teachers, administrators, residents, and community partners.

Of the letters and emails received, only one (unsigned) expressed support for receivership. Of the testimony heard, only a very few were in support of state receivership for Holyoke Public Schools.

Prior to taking the vote last April, the Board held a Public Hearing at the War Memorial in Holyoke (standing room only);
of 63 speakers just a handful expressed support for receivership.

One of the lighter moments when Board Chair Paul Sagan addressed the standing room audience through an activist-supplied bullhorn (while glitches with the on-site PA system were being worked on).

Some reflections on the Board's vote for a new statewide test

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little burned out on arguments about statewide assessments. I accept that we need them, but we’re spending way too much time on them just because students from other countries are "out-performing" students in the US on standardized tests.

It bothers me that we've been angsting over these assessments for so long when there are many other areas in need of our attention and dollars. Plus, I’m more interested in the larger educational context that is our vision and our plan for learners. (I'm not going to call it "21st c learning" because, 2015...!)

Across the discussion of “how to do tests in Massachusetts", I’ve observed a tension between what, on the one hand, is essential for child/student well-being and learning and what, on the other hand, strikes us as essential for the future economy. I will argue that until and unless we are dedicated and accountable to child/student well-being, teaching and learning may have little relevance for many children, thus we contribute to a problem we're trying to solve while putting students at risk of being unprepared - not only for their role in the future economy, but for their lives. Education is more than a talent pipeline for employers, after all, it's an end in itself.*

Beleaguered by the political morass, teachers and learners are losing ground. The teacher/learner relationship is the most essential and everything Principals, District Leaders, School Committees - and State Boards of Education - do must be to support that primal relationship in the learning environment, and build capacity for that relationship to thrive for effective teaching and learning. 

We're seeing how education must be personalized for each student no matter who they are, where they live, what language they speak, or how they present. The skills and dispositions they must possess require a multi-dimensional approach of the kind not undertaken before in K-12 education. A lift of this magnitude requires resources in the form of educational and economic investment from federal, state, and local partners in government, as well as deep and sustained alignment with all components of our educational eco-system, including true partnership with families and communities.

To be truly effective (and more than a blunt instrument of accountability), assessment might be part of a wholly supported, integrated system that's realigned with structures not only for technology and education, but also organizational development and capacity, school climate and culture, budgets, and School Committee policies. Why place the standardized assessment ahead of our needs for high quality professional development, student-family-community engagement, social-emotional learning, and teaching and learning? How can we move forward with an assessment system that's not critically aligned with these in partnership with local districts?

We’re already working from a technology deficit because we lack effective technology in every classroom, in every school, in every district across the Commonwealth. Where that technology isn't present or aligned as part of a strategic framework for educational transformation, it hasn't been identified as a priority and/or committing scarce dollars is a reality. Some business and education leaders suggest that getting online assessments in place first will, therefore, leverage meeting our compelling technological needs.

This thinking isn't correct.

Technology is a part of realizing our vision for learning and student success, not apart from it. Partnering with districts to move toward digital learning environments is more than having the requisite test-taking technology. We're absent a grounding vision that not only supports the learning eco-system, but sustains it with time for learning, teaching, collaboration, and reflection.

Fewer than 25% of people living in communities are families with children in schools. Education, progressive in that it's always moving into the future, should be a source of pride in all communities. These are our schools, our children, our future and we all need a voice in shaping them.

The mission of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is to strengthen the Commonwealth's public education system so that every student is prepared to succeed in post-secondary education, compete in the global economy, and understand the rights and responsibilities of American citizens, and in so doing, to close all proficiency gaps.

How will the Board achieve its stated mission? How do we set up the right conditions for all learners and educators? It's not with a standardized test. Standardized tests have not driven us to higher achievement. They've driven us to higher test scores, but not to higher achievement.

And therein lies the rub.

Many children do very well by these tests, and will continue to do well with the new test, especially if they're white and from affluent families, but not all children and schools are well served by them. Poor children do much less well.

The decision the Board has made is tiny compared to its mission and to the other important things I've mentioned.

