Sarah Ellis Wilson, Worcester teacher (and why Worcester wasn't part Morgan v. Hennigan)

image from First Fruits of Freedom: The Migration of Former Slaves and Their Search for Equality
in Worcester, Massachusetts. 1862-1900

From First Fruits of Freedom: The Migration of Former Slaves and Their Search for Equality in Worcester, Massachusetts. 1862-1900 by Janette Thomas Greenwood:

Graduating from Classical High School in Worcester, the city's premier public high school, Sarah Ella Willis [whose parents, who had been enslaved, migrated to Worcester from Virginia after the Civil War] entered Worcester Normal School and graduated in 1894. She subsequently became a beloved teacher in the city's public schools and taught first grade for forty-nine years at the Belmont Street Elementary School. One of first African-Americans hired in the Worcester school system, Wilson was a pioneer, mentor, and role model to countless children, regardless of race or ethnicity.

I had heard of Ms. Willis in passing before, but I did not realize how close her family was to slavery, nor that she herself had attended Classical High. This is history we should know better.



I read Greenwood's book in hopes of discovering why it was that, while Springfield was included in the Morgan v. Hennigan decision (the Boston bussing decision), Worcester was not. Worcester's Black population is and has been much smaller than that of Springfield's or Boston's, but I haven't known enough Worcester history past the beginning of the Civil War to know why Worcester's population of free Blacks (here since the early days of settlement) didn't grow as it did elsewhere. There was growth in the Black population during and after the Civil War as those freed in some cases came north to places familiar through occupation of northern forces or through missionary teachers. It then seems to have halted.

And Greenwood covers this:

After an influx of migrants to Worcester between 1880 and 1890, Worcester's black population languished in the first half of the twentieth century, never exceeding 2 percent of the overall population until 1980. Even the Great Migration, which brought millions of southern blacks to northern cities when the wartime shortages of white labor gave them access to industrial jobs, bypassed Worcester. Ella L. Vindal, who conducted a sociological study of Worcester's black community in the 1920's, noted that it was "not a migrant" community, as was typical in many northern cities during and after the Great Migration...Even as the state's black population grew by nearly 20 percent between 1910 and 1920--increasing at a rate even faster than the overall population--Worcester saw barely any increase at all, growing by only 0.7 percent.  Meanwhile, Springfield's black population increased by 80 percent, Brockton's increased by 50 percent, and Boston's increased by 20.3 percent. It is likely that the city had earned a reputation as an inhospitable place, which would not have been surprising given its negative attitude towards black labor...The city that once attracted fugitive and emancipated slaves alike because of its reputation for "benevolent sympathizers" now had a reputation for its paucity of kindness.

 emphasis added

A Tale of many..

Image text: THE TALE CONTINUES...the impact on the underfunding of the state's foundation budget...January 8, 2019|6-8pm|Malden High/Fitchburg State University/New Bedford Keith Middle School 

Not sure that I'll be able to make this, but, as was announced at MASBO earlier this month, the Tale of Two/Four Cities is going on the road and adding many more. As I have more details, I will add them, but save the date if there is one near you!
UDPATED with a new image that has a location for New Bedford!

On schools and legal marijuana

It's important, I think, to read this coverage of the Worcester School Committee considering policy change and implications along with this article covering central Mass concerns around marijuana edibles and kids. The range of tone varies widely.

School lockdowns inflict trauma on kids

The Washington Post covers today what is the new normal of schools: frequent lockdown drills.

“The lockdowns,” as MaKenzie calls them, have changed her, because the little girl with long braids and chocolate-brown eyes remembers what it was like before them, when she always felt safe at her Anacostia school, and she knows what it’s been like afterward, when that feeling disappeared.

The Post reports that we know more children have experienced lockdowns than the combined populations of Maine, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Vermont combined, however "the total figure is likely much higher because many school districts — including in Detroit and Chicago — do not track them and hundreds never make the news, particularly when they happen at urban schools attended primarily by children of color."

And the impact?

“This is a clear and pressing public health issue,” said Steven Schlozman, a child psychiatrist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, after learning of The Post’s findings, which he called “staggering.”
“We have very good data that children in proximity to frightening circumstances, such as those that trigger school lockdowns, are at risk for lasting symptoms. These include everything from worsening academic and social progression to depression, anxiety, poor sleep, post-traumatic symptomatology and substance abuse,” he continued. “Given the potential scope of the problem, we are in dire need of more information. How do we protect children from these issues?”

Click over and let the map of a single day in February run. And think of what we're doing to kids, every single day. 

On superintendent evaluation

...we don't really know enough from today's article to have much of an idea how Superintendent Binienda was evaluated last night. It's clear from the comments cited that there is some deserved critique behind the composite scores.
The individual as well as the composite evaluation are public documents, so we'll have to see if they are shared.

