Two on Worcester Public Schools budget (this one on FY25)

At Thursday's Worcester School Committee meeting, we'll get our first high-level glimpse of the administration's recommended FY25 budget. That link is to the agenda; the backup for the report of the superintendent is not yet posted. 
Note of course that this means the budget is on the agenda, so if you have something to say on the budget, it could be a good time to do so. There also will be a (mandated) budget hearing before the Committee deliberates; as the preliminary budget calendar has the projected date for that conflicting with a graduation, I'd imagine it will be rescheduled?

Two on Worcester Public Schools budget (this one on FY24)

It's been a bit since I've written anything on Worcester's budget at all, let alone this current year, and there are a few things worth understanding. 

Let's first note that the Finance, Operations, and Governance subcommittee meets on Monday at 4:45 PM. The agenda for that is here, and it does include proposed policies on cell phones and earbuds, on service animals in schools, and on emotional support dogs, as well as the current student handbook ahead of its annual changes. I'm not going to post on that here, but if any of that is of interest, go take a look.

The subcommittee also has the FY24 third quarter report, though, running through March 31.

Board of Ed meets Tuesday

It's at Wellesley High School this month, as that's the school of Ela Gardiner, who is the student member. 

And look at that: the agenda actually has topics the Secretary and Acting Commissioner are expected to address during the meeting! That's best practice...if only they could get the chair to do that, too...

Also on the agenda: the Commissioner's search; an update on safe schools for LGBTQ students; an update on the Department's vision; and a budget update.
No links as yet to backups

Liveblog will be coming your way.

about this budget year for Massachusetts schools...

 It is lousy! 

"This is a really lousy year," said Tracy O’Connell Novick describing what Massachusetts public school districts are going through right now as they plan next year’s budget.

Novick is a specialist on finance and state education funding at the Massachusetts School Committee Association (MASCA).

“Right now, my job is abut 60% standing in front of groups saying, ‘your budget is terrible. The state budget is terrible. Here's why it's terrible,’” Novick said.

(60% is probably too high...it just feels that way!) 

There is a Worcester School Committee meeting on Thursday

 Note that there is a Worcester School Committee meeting on Thursday:

https://worcesterschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/20240419.pdf

Note that there does not appear to be an executive session, so expect it to start at 5:30

The report of the Superintendent is on climate and culture:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mpW68Tt7_vb9_6_s-5NI2Ftr4ERLijq8/view?usp=sharing

As per usual, no further comments...

On city finances and planning

 At the April 9 meeting of the City Council: 

Toomey makes request under suspension for a five point plan on school building finances needs and renovations.

— Marco Cartolano (@marco_cartolano) April 10, 2024

While it appears to be deleted, Councilor Toomey later clarified on Twitter that she was speaking of amending the city's five point financial plan. 

Recommended reading

My week went a bit sideways at the end here, so I haven't gotten around to a few things I'd intended to write on. In the meantime, here is some of what I have been reading:

• There are many, many things out there about the wave of organizing that is happening on college campuses on Gaza and divestment. I'd recommend this New Yorker piece, this New York Times opinion piece, and this scorcher from Columbia University's student newspaper, The Spectator, which also covered protests in solidary on other campuses; Teen Vogue covered that at the beginning of the week.

• An aspect not being discussed in the AI in education discourse is the absolutely atrocious environmental impact; read about that here in the New Republic.
  Also there's an excellent column in Education Next on artificial intelligence not being a great teacher: “This isn’t just unhelpful; it’s counterproductive to learning.”
  

• MassInc posted this piece "Musing on the House budget, SOA, families, and the state's long term fiscal health" last week. The one thing I would add here:
  

  The House budget increases Chapter 70 aid above levels required by the SOA. However, fully factoring inflation, the funding levels fall below what the SOA called for based on the estimated costs of educating students back in the 2010s.

  ...is that the increase "above levels required by SOA" is done in a way that has nothing to do with SOA, or student need, at all, as it's the $104 per pupil.  

• Today's NPR piece on historical markers, what they are for and not and what they say and don't is well worth the time.
  

  How the U.S. tells its own story is a debate raging in schools, statehouses and public squares nationwide. It has led to social movements and angry protests. But for more than a century, historical markers have largely escaped that kind of scrutiny.
  With more than 180,000 of them scattered across the U.S., it's easy to see why