I agreed with 6 of my Board colleagues who voted (7-4) to support a two year "hold harmless" provision for districts while a new test is developed, but I prefer that we go further.**

Whether we're in a knowledge economy, an innovation economy, or a purpose-driven economy, learning is life-long. There's a lot to be done to prepare our students for life and the future, including knowing exactly what part assessments are to play to inform instruction and improve learning with their timely data and feedback to skilled, knowledgeable professionals with the people, financial, and technological resources to identify learning gaps, modify curriculum, and adjust instruction for whole child and student success.

- - -
Notes, Quotes, Posts, tweets
* A reference to John Dewey's 1893 essay, "Self-Realization as the Moral Ideal". (The Philosophical Review, Vol. 2, No.6 (Nov., 1893), pp.652-664; Published by: Duke University Press on behalf of Philosophical Review; DOI: 102307/2176020; Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2176020). The embedded link in the above post should lead directly to page 660 of the journal - which provides the context for the oft quoted, "Education is not preparation for life but life itself."

** I support bill H.340 of Rep. Marjorie Decker's calling for a 3-year moratorium on the high-stakes punitive nature of testing in Massachusetts.

If you pass a test, didn't you learn something?

Sustaining Improvements in Urban Schools

You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.
~ Toni Morrison, from Song of Solomon

So much of our work depends on taking time away from students to be the best teachers possible.
~ The JLV

Is Education broken? - @stevewheeler interviews @AudreyWatters http://t.co/y5xHc2NyZv

— Edumorfosis (@edumorfosis) October 15, 2015

Public Testimony

My written testimony

On June 11, 2015, Massachusetts Joint Committee on Education held a public hearing on several bills related to testing in K-12 public schools. I was unable to attend the hearing in person, but did submit testimony in support of H.340: An Act relative to a moratorium on high stakes testing and PARCC.

A panel assembled to speak in opposition of the bill included representatives from the Executive Office, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Board of ESE, in the persons of: Secretary of Education Jim Peyser, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell Chester, Board of ESE Chair Paul Sagan, and a former Board of ESE member Jeff Howard. (Where available, I've linked each person's name to their testimony).

Note that at no time before or after the public hearing did BESE discuss any of the bills.

My testimony below.

Members of the Joint Committee on Education

The Honorable Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, co-chair

The Honorable Representative Alice Hanlon Peisch, co-chair

Sate House Public Hearing on Assessments

Room A-2 [the hearing was subsequently moved to the Gardner Auditorium in order to accommodate the high number of people who turned out for the hearing]

June 11, 2015

Dear Legislators,

My name is Mary Ann Stewart and I'm a parent of a high school student and two college graduates. Though I am a member of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, I am speaking for myself and not as a Board member; my comments are my own.

I have been following, with interest, mounting concern being expressed about the impact high-stakes standardized testing and test preparation is having on our public school students, their schools and districts, and educators who teach and work in them. Leaders in every level of government, along with folks in neighborhoods across the state and country, are expressing a range of views stemming from a concern about these tests and their impact: On narrowing curriculum (especially in the weeks leading up to testing dates); on educator evaluation; on the increased time and money spent to administer them; on the over-reliance of high stakes accountability measures on schools and districts for state and federal dollars.

In many states, the concern rises because the impact of these tests coincides with the increased use/availability of technology and also the implementation of new frameworks for educator evaluation, a condition for many who hoped for federal RTTT dollars. In Massachusetts, in addition to the educator evaluation implementation, high stakes accountability measures intersect with the development of district determined measures, the RETELL initiative, and soon, perhaps, the PARCC assessment (or MCAS 2.0). These concerns impact schools, families, students, and districts in the toniest communities, but students in low-income communities of color are hit the hardest - and at a time when we are trying to close gaps.

We are working against our future best interests if allowed to continue with the current testing regime. We want our students to be excited about their future. We want our schools to truly impart a love and joy for learning. We want creativity in teaching - and so much more.

Before we launch the next generation of assessments in Massachusetts, let's not just keep doing what we've been doing since we ushered in the MCAS.

It's time to call for a moratorium on the high-stakes standardized testing era so that we can work together with our communities, schools, educators, policymakers and legislators to re-evaluate with an eye to improving our schools from the inside out, not from the top down.

Thank you for your consideration, courage, and commitment to our children,

Mary Ann Stewart

Lexington MA

This testimony has also been posted to the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance website.

Public Hearings on PARCC

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education heard testimony from the Public at its first Public Hearing on the Partnership for Assessment on Readiness for College and Career statewide assessments (PARCC). It is anticipated that the Board will vote to decide to move from MCAS to PARCC assessments later this year (fall). Resources and information about the PARCC have been posted to a page on the Department's website HERE.