December Board of Ed: accountability survey results

Curtin: we did commit to surveying the field at the new accountability system
"last look back at this year...then transition into looking forward"
Commissioner interested in where improvements can be made
survey sent to superintendents, stakeholders in field
439 responses
different types of questions
Sagan: how many sent to?
there's some math going on here...
Sagan: we didn't hear from the majority: "are these the happy ones, the unhappy ones?...did we learn anything more from this?"
Curtin: in any survey you get some who feel strongly one way or the other, and some in the middle
West: it was not anonymous
small majority either satisfied or very satisfied
majority in every category either understood well or most
higher on district level, lower on school level
numbers on satisfied were lower for charter school respondents and higher for regional vo-techs
how did understanding impact satisfaction? Not much
"kind of gives me a bit of feeling that people have a defined feeling about accountability systems, potentially regardless of understanding"
two-thirds of respondents said the normative (comparing districts/schools) is valuable or very valuable
(the regional vo-techs like it the most)
smaller number saying satisfield or very satisfied for criteron-referenced (compare against yourself), but still a majority
lowest performing students, lowest performing subgroups found valuable
chronic absentee rate majority did not find valuable
about the weighing: around half on each says to keep it the same
note coming in that the high schools are all doing pretty well on MCAS, so keeping the same or increasing
"the problem here is we only have a hundred percent"
Peyser: did you look at where the answers were coming from?
Curtin: yes, around achievement and growth; generally those wanting more on growth, were not doing as well around achievement
Peyser: did you ask about better/worse than prior system?
Curtin: in hindsight, I wish I had; we didn't
non-high school suggested additions (only had 130 responses): most were "no" some on climate, access to art, educator attendance, suspension, school spending, K-2 schools
high school suggested additions: broader definition of advanced coursework, postsecondary enrollment, extracurricular participation, 9th grade success
and anything else?
small size issues and participation; chronic absenteeism; use of standardized testing; high-performing districts "are penalized" because they still have to move forward; call for consistency; need for state funding

Moriarty: can't be thinking of chronic absenteeism and excused and unexcused
"that really does say there's a disconnect in the field around knowledge level"
Curtin agrees, when a student can be counted in attendance isn't necessarily understood
"we need to make sure on the reporting side that the definitions are understood"
I don't think that's a misunderstanding, to be honest.

December Board of Ed: adult ed

the backup is here
Chuang: "some people don't realize is supported by the Department"
how many students do you think are supported (haven't received high school diploma and/or still need ELL support)
"it takes a team of us to make this happen"
"over a million students still in need of services throughout the state of Massachusetts"
currently serving about 12K ESOL (English as a Second Language) and 6400 GED (still needing a diploma) students
high rate of women, of parents, of receiving state services
waitlist of 17,000 ESOL and 2500 for GED
curently fund 70 community adult learning centers across the state, with 12,599 students
10 transitions to college programming, 6 integrated education and training, and 11 integrated English and civics programs, 8 workplace programs
Sagan: what are those who don't have services doing?
A: some are waiting, some are working as it is
are looking at how to reach out to those students as well

a concentration in metro Boston, but programs throughout the state
goal is to build a high-quality, performance-driven system
looking at outcomes, looking towards flexiblity and high quality, a block per-student funding based on student need
completing educational functioning level, attain diploma, enter higher ed, gainful employment
looking at "where the baseline is and where we're headed"

strong college outcomes for those participating
"it isn't just passing the GED...it's participating in our adult basic ed program AND passing the GED"
(there's a self-sorting question here...but "there's something happening")
Framingham study: those participating more likely to register to vote!
return on investment of programs
Q on teachers: most are K-12 teachers, some are retired teachers or other professionals
"need...is so great...it is imperative that our programs hire high quality teachers"
Q money increase? Was a bump up this year, was barely making up
real dollarwise not where it was a decade ago
Q on vocational? newly created workplace programs, "the vo-tech of adult ed"

And a student panel!
Audrey Kelly (from Charlestown Adult Learning Center): "it gave me the realization that I was smart enough to complete my education"
"I knew it wouldn't be easy..."
"I can make things better for my family...now enrolled in college"
hopefully will lead to the medical field
"not only will it better me; it will better my children as well"
Ana Tizol Cantor (Chelsea Public Schools) who came to the U.S. eight months pregnant at the age of seventeen, (she hadn't been able to complete second grade in Guatemala) who speaks of understanding people speaking English on the bus, learning to use the computer, "and shopping online"
working on her high school diploma
children have asked what she wants to study: she wants to study to become a teacher assistant, or a school nurse
"my husband is my big supporter, because he is studying for his diploma; he has one more exam to get it."

December Board of Ed: receivership schools

bit of a backup here: note that this is their regular check-in; there's no decision or recommendations here

December Board of Ed: Teacher Leadership

The backup on this is here.
Riley: focused this year on teaching
bringing up panels...

Center for Instructional Support talking about three initiatives: revising the arts curriculum, STEM ambassadors, and curriculum ratings

December Board of Ed meeting: opening remarks

The agenda for December is here.
posting as we go once we start
Sagan calls the meeting to order
Sagan has no new business comments

Riley: preview March 19 stakeholder meeting at UMass "to plot the way forward" asks some to save the date
foundation budget "many people are hopeful this is going to fixed this session"
were cuts to mental health over the summer
"need to be more vigilant and stay on top of this"
went to visit Paulo Freire Charter: had hoped to present recommendations around their current probation, but still need more information. School has not yet submitted audit; plan to report back in January, recommendation in February

Peyser: nothing

Public comment: is on wifi again, and I object to spending my time on fake science; instead, read the science.

Worcester School Committee meets Thursday

You can find the agenda for December 20 here.
There are recognitions and thanks.

The report of the superintendent is the End of Cycle Evaluation; as yet there is no backup posted, so what the School Committee has to say about Superintendent Binienda's performance is not yet public. You might recall that the Superintendent submitted her self-evaluation back at the meeting on November 13, saying that she had exceeded her professional practice and student learning goals, met her district improvement goal, and performed proficienctly in instructional leadership and in professional culture, and exemplarily in management and operations and in family and community and engagement. If you start on page 11 of the PowerPoint linked above, you'll quickly end up with puzzling questions like how one "exceeds" completion of the superintendent's induction program or in evaluating all principals. You can't. And, speaking as a parent, my jaw dropped at an exemplary rating in family and community engagement. 
...in any case...

