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Greetings!
Following on the heels of the national recognition of a number of our local public school systems, news has arrived that our state's education budgets can look forward to a boost over the next four years:
![Menino, Reville, Patrick, DeLeo, Walz gather to announce prize. [SHNS]](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs037/1101662827233/img/296.jpg?a=1103639045810) Massachusetts was named Tuesday as one of 10 states to secure "Race to the Top" funds, a $4.35 billion pool of education grants that has stoked intense competition among states to adopt federally favored policies and will deliver $250 million to Massachusetts over the next four years.The funds, announced by the U.S. Department of Education, are in addition to $200 million Massachusetts was allotted under a new law signed by President Barack Obama earlier this month to dole out $10 billion in education aid to states. [Full Article: SHNS via Beverly Citizen]
The New Bedford School Department is just one example of the many educational budgets in our state hoping for relief:
About 80 city teachers were laid off last week to
close the School Department's budget shortfall, but school officials
remain hopeful that anticipated federal funding will allow them to
restore some of those positions.
"We are
cautiously optimistic that we will be able to bring back a good number
of these teachers with this money," said New Bedford School
Superintendent Mary Louise Francis. "In the absence of this money, we would be talking very large classes: in the high 30s, 40, that type of thing." [Full Article: South Coast Today]
We all agree that each and every child deserves the opportunity to learn and succeed. And the stability of an educated, productive population means that it is also vital to our businesses that our education system thrives. So how do we make sure our education systems continue to get the support they need?
We are working with community activists across the state, and we'd love to hear your ideas. For information on revenue reform and how you can lend your voice to help build better communities, please contact ONE Massachusetts today!
Sincerely,
Harmony Blakeway
Director of Operations, ONE Massachusetts
harmony@realclout.org | 617-999-8469
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REVENUE
By 2013, a fair, adequate, and stable tax system will be implemented.
It will raise sufficient revenue so that state and local governments
can fund the array of services needed. |
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State Revenue
Tax collections up 6.9% in fiscal year's first 45 days
Tax collections over the first month and a half of the
fiscal year total $1.96 billion, up 6.9 percent over comparable fiscal 2010
collections. The numbers are included in a Department of Revenue
report on tax collections through the first 16 days of August, which totaled
$611 million, up $24 million from the same period in August 2009. [State House News Service]
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Property Tax
Home values down, but tax bills rise
Despite dropping home values, Massachusetts property tax bills continued to rise last year. Revenue-hungry cities and towns, looking for money to pay for new buildings and to maintain services, have continued to push up local taxes, often asking voters to approve property tax overrides even as real estate values drop further. [Full Article: Boston Globe]
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CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
By 2013, the voice and input of the state's multi-racial, multi-ethnic communities will create a counterweight to the currently dominant voice and will be tangibly reflected in the public decision making process. |
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Women's Equality
90 years ago women gained the right to vote.
A woman is struck down during a suffragette demonstration in 1903 [GateHouse News Service] ![A woman is struck down during a suffragette demonstration in 1903 [GateHouse News Svc]](http://www.wickedlocal.com/norfolk/archive/x35355114/g12c000000000000000bfda5712834165dcb351862e8336fc13218c951f.jpg) | An article this week explores the rich history of civically-engaged women in Massachusetts:
The 90th anniversary "serves as a reminder of both the lengthy struggle that preceded it, and the relatively short period of time that women in the United States have been fully enfranchised," said Anita Danker, a Framingham resident and retired Assumption College associate professor of education.
"I think that Massachusetts women had a more visible presence during the first wave - Lucy Stone, Lydia Maria Child, Abby Kelley Foster and Lucretia Mott were among the most prominent," said Danker... [Full Article: GateHouse News Service]
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Child Health Activists
First crops at Bowdoin Street
![Bowdoin Street Healthy Champions [runningahospital.blogspot.com]](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs037/1101662827233/img/297.png?a=1103639045810) The Healthy Champions - children farming in association with the Bowdoin Street Health Center are harvesting their first crops, and selling them at the local farmers' market, all to promote healthy eating and heart health! [Full Blog Post: Running a Hospital]
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GOVERNMENT REFORM
By 2013, a transparent, accessible and accountable state and local
policy-making process will be in place. |
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Public Transparency
Calls for access to ethics forms grow louder
The Boston Globe [Tuesday] weighed in on the frustration in dealing with the State Ethics Commission and all its hurdles. It is a drum we [CommonWealth Magazine] have been beating since last fall and now, hopefully, the growing calls for change will trigger action...
As maddening as it is for those of us in the journalism business to jump through hoops for what are statutorily public records, the biggest losers in this are members of the general public, who are not getting timely and responsive information regarding potential conflicts from those entrusted with running their government. Full disclosure should mean that.
[Full Article: CommonWealth Magazine]
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- Sept 1st - State Auditor and State Treasurer Candidate Forums. Voter advocacy organization MassVOTE has pulled together a series of
forums intended to highlight contests for state and local offices.
Sept 1 - 6:00pm - Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02120 [ Map]
- Sept 17th - The Gastón Institute's 2010 Statewide Latino Public Policy Conference, Securing the Dream: Power, Progress, Prosperity. The conference will address public policies and organizational practices affecting Latinos in their local communities in the key policies areas, and will take place at the DCU Convention Center in Worcester, MA. Primary conference objectives are:
- To increase understanding of current issues that impact Latinos in Massachusetts,
- To provide new data reports on immigration, education, health, economic development as well as updated demographic reports,
- To create a dialogue between policy makers and Latinos on the impact of public policies and organizational practices,
- To serve as a network connector for participants interested in the advancement of Latinos.
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 Want more information on ONE Massachusetts and how you can get involved? Check out our: |
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