Public officials' social media goes to the Supreme Court

Today there were two related cases argued before the Supreme Court which could have implications for local elected officials and their interactions with their constituents. 

There's a good summary of the two cases on SCOTUSblog. In both cases, they have to do with public officials--in one case, it is two elected school board members (O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier which is from California) in the other, it is an appointed city manager (Lindke v. Freed which is from Michigan)--having blocked people on social media. Lower courts have found differently on if a public official can block someone on social media: in the California case, the court found that it was a First Amendment violation (the argument that those blocked were just the right of petitioning for redress), while in the Michigan case, the court observed a line between personal and political persona online. 

One to read from Newton

 ...where the reporter clearly has been working for a bit on a story on the pushback on the district's work on diversity and inclusion work. 

A small but vocal group of parents are spreading the idea that declines in standardized test scores in Newton are the result of diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programming in the schools. And they are drawing from the rhetoric of national far-right groups that have sprung up in the past few years to push an “anti-woke” agenda that’s being highlighted in the Republican 2024 presidential campaigns now taking flight.

I do want to note, though, that the idea that this is "unlikely" or surprising is ahistorical.

 
It first leaves out the point that Lily Geismer made in her book Don't Blame Us: Suburban Liberals and the Transformation of the Democratic Party  that--and this is my summary--white suburbanites of metro Boston were all for equity right up until it started to hit at home. See, for example, the more than 50 years we have of METCO, without ever taking any steps towards actual desegregation as a state. 

It also leaves out the pushback that has happened throughout America history of "Nice White Parents" and Mothers of Massive Resistance pushing back on what is perceived as threats to white children. 

Filling in a bubble next to the Democratic candidate for president does not define someone. We need to work harder on knowing the landscape. 

 

Looks like the U.S. Department of Education is in a time warp

Kids cannot focus on learning if they’re hungry or worrying about where they’ll sleep that night.
Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, child poverty rates have plummeted, and kids can simply focus on being kids.

— Secretary Miguel Cardona (@SecCardona) October 30, 2023

...child poverty rates HAD plummeted, Mr. Secretary, but that is no longer the case: 

Child poverty more than doubled last year:

The poverty rate among children saw a sizeable increase, more than doubling from 5.2% in 2021 to 12.4% last year, census data shows.

Why?

 The increase in the child poverty rate comes after the child tax credit expansion ended on Dec. 31, 2021.

(Thus no, it hadn't fallen due to ARP funding.)

And children being hungry? 

 more than 13 million children experiencing food insecurity, a jump of nearly 45 percent from 2021

It's pretty exhausting to have the people who are supposed to be on team "let's make sure kids have what they need to learn" get both their facts and their causation wrong.  

do be sure you read Heather's recounting

 via Bill Shaner's piece published this weekend.

Content warning: sexual assault, suicide attempt

And I'll only add here what I have elsewhere: I honor Heather taking back her story, and Bill's giving her space to do so. 

MSBA Board for October: big news!

as reported on the MASC page

The Mass School Building Authority met this morning, and made some significant changes to the programs they oversee, funded by the Fair Share amendment and changes made in the FY24 budget.

The first set of changes was to the cost funding limit per square foot that the MSBA will cover in a core project. Going forward, the Board voted to raise this amount from $393 per square foot to $550 per square foot. Additionally, going forward, the Board voted to include up to $55 per square foot for sitework. Overall, then, starting with the projects moved into Project Scope and Funding today, the total construction cost funding limit will be $605 per square foot.  

Additionally, the Board approved adjustments to the total facilities grant available for projects approved prior to October 1, 2022, moving to $393 per square foot and $39 per square foot for sitework; this includes 30 projects. For projects approved after October 1, 2022 and before October 1, 2023, an increase to $516 per square foot and $52 per square foot in site work was approved; this includes nine projects. 

Finally, the Board approved plans for an accelerated repair program, with applications opening in January 2024. This program will run biannually, with $150M allocated each year. It will be open only to window and roof projects; roof projects will include a study of feasibility of roof repair in the requirements. The MSBA will seek a contractor to study funding heat pumps moving forward, as the program will no longer include boilers. The MSBA will also be reviewing accessibility requirements and eligibility determinations for expanded  HVAC items. 