Finance and Operations met tonight and will report out on Thursday (and apologies for the late posting, which didn't give a heads up) for the first quarter report; the account balances are here. Note that the request for the FY19 additional allocation goes to the School Committee during the Thursday meeting. There's nearly $500K additional in special ed tuition (some through the Collaborative)...and I don't understand what's going on with the technology line (weren't the Chromebooks in the budget?). Also worth noting that special education legal is up $20K more than budgeted; that may have something to do with the homeschooling case that broke just over a week ago, as I believe the district is being advised by their special education attorney for that (that last bit is a guess). Also on that agenda is a report on snow removal equipment.

There are appointments, resignations, retirements.

There is a report on the Career and Technical Education Partnership grant involving eight students.
There is a recommendation that an item on bullying be filed;

An update on the discussed lawsuit regarding school funding against the state is of interest: it speaks of presentations that the Mass Association of School Superintendents are doing, closing with "a formal lawsuit has not been filed." Superintendent Binienda's position was requested, it appears, by Ms. Biancheria, to which the superintendent has responded:

she feels it is important for legal authorities to review past litigation and to present a legal opinion before a formal lawsuit is filed

...something which would be done as a matter of course. What is interesting is that the backup doesn't actually respond to the item, which asked for an update from Brockton on legal action.

There is a super weak response to a request about recruiting; the request was for information on recruiting outside of Worcester, and the backup comes up with only Westfield State, the statewide recruiting fair, and SchoolSpring. The request to seek information from other districts yields the information the state association of human resource personnel. The Commissioner is handing you things like this, after all. 

The administration is responding that the district does not need to make any changes in response to Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission v. Contributory Retirement Appeal Board (SJC-12331).

There is a round-up of responses coming from the FY19 budget. Really the only interesting thing here--which is worthwhile!--is the savings of switching to Voice over Internet for 20 years at $1483 a a line is $1.13M. And if you read the backup, there are other advantages to switching.

The request for an org chart for emergency protocols receives in response this:

The Superintendent, Mayor and City Manager will communicate by phone messenging and/or emails with detailed information regarding any public safety issues. In addition, the Chief of Police and WPS Director of Safety will be sent these emails in order to coordinate messages to be shared with the public.

Thus not an org chart, and no response on who will communicate what to anyone else, including those not of the public, which includes teachers, staff, students, and parents. "two-way culturally proficient communication" is part of the Family and Community Engagement evaluation standard.

In response to a request for progress report opportunities in vocational education not admitted to Worcester Tech, the response is the grant mentioned above and three new programs being approved for South High.

As mentioned in the F&O report above, the allocation of the additional funding from the FY19 conference committee is reported out (here with an additional "as recommended to the School Committee in June"; the vote is later in the meeting). I'd advise reading the entire memo, as it also discusses elementary class sizes (12 more teachers!), student supports (adjustment counselors!), some administration allocations, and the ongoing dearth of teachers at the high schools (it also may answer why high school kids are now being stuffed into gym classes instead of into study halls).

There is a response to the request for an update on the long-sought facilities master plan (remember that?). The answer...looks to be current work with no additional funding, plus the MSBA submissions. Since the report found a $70M backlog in "urgent" repair needs, one would hope that this won't be enough for anyone.

Speaking of facilities, to the request for an update on the Accelerated Repair program, we learn that Harlow Street is getting a new roof, boiler, and windows. The recommendations for this year (which the Administration requests a vote on later in the agenda) are:

• Burncoat Preparatory School for Roof Replacement
• Lincoln Street School for Boiler Replacement
• Tatnuck Magnet School for Roof Replacement
• Worcester East Middle School for Roof Replacement

There is a really important note at the end of the above memo on Worcester East Middle: it is honestly in need of a major renovation, and it has, in past years, been submitted as a second choice after Burncoat (or third when Doherty was being submitted); it seems, however that the roof situation has grown urgent enough that it can't wait. It's being pulled from the major renovation/repair recommendation this year, and being submitted just for the roof (as Accelerated Repair only does roofs, windows, and boilers, and you can't submit the same building in both programs). EDIT: And here is the T&G on WEMS and the roof. The longer memo backing up the vote relates Worcester's history with the program. 

There is also, while we're on facilities, an item on SchoolDude usage, thus giving the administration yet another chance to remind us that the Worcester Public Schools only spends 60% of the foundation budget on facilities due to chronic underfunding of the foundation budget. Someone should ask for a compounded number on that one!

There is a response to a request, based on numerous teacher requests, that the "First Day Convening" be moved to allow teachers time in their classrooms; the response from the superintendent is that teachers have "ample time during the summer months to make these preparations." 

There is a four page response to several transporation items: note that the ten buses now being run by WPS have allowed, even with the substantial investment needed, for $194K to go back into the rest of the system. Also, if you've had transportation issues this year, you'll want to read the backup, as there may well be something there for you; it looks as though having the student bus passes distributed during the summer would have solved ours. Also, student data geeks rejoice: a SAGE sped transportation module! Good thing student data is handled in house! Also, it is worth noting that Durham apparently...isn't abiding by the contract. 

There is a response that all WPS employees are informed of public employees' participation in political activities and have been since August, and this report was in October. 

There is a request for approval for a prior year payment of $56,497 to CollegeBoard (no backup, so no idea what for). 

There is a request that K-3 parent conferences be held during the day.

There is a request for a report on the changes in the school nutrition regs.

There is a request for an update on the sex ed curriculum.