In the coming months, the Board will be holding several forums to hear comments from the public on the PARCC assessments:

Monday, May 18, 2015, Bunker Hill Community College, A300 Auditorium, 5:00-8:00 PM (in lieu of the Board's Special Meeting)

Wednesday, June 10, 2015, Bridgewater State University, Rondileau Campus Center Ballroom, 5:00-8:00 PM

Monday, June 22, 2015, North Shore Community College - Lynn Campus, Gymnasium, 4:00-7:00 PM (in lieu of the Board's Special Meeting)

Tuesday, July 7, 2015, Springfield Technical Community College, Top of Our City Conference Center, 4:00-7:00 PM

Tuesday, April 28, 2015: Fitchburg State University, Hammond Hall, 3:00-6:00 PM

Delivery & Content

Contents of this month's Board Book Mailing
(photo credit: mas)

Two weekends before a Regular Board of ESE Meeting, I receive a UPS delivery of the Board Meeting Book.

The delivery also contains a packet of any mail sent to me c/o the Department in Malden.

Since my first meeting in September, the Board Book has varied in size from 1" to 2.5". This month, as we enter "Charter School Season", the contents of my delivery included a 3.5" Book, replete with anticipated agenda, back up, reports, and recommendations relevant for discussion and/or action at the Special Meeting (Monday, January 26) and the Regular Meeting (Tuesday, January 27), and four pieces of mail.

Some Charter materials have been distributed electronically. Items in the Book pertaining to Charters this month include:

• Information on (4) New Charter Applicants (for initial discussion). By statute the Board votes approval of new charter schools at its February meeting. In November 2014, the Department received final applications to establish four charter schools. The Department provided an overview of the process for reviewing and granting new charters and a summary of the charter applications that are pending.

• Proposed Amendments for UP Academy Boston Charter School, Salem Academy Charter School, Hampden Charter School of Science, and KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School (discussion and vote)

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School of Excellence: Report on Conditions and Commissioner's Recommendation for Probation (discussion and vote)

• Boston Renaissance Charter Public School: Report on Probation and Commissioner's Recommendation for Renewal (discussion and vote)

It's a lot of reading, to be sure. Presentations will be distributed at the Special and Regular Meetings, too, and there is room for them in the Book. Several Tabs do not have material (Minutes of the December Board Meetings, State Graduation and Dropout Results for 2013-14, Update on PARCC, i.e.), which I find most challenging; it is difficult to bring intelligent discussion to the table when materials are distributed the night before the meeting, or, at the meeting.

The four pieces of mail that were forwarded by the Department are:

• Season's Greetings from the Nashoba Valley Technical High School Committee, Administration, and Staff (of Westford MA), stamped by the Department "received December 17, 2014"

• Season's Greetings and a 2015 desk calendar from SABIS Educational Systems, Inc (Eden Prairie MN), no date stamp

• Western MA Education Leaders Coalition (WMELC) Position Statement of December 3, 2014, with Cover Letter and List of WMELC Member Districts and Educational Collaboratives, sent January 14, 2015 (stamped January 16, 2015) from the office of Superintendent of Ludlow Public Schools, Todd H. Gazda on behalf of the WMELC, and signed by Michael J. Kelliher, Chairman on behalf of the Ludlow School Committee; Todd H. Gazda, Superintendent of Schools; and Brian Bylicki on behalf of the Ludlow Education Association. (An email containing the same information was sent to Board members on Friday, January 16, 2015).
• The 3-page WMELC Position Statement expresses concerns about:
1. Amount, Pace and Cost of Unfunded Mandates
2. Validity, reliability and implementation of PARCC exam
3. Amount, Frequency and Cost of Standardized Testing
• WMELC Member Districts and Educational Collaboratives include:
• Agawam Public Schools
• Collaborative for Educational Services
• East Longmeadow Public Schools
• Hadley Public Schools
• Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative
• Ludlow Public Schools
• Monson Public Schools
• Palmer Public Schools
• Southwick Tolland Granville Regional School District
• West Springfield Public Schools

• A booklet, with Cover Letter, entitled "Fitchburg Public Schools Perspective" sent from the Office of the Superintendent (Fitchburg MA). The letter is signed by Andre Ravenelle, Superintendent of Schools. The booklet contains "letters of support, transcripts of testimony presented at the public hearing as well as a number of artifacts" believed to help give Board Members "a detailed, yet broad perspective of the work of the Fitchburg Public Schools."