The above was made possible by action within the FY24 state budget, including an the increase to the annual MSBA cap, the removal of the accelerated repair program from the cap, a $100M supplemental grant, and the increase to the allowable rate of growth. 

_______________________

Inquiring minds want to know: What does this mean for Worcester? Excellent question!

First, let's note that EVERY aspect of this is related to work that the Worcester School Committee specifically asked for: back in January, we had three asks for the budget:

1. That the cap on the MSBA be lifted. It was in the state FY24 budget, and that allowed for much of the above.
2. That the accelerated repair program be restored. Via Senator Michael Moore's budget amendment (filed SPECIFICALLY because we asked), accelerated repair was placed outside the MSBA cap, and thus restored.
3. That the inflationary increases due to the pandemic of the current building projects be state covered (at least partly). Of the FY24 budget Fair Share allocation, $100M is for these inflationary increases. 

So GO WORCESTER!

What will it do for us?

• On inflation: the Doherty building project experienced $24M in inflationary costs. The city will need to submit documentation, so we don't know yet how much it will be, but at least some of that cost is now going to be covered.
  Maybe this means we get the solar panels back?
  
  
• On accelerated repair: remember the budget always has a facilities plan, and that includes projected accelerated repair submissions: 
  
  
  
  

  This will need to be tweaked, of course, now that the MSBA is no longer taking boilers, but yes, we have a plan ready to go.
  
  
• On upcoming projects: it makes a Burncoat project a lot more do-able if we have this increased square foot rate. 
  

Good news across the board! If you worked for any of the above, YOU DID THIS! 

October Board of Ed: MTEL alternative assessment pilot

 and there are some materials there

Claire Abbott, Office of Educator Effectiveness
third of what will be four updates on MTEL alternative assessment
Aubree Webb, also works there
and there are people here from CALDER (Center for analysis for longitudinal data in educational research)

October Board of Ed: Commissioner's goals

 with some info

focused on three strategic objectives: 

1. whole student
2. deeper learning
3. diverse and effective workforce

October Board of Ed: civics

Erin Hashimoto-Martell, Associate Commissioner of Instructional Support,
Katherine Tarca, Director of Literacy and Humanities
Reuben Henriques, History and Social Science Content Support Lead
Dave Buchanan,  Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition

October Board of Ed: chronic absenteeism

 Riley reviews recent headlines
"almost one in four Massachusetts children missed 18 days or more of school last year"

October Board of Ed: opening comments

 The Board of Ed meets today at 9 am. The agenda is here. The livestream will be here.

I don't like their new room arrangement. 

Worth reading on "Moms for Liberty" and an update on Scholastic Book Fairs

 Brookings took at look at where "Moms for Liberty" are, and where they are and aren't winning school board races. 

Scholastic (finally) released a statement on their book fairs, and it leaves a lot to be desired. 
I tweeted back this: 

This is extraordinarily gutless, frankly. The librarians, teachers, and parents for whom you claim to be watching out for are putting their own safety and positions on the line in many cases to take actions to fight these efforts. You should be backing them up.

You’re caving.

— Tracy O'Connell Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2023

I also appreciated this take: 

Kids & schools deserve every opportunity to celebrate their #FReadom to read books! 📚

YOU belong in books, YOU ought to feel seen in books 💚

Books are beautiful, they’re joy, they’re our friends! Diverse books are beautiful, they’re joy, they’re our friends! ✨ https://t.co/LfoByLLljk pic.twitter.com/ysPsv6bFKr

— Mychal (@mychal3ts) October 14, 2023

Hearing on the use of school bus stop arm cameras for ticketing

 The bills that would allow for video from stop arm cameras on school buses (like those Worcester already has) are up for a hearing before the Legislature's Committee on Transportation on Tuesday of next week in room A-1 at 1 pm.

I plan to attend and testify. Note that this is also Resolution 6 before the MASC Delegate Assembly next month.