There is a request for changes in policy due to the changes in laws on marijuana (no need).

And there is the request from administration for allocation of the additional FY19 funding. (man, I hope they take some of these agenda items together!) The budget goes up by $3.4M for this current year!

In the ongoing idea that the handbook is supposed to be the same as the policy manual (it isn't; the handbook should be more specific), there's some changes proposed around the passed attendance, absence, and long term absences policies.

There is also an executive session for a grievance, two rounds of negotiations, and litigation.

Why are we not teaching earth science?

The MCAS? I'm not as sure.

First, do read, if you didn't hear, this excellent three part series from WGBH on teaching climate change in Cape Cod schools. The first one (which is what the link goes to) does mention:

Last year was the first year the Trustees ran a climate change specific program, on erosion, for second graders. This is the first year they’re expanding into middle school. They’re able to do that in part because climate change is now officially in the state science standards in Massachusetts, as of 2016

So far, okay. But this line in the third part of the series made me perk up my ears:

One of the main reasons public schools are less likely to teach earth science than chemistry, biology, or physics, is that earth science is not tested on the MCAS, the state standardized test.

Okay, this is not false: there is no earth science MCAS. This sentence gives the impression, however, that chemistry, biology, and physics ALL are required for high school testing, which isn't the case. There are four MCAS science tests--biology, chemistry, physics, and technology/engineering--and students have to pass one. The vast majority take and pass bio, which is why the state has been tossing around the idea of eliminating some of the other tests (you might remember that this came up at the last Board of Ed meeting).
If a student, then, takes three years of science in high school (as most colleges are seeking) or even fills all four, that's two or three years of science that are NOT whatever science is being assessed on MCAS for the student to fill.
The schools may still be choosing not to teach earth science.  It is already the case that not all science is assessed on the high school MCAS, though, so it is tough to make the case that this is why.
(this falls under my general philosophy of making sure you're yelling at the right people)

Board of Ed meets on Tuesday

You can find agenda here.
After the usual round of comments, including those from the public, the first report is "highlight the work of teacher-leaders" from across the state regarding the revision of the arts curriculum, STEM, and reviewing curricular products (which they're calling CUrriculum RAtings by TEachers [CURATE] and this administration's fondness for semi-acronyms that use parts of words is going to drive me round the bend). I've been asked a great deal recently what I'm seeing of the new commissioner: I'd ask if you remember any reports like this in the past. You won't. There's some of the change.
There is an update on the three of the four chronically underperforming schools that are under state receivership. (The fourth is in Holyoke and will be updated when Holyoke is next in.)
There is a report on Adult Education (which I didn't realize was managed by DESE, either).
And there's a report back on the response to the new accountability system, which will be interesting.

If you're curious as to what the final letter to Secretary Peyser on the FY20 budget looked like, it's posted as a backup.
You can also find a (Word doc) of grants approved by the Commissioner.
Tuesday, 8:30 am, in Malden!

"Yet the stigma persists..."

 On bias among white parents:

A recent study in the journal City & Community based on survey data out of eight metropolitan areas in the U.S. suggests that residents—including, presumably, parents—frequently harbor negative associations with the term “urban” and, by extension, “inner-city” communities and institutions, such as schools. To them these words may connote scenes of educational dysfunction—rows of decrepit classrooms, for example, each stocked with an overworked teacher and a cluster of indignant teens, almost all of them poor students of color.

By contrast, the study pointed to evidence that the term “suburban” tends to elicit images of productivity and well-being among white parents. Of course, these stereotypes that white middle-class parents harbor aren’t simply about population density, but race, with “urban” standing in for predominantly black or Latino. A number of studies have shown that white parents tend to select schools with lower proportions of black students, regardless of school quality.

Four Cities at MASBO

The Four Cities presentation comes to MASBO this morning, with a beginning on the MassBudget July report on Foundation Budget Review Commission implementation, followed by Brockton, Holyoke, Springfield, and Worcester speaking on the gaps. 
Brian Allen, Worcester: started with Brockton and Worcester, added Holyoke and Springfield
have talked to about twelve superintendents so far on how to calculate these slides
going to do essentially the same presentation, spending gaps on special ed and health insurance and the impact on those districts
not keeping pace with health insurance costs; $1B more than what was being provided
special ed likewise
"finally after years of advocacy, the state created the Foundation Budget Review Commission" in 2015
"the formula as we know it is 25 plus years old; it's dated and it's time for an update"
four main findings of the Foundation Budget : health insurance, special education, ELL, low income
you guys know this, right?

average per pupil exceeds foundation, even upon adoption of recommendations, by $700M
(thus when you see gaps versus implementation, those will be two different numbers, and implementation doesn't fully fill the gaps)

note that in every case, the districts are also reviewing how they've worked to control costs
Brockton: $7.3M gap in health insurance
$22.1M gap in special ed
Holyoke: $6.2M gap in health insurance
$12.4M in special ed
Springfield: $32.1M gap in health insurance (and they're in the GIC)
$35.4M in special ed
Worcester: "to continue the broken record, but that's intentional" $34.9M gap in health insurance
$34.6M in special ed

increasing increment of low income 50-100%
ELL increment (from fixed rate)

Allen: "so what does this mean for communities?"
"if you only spend at or near foundation, cummulatively we're spending $185M less on something else"

Brockton: short 414 regular ed teachers

Holyoke: short 161 regular ed teachers

Springfield: short 744 regular ed teachers

Worcester: short 773 regular ed teachers
"the money has to come from some place"

