Schools should be...

 Here's that MSBA post for you.

Rendering of the new Doherty from the Capital Budget section of the FY23 budget

The final three items from last week's Worcester School Committee meeting were proposed by me, as follows:

• To advocate to our state delegation for the use of state American Rescue Plan Act funds to cover the pandemic-induced inflationary increases in current Massachusetts School Building Core Program projects.
  
  
• To urge the state delegation to do what is necessary to restore the Massachusetts School Building Authority Accelerated Repair program.
  
  
• To urge the state delegation to do what is necessary to expand funding for the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

As I noted in the meeting (you can watch the video below), these are three interlocking items, because of Worcester's rare relationship with the MSBA:

1. Worcester has a current Core building project--Doherty--which is among the projects that have been hit with pandemic-induced inflation in the costs. While the MSBA Board voted last month to increase the reimbursement to building projects, that was only to buildings accepted into the program from last October forward. The city is carrying an additional $23M in costs as a result of the pandemic, in effect.
   While some have argued that MSBA should simply cover this, having a revenue-capped state program that already doesn't meet the need cover pandemic inflation isn't wise. Nor it is necessary, as the state continues to have undedicated America Rescue Plan funds, funds that the federal government sent to states just for the costs caused by the pandemic. They should use ARPA funds to cover the inflationary costs of school buildings.
   
   
2. Worcester has benefited perhaps more than any other district from the Accelerated Repair Program. Flip through the capital budget section, and you'll see that rarely has there been a year where Worcester didn't have multiple schools getting roofs, windows, or boilers (or a combination). This is a partnership that allows the district to continue to work with school buildings that are solid, but need these substantive upgrades.
   We would have submitted Union Hill and Wawecus Elementary Schools for new roofs this year. But MSBA announced last fall that, due to the increase in costs for the Core program, there would be no Accelerated Repair Program. That then bumps off the future year projects--we always budget these five years out--as well as continuing the issue of what we are to do about Worcester East Middle School's windows, a project far too big for the city to take on alone. 
   We have got to get the Accelerated Repair program back.
   
   
3. All of which, together, leads to that last point, which is that the MSBA needs more money. They have one of the clearest revenue lines I know: if you go buy a 99¢ burger, a penny from your 6.25% tax goes to the MSBA. It's those pennies that are building a new Doherty, that built us a new North and a new South, and that funded all those boilers, windows, and roofs.
   But it isn't enough, either for Worcester or anyone else. They need more money.

So, the above are going to the state delegation, and I, for one, do not intend to let this rest. We need not just people saying nice things about school buildings; we need money and we need real support.

You can see what I said at the meeting below.

outside Worcester and also hit by any of this? Get in touch. Let's get this done.