MASC Staff is Available for Your Questions and Guidance

Due to the growing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), in consultation with the MASC Board of Directors, many of the MASC staff will be working remotely for at least the next two weeks.

This decision was made to ensure that staff and their families remain safe, as well as enable us to meet the needs of our members, especially in this time of uncertainty and rapidly evolving circumstances.

Whether in the office or working outside the office, MASC staff is on call to answer your questions and provide updates on governance and policy issues relating to this unprecedented crisis as soon information becomes available. You can reach staff members by phone or email at the sources listed below. Please do not hesitate to contact us. Of course, we will continue to post our regular communiques, including The Daily Ed and updates via email, our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Public Policy Updates: FY21 Hearing on Ways and Means

The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held their hearing on education and local aid at the Malden Senior Center on Friday, March 6. The Committee was chaired by Senator Jason Lewis and Representative Christine Barber. Testimony was only taken as invited; anyone wishing to give testimony on a budget matter may do so at the open session on Tuesday, March 24 at 11 am at the State House. Senator Lewis opened by quoting Hamlet, reminding speakers "brevity is the soul of wit."

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Public Policy Updates: February 2020 Board of Ed

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met Tuesday, February 25, 2020 in Malden. The agenda is here; the video of the meeting is here. 

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Public Policy Updates: January Board of Education

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met for their regular January meeting on Tuesday, January 28, 2020. The agenda for the meeting can be found here; the video of the meeting is available here. 

The meeting opened with brief remarks from Senator Jason Lewis (who represents the area around the Department) regarding the Student Opportunity Act. Chair Katherine Craven thanked him and the Legislature for their work; he in turned thanked the Department, singling out the finance department in particular, for their work supporting the legislation, commenting "we lost track of how many models we ran" during the deliberation in committee. 

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Spending Plans Required by Recently Enacted Legislation

MEMORANDUM
TO: Massachusetts School Committee Members
FROM: Glenn Koocher, Executive Director, MASC
DATE: January 10, 2020
RE: Spending Plans Required by Recently Enacted Legislation

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Public Policy Updates: State's economic future debated at consensus revenue hearing

Each year before proposing and agreeing upon a budget, the two chambers of the Legislature and the Governor's office agree on the amount of money they will plan to spend that coming year. To begin this process for fiscal year 2021, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means together with the Office of Administration and Finance held a consensus revenue hearing, at which they heard invited testimony regarding the current and next fiscal year's outlook for the Massachusetts economy and the revenue it will bring to the state.

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