Colin Jones MassBudget: state budget is "just a bill that happens to have $45 billion dollars in it"
hearing that something is coming this year, "we'll have to see what this looks compared to full implementation"
"I think it's shifted...it's a shift in the conversation" noting Secretary Peyser's comment yesterday
Backbone of how this works: provide the support for the changes made
trajectory is going down
FY19 increase "it's 1% when you account for inflation" so that isn't "so much money"
none of the big ticket items (FBRC, preschool, higher ed) are really advancing
"districts that have the capacity are spending twice foundation"

"we're running out of patience to get this solved"

the Commission's report is the official state document on getting this done

"and every single year that we don't do, we don't follow our own constitution"

MassBudget's model for implementation
includes the four major pillars: updating health care, special education, support for ELL, low income
phase in means it takes time to get there
"nobody loses!"
"one of the big takeaways is that low income is two thirds of the whole thing...you're not dealing with equity if you don't deal with it"

And coming up:

Cities losing clout in Massachusetts?

I'm still thinking about this Commonwealth Magazine piece about the loss of political clout of cities in Massachusetts, which the authors tie to the inability to get reform on school funding:

Over many decades, the population in Massachusetts has become increasingly suburbanized. This shift has led to many consequences, the most important being a change in the makeup of legislative districts. As the population has shifted from urban centers to suburban areas, legislative districts have been adjusted to accommodate the increased population in these formerly rural locations.
In 1966, the 39 original cities in Massachusetts constituted 57 percent of the state’s population and 51 percent of the aggregate turnout in the state election that November. By 2018, those same cities made up only 45 percent of the state’s population and accounted for just 37 percent of the vote in the November election. While the total population of the Commonwealth has increased over that time by 27 percent, the impact of voters in Massachusetts cities is nearly a third less than what it used to be.

Are we going to talk about this $4M?

If you're in Worcester, you might remember this headline from the last week of November: Worcester taxpayers to benefit from $4M budget error.
I initially read the article expecting to see something of how the error occurred, where in the city's budgetary process it happpened, and what they were doing about it...

Thomas F. Zidelis, the city’s chief financial officer, said Tuesday the city should be raising $307 million in property taxes this year, reflecting the allowable 2.5 percent tax-levy increase from the previous year.
But when the budget was calculated, he said, it was mistakenly built on raising $303 million in taxes.
Instead of increasing the city’s tax levy by 2.5 percent, as allowed under state law, Mr. Zidelis said the tax levy was increased by only 1.35 percent, thus understating the levy for the budget by approximately $4 million.

Nothing.
So I checked the city council backup from that meeting, thinking it perhaps had been covered there; it's the attachment to item 7.25 A on this agenda:

Apparently not. Also note that the Manager's backup says "understated" rather than that there was a mistake, and it goes quickly on to how this is a "savings" for taxpayers.

Are we just going to gloss over that somehow we had a $4M mistake in last year's taxes?

The spin here, of course, is that this is "savings" that will be passed onto city taxpayers. This misses that this was not, it appears, a deliberate decision; no one ever recommended it, no one deliberated it, no one voted it, intentionally. It was an error.
This also ignores how budgeting works: Massachusetts property taxes are already capped ('though subject to override) at 2.5% increases per year. A year in which those funds are not raised cannot be recovered. Thus the city lost $4M in revenue--that could be used on anything from hiring teachers to fixing water pipes--and it will never get that back, as we start from that lesser point for FY20.
Taxation, as Judge Brandeis put it, are the price we pay for civilization. We didn't decide to pay $4M fewer dollars on that last year as a city, and spinning this as a tax savings does us all a disservice.


PS: because the FY19 foundation budget is calculated on FY16 DOR filings, this didn't impact the WPS budget for FY19. We'd best see this corrected before we get to the FY19 rate being used to calculate the foundation budget, however. 

Consider the source

I saw that this presentation from former Secretary of Education Paul Reville got a good bit of press a week or so ago; what I didn't see get fleshed out quite as much is the event at which he was presenting. The main sponsor? The Mass Education Equity Partnership. And who is that? Basically, Families for Excellent Schools (the pro-Question 2 folks) reborn.
I think it's important to note that so far, MEEP is the main voice pointing out that educational inequities are tied to race and ethnicity in Massachusetts. That's a problem, because we don't need the funded-dark-money-only-solution-is-privatization crew making that point for us.
Watch this one. As we head into a new Legislative session and the debate over how to increase funding for public education in Massachusetts heats up, this is going to be an easy group for the Governor to align with.
Arguably, of course, he already has.

FY20 Joint Hearing on revenue in the press

I'd recommend starting with Katie Lannan's coverage for State House News Service, found here.

Despite a strong economy, last year’s $1 billion budget surplus, and revenue collections that are outperforming expectations so far this year, the potential for an economic slowdown and future recession loomed as the budget-writing process for next fiscal year kicked off on Wednesday.

You can also check Mike Deehan's coverage at WGBH.
It is projected at this point that the state's tax rate will come down next year.
The question of the state's bond rating--which impacts building schools--is covered in this bit about the Treasurer.
And for those asking, didn't we have a new source of revenue, here's that coverage.

FY20 Joint Ways and Means Hearing on Revenue

About to come to you live from the Joint Ways and Means hearing on revenue, starting the process of agreeing as to how much money the state will have to budget for FY20.