Addendum to Post on Prioritizing

Proposed Regulations on Time-Out and Restraint were approved by the Board at its Regular Meeting December 16, 2014.

The next FBRC Public Hearing is scheduled for Western MA on January 10, 2015, 11:00 AM. Location: Northampton High School Auditorium, 380 Elm Street, Northampton MA 01060

Prioritizing

On Tuesday, December 16, 2014 I will attend my fourth regular state Board of Education meeting. Meetings are public, of course, and are recorded, but are not broadcast live, which is different from many School Committee meetings across the Commonwealth.

Following that first regular Board meeting in September, I realized it would be valuable for me to prioritize my time and energy as I become more familiar with this role. I decided to put my energy in three areas:

1. The Dever School turn-around
2. Proposed Updates to Regulations on Time-out and Restraint and
3. FY16 Budget/Chapter 70

1. The Dever School Turn-around.

Paul A. Dever Elementary School,
(photo: Boston Public Schools)

The Dever School is a K-5 elementary school in Boston,
designated as a Level 5 "chronically underperforming school" (Spring, 2014). This being a new development for the Dever School, the Department of ESE, and a turn-around partner (Blueprint Schools Network), and also co-terminous with my Board appointment, I thought it useful to follow the school's progress until it exits Level 5 status...which raises the question: How does that happen? I visited the school with the Commissioner and other ESE staff on Friday, October 31. I learned that all but one (1) staff member are new. Yes - ALL but ONE. I have some questions about what input the Board has had regarding policies being implemented in this turnaround. It is clear that the Board voted the Lawrence Schools into State [Department] Receivership in November 2013, but Level 5 Schools? I think the Board should have much more of a role in that process and determination. More about that in a future post.

2. Proposed Updates to Regulations on Time-out and Restraint.

In September, the Board was introduced to the Proposed Updates to Regulations on Time-out and Restraint. The regulations (603 CMR 46.00 and 603 CMR18.00) haven't been updated since they were approved by the then Board in 2001. The regs impact public education programs, including those that operate under Chapter 766-approved public and private day and residential programs. The Board will vote on them at the next meeting, December 16, 2014. Since the Board's vote in September to open Public Comment on the proposed amendments, I have met and spoken with numerous stakeholders, including staff at the New England Center for Children, the Nashoba Learning Group, and Melmark New England, as well as with individual and groups of parents to discuss the impact the proposed regulations (specifically, those concerning restraint) could have on their programs, staff, and children.

3. FY16 Budget/Chapter 70.

First meeting of FBRC
(photo: mas)

I was pleased to have been appointed to the Board's Budget Sub-committee this September. Two meetings were held (10/17 & 11/10) to review the Commissioner's FY16 budget priorities. On December 1, 2014, the Board voted to approve the priorities and submitted a FY16 Budget request of just over $5 billion to the Executive Office of Education. Chapter 70 of the M.G.L. makes up 87.83% of ESE's $5 billion budget (General Administration is 0.33% of the budget; as of September the Department had 499 FTEs). For a number of years now, advocates and stakeholders, including the Massachusetts PTA, Massachusetts Association of School Committees, and Massachusetts Teachers Association, have submitted public testimony in support of an adequacy study of Chapter 70 aid to Massachusetts cities and Towns.  The General Court authorized the Foundation Budget Review Commission (FBRC) as part of its FY15 Budget. An initial meeting was held at the State House on October 9, 2014. Since then, the Commission has been hearing from the Public in regional Public Hearings across the Commonwealth. Dates and locations for Public Hearings are posted in the right-hand sidebar of this site and below:

Foundation Budget Review Commission Public Hearings:
Monday, November 17 | North Shore, Danvers, 4:30 PM
Monday, December 15 | South Coast, Somerset, 4:30 PM
Saturday, January 10 | Western MA, Location TBD, 11:00 AM
Saturday, January 24 | Central MA, Location TBD, 11:00 AM
Saturday, February 7 | Cape, Location TBD, 11:00 AM
Monday, March 9 | Boston, Location TBD, 4:30 PM