A plea from Worcester

 sent this evening to the members of the Worcester delegation to the state legislature

Dear Senators and Representatives,

In my capacity as a Worcester resident, parent, and school committee member, I have started probably half a dozen emails to you since the spring, not sending any of them as it has all seemed too complicated and exhausting to fight through. Two things, though, have happened in the past 24 hours that have made me determined to get something to you, finally, this time.

Last night, Commissioner Riley sent out his weekly update. In it, he issued updated guidance for brass and wind instruments, which reads as follows:

The Department has updated its Guidance for Courses Requiring Additional Safety Considerations for Fall 2020. When in-person school is occurring, wind and brass instruments may be used indoors or outdoors with 10 feet of distance between individuals. Masks, including instrument masks that have a slit for the instrument, and the use of bell covers are encouraged if possible. Spit valves should be emptied onto a disposable, absorbent pad rather than the floor so that contents can be contained. 

I am the mother of a brass instrumentalist, and so am familiar with what playing such an instrument entails. For the Commissioner to suggest that students can play such instruments indoors with instrument masks and bell covers only "if possible" and with no mention of ventilation during this pandemic that we know to be airborne is beyond irresponsible. This is, though, of a piece with guidance that urged only three feet of distancing in classrooms, that set no limits on students in rooms, that made no distinction among students of various ages (and susceptibility to contagion), that elevated individual town data as determinative, and that has, over and again, ignored that there are adults in our buildings. While we have known for weeks (longer, I'd argue) that this disease is airborne, the Department still has not issued any updates addressing that danger.
From where I sit in Worcester, that is negligence. 

Today, Governor Baker filed his FY21 budget with you. While I had hoped for better than the inflation-only increase that was passed in July, I to some degree was also resigned to it. However, to hear the Governor repeat the deceptive framing posed by Secretary Peyser yesterday, that the funding to schools this year surpasses that laid out by the Student Opportunity Act, is infuriating. I have had reason to wonder if the Governor has any understanding of the school funding formula before this, but this statement has confirmed that he either does not or chooses willfully to ignore the principle upon which it is based.
Pandemic funding is precisely that: it is funding for an EMERGENCY. To have that funding then touted as filling the gaping hole in our basic needs is simply wrong; having to spend money to repair my car does not take away my need for gas money. 
Moreover, the funding for the pandemic has been flat: it is distributed regardless of student need, regardless of community need. Every student in every district, whatever its wealth, received that emergency funding. The state's funding formula, on quite the other hand, is progressive: it recognizes that greater need requires greater resources to meet. 
I would argue, in fact, that the pandemic funding, while I do not begrudge it to anyone, has furthered inequity, by allowing additional resources where basic needs have already been met, which then are allocated over and above that. This shouldn't surprise us, as flat funding often does this, as those who study school finance have told us long since.
In fact, such researchers were sounding the alarm on non-progressive use of state resources as far back as April. Far from being warned by this, Governor Baker has barreled us into just that situation.  

To this point, I attach here my testimony, submitted yesterday to the Department, regarding local contribution for education. While it addresses that in particular, you may also find it informative regarding the current year's budget in your coming deliberations. 
School districts across Massachusetts have had an ongoing case of whiplash from the guidance from the Department, with it frequently coming too late, conflicting with other health guidance or best practice, or contradicting what we know to be safe for our students and staff. Compounding this has been a budget that not only does not meet our needs but is touted as going above and beyond. 
I would urge you to do what you can in implementing progressive budgeting funding, which this is not, but whatever you do, I would ask that you please, please be vocal about the degree to which this administration is being intentionally misleading on framing in the budget and frequently making our local planning more complicated in their guidance. 
As always, thank you for your time and attention.
And as always, I am happy to talk further about this with any of you.
Tracy Novick