Updating as we go
Rep. Sanchez gavels in, noting it's the last time he'll do this
"this exciting session...that we have by statute to decide what revenues are going to be"
there is representation from the Senate (Sen. Joan Lovely) and the Governor's office (the Secretary of Administration and Finance Michael Heffernan)
represents the kickoff of the 2020 budget
despite the $1B surplus of the previous year, "we always have to remain thoughtful as we plan for the future"
"have been able to act in a unified bipartisan choices to make hard choices"
notes that rainy day fund is above $2B, that tax revenues are above forecasts
"everywhere I look, the cranes keep going up...and not only here in Boston, but throughout the Commonwealth"

Sen. Lovely "a vital first step in the budget process"
"critical that we forecast accurately"
"must be good stewards"
"our collections grew well beyond benchmarks"
revenue this year grew $423M beyond expectations
"we must be prepared for anything...our economy has remained consistently strong"

Secretary Heffernan
"keen appreciation for the process"
looking forward to testimony today
"look forward to our continued collaboration" with Legislature
and parting words for Sanchez
"but we are just five months into the fiscal year and we must always be mindful that circumstances can change"

Christopher Harding, Commissioner of Department of Revenue
Chief Economist
General Counsel
Have distributed copies of briefing book which will also be available on their website
"exceptionally strong revenue growth in FY18"
greatest single year growth since FY11, had been exceeded only 3 times in preceding 30 years
why? preceded by two years of disappointing revenue growth
(and note that they're still getting FY18 tax filings)
S&P index rose; "jump in estimated payments...partly due to strong stock market performance" and jump in capital gains
federal tax code: impact on state revenue
"corporate tax revenue tend to be volatile"
SALT  payments from personal side encouraged (federal side)
strong Massachusetts economy throughout
"less indicative of trends than episodic factors"
financial markets much more uncertain this year than previously
"given these conditions, the more volatile sources of income cannot be depended upon"
nearly full employment, so further growth in employment may slow
slower growth nationally would at some point slow growth in Massachusetts
among longest periods of economic growth in history (will reach that in July)
"not projecting a recession to begin during fiscal year twenty" but coming
potential upside on benchmarks for next year
"should be treated with caution"
"believe some of the fiscal surplus was borrowed" from next year
"we believe that our prior FY19 benchmark remains appropriate"
based on FY19...
2% to 2.9% over FY19 forecast
range up to 3.5%; midpoint would be 3.2%
assumptions of note: tax rate down to 5%
on marijuana sales: "use with caution for budgeting purposes"
fading impact of federal tax changes, international markets, concerns about international trade
state employment rate "is impressively low" and projecting growth of less than one percent to just over
possibility of growing gains in tax revenue exists, but when those will come in "is impossible to predict"
"unclear whether state revenues will continue to be strong through the year end"

and questions
Sanchez: past two years have been completely different (from one another)
"what we can learn from that projecting from the future?"
A: significant taxes came in at the end of the year
"in some cases to prepay based on uncertainty"
"strong economy indicators, strong job growth" as we exited '18
Sanchez: assuming we hit tax rollback figures, what will be impact?
A; first rollback to 5.01% by $84M in FY19 and $175M in FY20
"and you can read that on page seven, Mr. Chairman"
(to question) sales tax exceeded expectations

Lovely: gaming tax revenue?
A: we have not looked at that, falls under the Treasurer
"have not received any proposes for changes"
to question: exceeded estate tax benchmarks "significantly"
"most volatility is estate side"
very strong revenue from marijuana sales, will continue to track that

Chang-Diaz: actual numbers versus baseline numbers
"actual is raw dollar increase"
"baseline adjusts for an administrative or legislative changes throughout the year" to do a comparison that is more accurate
Chang-Diaz: so it gives us more of an idea of what is happening in the economy rather than policy changes
Chang-Diaz: expected increase in income tax rates: why not yielding an increase in revenue?
A: "there's a model and complexity"
"not a one for one...needs to be adjusted for volatility"

Rep. Walsh: rise in GDP but expectation that employment will rise more than that
A: GDP looks at all sectors, labor side looks at just jobs

Q on online revenue
A: online registration from day one
approximately 370 registered; additional after decision
"in tens of millions right now...a nice steady growth right now"
tracking very closely who has and has not registered
"have sent them friendly reminders" of those who have not registered
do have enforceement measures

Rep. Cutler: rainy day fund
A: hard to predict when things will turn and how long they'll turn and thus how much the fund needs to be

Next up Treasurer Deb Goldberg
Goldberg wishes both Sanchez and Kulik well
Sanchez "Madame Treasurer, I'm not in a casket!"
Goldberg notes that she met Sanchez when he first ran and knocked on her door
"most of you have consistenly heard me speak of the need to replenish the rainy day fund"
here to thank you for doing so
note tax change: impact on tax exempt organizations
do not have a significant number of bonds maturing in near time
income rates had begun to increase
"navigated the markets effectively this year"
"have seen wide investor interest...and robust demand from traditional retail investors"
realistic about the challenges faced
"manage our unfunded pension obligations...on track to be funded by 2040"
"we will not turn our backs on [retirees]"
unclaimed property reversions; on track to meet total reversion estimate of $131M
"consistently returning more and more money to its rightful owners"
Lottery aid: fourth straight year topped $5B mark; $997M in net profit
Gaming landscape has shifted: lottery has adapted
increased investment in retail partners
"most efficient lottery in the United States"
pitch for online lottery
"understand that there will not be progress without partnership"
notes concerns about corner stores but not how one would deal with them
and offers to help with sports betting

