TL/DR on the revenue hearing

 I'd sum it up as "We feel pretty good about where revenue is heading next year EXCEPT for the giant unknown of the federal government, which YIKES."

On the Commissioner's search

 I do not know more than this, but Acting Commissioner Johnston has made it known that he does not plan to apply.

This is a change from what was understood earlier on in the process.

Hey don't sleep on Lynn's fight over charter expansion?

 Hey, all, remember how we in Worcester argued, along with much else, that OSV wasn't a "proven provider" as a charter school, and thus shouldn't be expanded?
And remember how DESE ignored us and did it anyway?

Lynn's currently having a similar argument over a proposed expansion of KIPP Charter in their city. The mayor, superintendent, and teachers' union president were at the Board of Ed last month, arguing this. You can find good coverage in Commonwealth Beacon here. 

The right answer, of course, is for the Acting Commissioner not to recommend the expansion. If it goes to the Board, we'll have to argue that they vote it down.

...which is time to remind us all that the Governor should really appoint three new members...

FY26 Consensus Revenue hearing liveblog

 ...will be starting here, though it appears to be the Senate adjourning right now...
I don't write down all the numbers, because I only get them orally

When what you've heard isn't the case: busting some common misconceptions on the Student Opportunity Act

First required xkcd:

I'd like one of the major issues in education, too, but all I can do is in my little corner of the universe.

With the consensus revenue hearing on Monday, we are about to kick off the FY26 budget season here in Massachusetts, which will be the fifth of six years of implementation of the Student Opportunity Act revision.

...and yet, still I hear some of the same misconceptions and misunderstandings circulating about the SOA. 
So, as we enter that season, here's a counter to some common things I hear.

Do you want the good news or the bad news?

 First, the bad news --some recent headlines in the education press:

• Trump promised mass deportations. Educators worry fear with keep immigrant children from schools. 
  
  
• How trans students and families are preparing for Trump’s second term
  
  
• Her wrestling empire was said to harm children. Trump chose her for education. 

And yes, a bill has now been filed to end the U.S. Department of Education. 

Commissioner's screening committee

As they meet for the first time on Monday, the list of screening committee members for the search for the next Commissioner has now been posted, and I think it may be more heavily stacked with privatizers than the previous one, which was rather remarkable for that.

It's also odd to me that at least three members of the Board are timed off--they're not even lame ducks, as the law doesn't recognize that!--and we're all pretending it's perfectly normal that the law noting that they need to be off is just being ignored whilst they go on with choosing the next leader of K-12 education in the state.