Anyone can submit public testimony and I highly recommend it if you are a student, family member, bus driver, or otherwise concerned! Emailed testimony goes to Kirsten.Centrella@mahouse.gov.

Two to read today

 Two to read today:

First, check on this extensive piece from Amanda Marcotte on Salon on the pushback the Moms for Liberty who took over the Pennridge School Board in Pennsylvania are getting. Pennridge is a bellweather for Pennsylvania, which is a bellweather for the country. 

Yes, the Pennridge school board was dominated by far-right members, one of whom had been present in Washington for Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally-turned-riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Yes, at least five of the nine board members were linked to Moms for Liberty, a right-wing "astroturf" organization that has orchestrated a national campaign to remake public education along arch-conservative and anti-intellectual lines. But Pennridge board meetings for months had been dominated by outraged parents speaking out against the Moms for Liberty incursion and the board majority's apparent agenda.

As always: it is not only Pennsylvania, so pay attention to local elections!

Second, it appears that Scholastic book fairs have been presuming there might be pushback on books and is allowing a check off to, Twitter has subsequently turned up, opt IN to so-called "diverse" books: 

Can confirm that they had to be opted into and the boxes of books were labeled “diverse” when they arrived.

— Aislinn (@itmeansdream) October 10, 2023

...with an APOLOGY IF YOU GET THEM ACCIDENTALLY!

I saw this in a FB group today. Scholastic book fairs is not only offering an easy & preemptive way to censor BIPIC, Queer, & other historically excluded voices out of their book fairs, they’re actually apologizing JUST IN CASE TGEY ACCIDENTALLY FAILED YO CENSOR FOR YOU https://t.co/vYnR8X9mS0 pic.twitter.com/fM38sxZ0zg

— Kelsey Bogan, MLIS (www.DontYouShushMe.com) (@kelseybogan) October 10, 2023

on the new(-ish) WPS school safety

You may have seen that WPS has updated their school safety protocols. 
(This actually happened, as families and staff may remember, back in the spring, but it didn't get the same public side launch.)

It delineates what we expect staff and students to do in various situations that happen in schools: 

• Hold: Stay in your classroom and keep the hallways clear, but instruction can continue. 
• Secure: Exterior doors to the school are locked, and outdoor activities are halted, but classroom instruction can continue. 
• Lockdown: Students and staff are ordered to lock their classroom or office doors and to stay out of sight. 
• Evacuate: People are moved from one location to a different location either inside or outside the building. 
• Shelter: There is a significant threat. Students/staff are ordered to lock doors, hide, and barricade rooms if necessary. 

When we first got the information back in the spring about the I Love You Guys protocols we were switching to, my first thought was "WAIT, this makes SENSE." That's in marked contrast to the previous ALICE emphasis, which required that we traumatize all involved by training ONLY for a school shooter scenario. Those are awful, but also rare. There are many other things that happen in schools that require staff and student response, most of which are NOT traumatizing, but warrant practices. In the process, we still are practicing responses for the worst cases. 

A marked improvement!

a need for literacy in discussing literacy

The Boston Globe has an enormous, fearmongering article today on early literacy; I've posted it here as a PDF if you don't have an account. 

The reporters--there are two, Mandy McLaren and Naomi Martin--have as their thesis that Massachusetts is falling behind other states in students' abilities to read, particularly for students who are low income, and that the solution to that is to have our Legislature pass laws requiring particular kinds of curriculum.

on Jordan Levy

Former Worcester Mayor Jordan Levy died last night, and I want to be sure we remember his contribution to equitable school funding in Massachusetts. In 1989 when he was Mayor (and Chair of the School Committee) he filed, in the name of his daughter, Levy v. Dukakis together with families from Carver, Revere, and Rockland challenging the constitutionality of the school finance system. That case was joined to the McDuffy case, which of course found that the school finance system was unconstitutional, and gave us the foundation budget system we use. 

It was a case filed on behalf of Worcester's schoolchildren, and really all of the children of Massachusetts, which is itself quite a legacy to leavy.

Rest well, Mayor Levy.