And questions:
Sanchez: how to better communicate our fiscal strength and responsibility to rating agencies?
Goldberg: did a road show in NY to rating agencies when she was first elected
will recommend another one
"many states offload debt onto their counties and other state agencies we have; we do not do that, and we don't seem to get credit for that"
"they were very focused on the rainy day fund"
recommend going back down to New York and seeing them again
Sanchez: feel funding of unfunded pension liability is realistic?
Goldberg: will make recommendations again in January in response to new projections
"in good shape to whatever may come in the next couple of years"
past few years "we had major overperformance"
Sanchez: how do you come up with those projections? should we make an adjustments?
Goldberg: we use actuarial estimations, "it's a complicated data-driven process"
look at funding schedule every year

Kulik: online lottery; mentioned 11 states with online lottery presence
are there any that are a peer state (NH, Kulik says, in size and revenue, not comparable)
Goldberg: we are losing potential customers to NH
Michigan; as their sales have grown,their retailors sales have grown
which means they're creating gamblers?
Goldberg: can set up stops on their mobile phones for themselves so they only can spend so much
"patterns that you can begin to see"

Sen. deMacedo: what would you like to see happen on rainy day fund?
Goldberg: rainy day fund is important but not all they look at
was recommending a minimum of $4B
"I would recommend that we keep putting money in the rainy day fund"
"when we don't adhere to fiscal policy, it costs the state opportunity and money"
"I can't begin to tell you how many communities need new schools, and that isn't because smartboards would be nice. They need new buildings."
if we don't have good bonding, we can't borrow for it
"I think of the pipes underground" water quality is a health issue

Chang-Diaz: where the sales of lottery are happening?
Goldberg: due to commissions, we know where the sales happen, but not where the people are
"there's always the conversation of communities where it appears people would have a lot more money"

Lovely: on gaming revenue: any idea on projections?
Goldberg: we would not know anything about gaming revenues, and that is not within our department
Gaming Commission would know that; "that's not our office...do you want to move it there?'
(DoR had said Lovely should ask Treasurer)
lottery in casinos; hearing some concerns about siting
"not looking at one on one of the casino versus the lottery...we're being assaulted by multiple resources"
"if you don't innovate, you don't grow and you potentially die"
and that's it for the Treasurer

Federal Reserve Bank economist Dr. Zhao (?)
New England Public Policy center
overview of labor markets: continue to post solid job gains through October of 2018
8.8% increase over previous year (non-farm labor) for Massachusetts
by sector: construction sector posted largest year over year rate of growth (5.1% increase in the state)
outpaced nation in professional and business services, information, and other job services
measurement of unemployment (usage rate? maybe?) which takes in those underemployed as well
7.1% as a state (7.8% nationally)
labor force rate has grown continuously since 2016
only state in the region with labor force participation over that prior to the recession
last time it was this high was 2003
seniors 65 and older are part of what is driving it
tighter labor market, thus a stronger wage increase than the U.S.: 3% over prior October
2.4% increase across the U.S.
housing market: increase 6.8% nationally, 5.3% increased in Massachusetts
passed pre-recession levels
are slowing somewhat; attributed to rising interest rate
fuel and utilities increased by 4.6% over year before
top exporters reported year over year drop in Massachusetts
outlook: 2.1% over the next six months
job growth strong on average; unemployment low; house sales slowing
"economy to grow at a positive but slower rate in the near term"

Question:
Rep. Fiola: what are we exporting to China?
A: recent change? depreciation of U.S. dollars

Next is Mass Taxpayers Foundation
2.4% increase is what they are projecting
"does not include marijuana sales" or one time revenue
nor does it assume a tax rate drop
decline in capital gains is what they're projecting based on
slower employment growth projected
demographic headwinds leading to a slower growth in jobs
aging and decling workforce due to one of the lowest birthrates in the country
declining population between 16 and 64
negative impacts of opioid epidemic
initial signs of strain: pending home sales dropping, sagging auto sales, business investment (stock buyback rather than new investment), oil prices down,
tensions with China, concerns over Brexit, concern over economic downtown
increase in tax revenue of 3.6% is what they are projecting for FY20
don't recommend any revision to current fiscal year projection
"we are on borrowed time" regarding a fiscal downturn
"we certainly would like to see a higher balance in the stabilization fund"
"certainly is less than rating agencies would recommend" due to volitality of revenue sources, which would recommend 10% of state annual budget
states' ability to withstand a moderate or severe recession recently rated

to questions:
Sanchez: business confidence is down from a year ago
MTF: consistent with a lot of what we're saying
exercise is to look 18 months out; "so much easier to add a supplemental budget over the course of the year than have to take money away
Sanchez: insight "revising elements of the Grand Bargain"?
MTF: would require additional money; small businesses operate on smaller margins, and that bears watching
Rep. Malia: opioid epidemic?
MTF: economy is losing out on wages of folks who would otherwise be in the economy
companies because of absenteeism or presenteeism "has a considerable cost"


William Burke, Beacon Hill Institute
increase of 2.4% increase in tax revenue projected for FY20
current labor market in the United States is strong
250,000 jobs increased in October nationally
slowing growth over the next two years
"expected growth to slowdown in 2020" due to trade policy, other factors
"the Massachusetts outlook remains strong"
"expect growth to moderate from the current robust pace"

next testimony (I don't know who this is)
includes reductions in personal income tax rate
3.4% growth of revenue expected
"economic growth is expected to slow"
federal tax policy change: question of excess revenue in FY18 comes at expense of fiscal year '19
used estimates of FY18 without change
refunds were $446M less; payments on returns were $554M less
"seems to indicate that people indeed did move" filing from FY19 to FY18
fsical year income for businesses: consistent with corporations timing their fiscal liablity to get the lower tax rate
"there is a downside for the fiscal '19 estimate" (they were paying ahead)


Michael Goodman's testimony (UMass Dartmouth)
leads the Public Policy Center
testimony reflecting on context of time
capital gains realized in FY19; reporting well above benchmarks
"while this is very encouraging, there are a number of reasons why I think we are not going to be able to sustain this pace of growth"
aging and slow-growing population concern in keeping up with workforce; have been meeting ways in various ways
defer retirement, underused employees
domestic migration (usually unusual for us) "it may be this time is different"
crossborder commuting (NH, RI)
federal immigration laws and enforcement practices are particularly unhelpful
"our most important competitive advantages are the talents and innovative capacity of our people--our human capital"
"limited additional capacity to support growth at the current pace"
"sizable and troubling gap between the performance of the Greater Boston region and the rest of the state remains"
and even as Boston booms there is "increasing congestion on our roadways, a growing reliance on our already struggling public transit systems, and...a serious housing affordability problem"
regarding trade: "it turns out trade wars are not easy to win"
notes that new schools, which he agrees with the Treasurer we need, will need steel rebar, which now will cost 40-50% more than it would have without the trade war
thus increase cost for the Commonwealth
"growing consensus that there is a reversal of economic fortune in the offing"
running a nearly $1T annual budget deficit at the national level; lacking capacity for action if needed, let alone infrastructure investment
rainy day fund below FY07 levels
"a number of good reasons to be optimisitc about the Commonwealth's near-term economic and fiscal prospects"

Sanchez: labor force participation?
Goodman: they have stayed on and not retired
Sanchez: ethnic and racial groups: who is participating?
Goodman: that is being tracked; some recognition among employers that they need to work in the people they have
transportation and education needs
Lovely: older population staying in: want to work or have to?
Goodman: yes
Lovely: student debt; do we know what that looks like?
Goodman: does place a burden on the next generation
do millenials like roommates and not like cars or are they unable to afford them?
more the latter
"it is a significant burden and it is changing behavior"
Rep. Fiola: workforce training; really keep our eye on that
Goodman: long been a significant social problem; now an economic imperative, because we "literally cannot afford to leave anyone behind"

AND THAT IS A WRAP: ON TO FY20!

For the sake of the record

...I do want to note that this notion of "business partnerships" for the Worcester Public Schools that is being acclaimed as being a new idea in today's Worcester Telegram and Gazette isn't new to Worcester at all. A quick search of my blog notes for "Worcester business partnership" turns up this result, and that's just what I wrote down. The business partners for each school was a regular part of principals' reports in the previous administration.

Note that you can also do this with ad-hoc committees on attendance, and half a dozen other things that have been proclaimed to be new and innovative in the past three years, when they were things that were regularly happening in the previous five or ten.

Worcester School Committee meets Thursday

The agenda for the December 6 meeting of the Worcester School Committee can be found here.
Note that the item on the foundation budget is not only back on (I believe it was held?) but it is also on the agenda as a public petition of the Educational Association of Worcester. I still think the number and date are a mistake, HOWEVER, please note that this is an EXCELLENT week to contact your reps and senators to remind them that advancing an updated foundation budget should be a MAJOR PRIORITY of their next session!

Also, looking back at that last agenda...did we hear literally a single thing about the superintendent's midyear evaluation? That would seem rather important.

There are recognitions and such, as well as another round of appointments, retirements, and resignations.
The Governance subcommittee is reporting out, largely that they're filing a large number of items (there are a few revised policies here, 'though they look to be the legally required or otherwise recommended updates).
There is a response on the Worcester State cohort (this is essentially the "making new administrators" program).
There is a response back that for the most part, no, Worcester didn't get any more money from the last federal budget; the one exception is about half a million more dollars in Title IV, going to safe and healthy schools, technology, and "well-rounded educational opportunities."
There is a response back that the Federal Education Innovation and Research Program from the same budget didn't have a ready application to the Worcester Public Schools.
...and likewise on federal safety money.
There is a response on advertising that senior citizens get lower admission prices at games and on proposed additions to coaching.
Mr. Monfredo is requesting monthly school newsletters, put online.
Mr. O'Connell is requesting email addresses from parents and online grading (...which makes me wonder if he's talked to parents at all?)
Mr. O'Connell suggests the adoption of the Orton-Gillingham model for dyslexia.
Mr. O'Connell proposes that the Positive Directions Program be replicated at all secondary schools.
The administration is requesting that the School Committee adopt the administration's own locally created policy on homeschooling to replace the language adopted previously (which is common in many other districts).
There is a request to approve a prior year payment of $680 for Madison Security Group.
There is a request to accept a grant of $5000 for the STARS Residency at Columbus Park School.

There is a request that the following donations be accepted:
 – $250.00 from WEDF to Canterbury Street Magnet School
 – $1,000.00 from Re-Elect McGovern Committee to Canterbury Street Magnet School
– $500.00 from New England Dairy & Food Council to South High Community School
– $500.00 from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care to Tatnuck Magnet School
– $125.00 from College of the Holy Cross to Woodland Academy
– $1,000.00 from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care to WTHS
– $100.00 from Hanioti Licensee Inc./DQ Grill & Chill to Belmont Street Community School
– $95.00 from Nicole Webley-Roberts to Tatnuck Magnet School

And there is a posted executive session for negotiations and a grievance.

Regarding segregation and Massachusetts

A Twitter thread from me from last night: for more on this see the UMass Boston archives here, this UMass Boston collection here, and "Because It's Right--Educationally " report to the Massachusetts Board of Education. 

Thread by @TracyNovick: "When the term and concept of segregation academies hit the national news cycle, there was the back and forth online about the South. nytimes […]" #MAEdu #buildBPS