Novick Reports: February Board of Ed

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met on February 12, largely on charter matters. The agenda is found here. 
Upon opening, Commissioner Jeffrey Riley invited the Board to the upcoming statewide convening on March 14 at UMass Amherst. Specifics regarding the event will be forthcoming.
Public comment largely pertained to and was in support of the charter matters before the Board. Public testimony from MassCreative in support of the draft arts standards also was taken. 

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Legislative Bulletin - Governor's FY2020 Budget Proposals

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker recently released his FY 2020 budget recommendations (House 1). House 1 proposes $42.7 billion in gross spending, an increase of 1.5% over FY 2019 projected spending. The Governor has also filed separate legislation that proposes a multi-year school finance reform initiative, which includes an overhaul of the school funding formula.

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Novick Reports: Rennie Center on Student Voice

Each year, the Rennie Center presents a report on "Conditions of Education in the Commonwealth" focusing on a different issue. This year, that focus is student voice shaping the future of public education. The launch of this report at an event on January 24 featured student speakers and a panel discussion.

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Novick Reports: January Board of Education Regular meeting

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met for their regular January meeting on Tuesday, January 22. Most of the agenda dealt with charter school matters, although the Board did also receive an update on assessment and see their 2018 report.

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Novick Reports: January Board of Education on school and district report cards, automated scoring

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met on Monday, January 14 for an evening meeting. While much of the attention focused on Commissioner Jeffrey Riley's announcement of a proposed deal on expanding Alma del Mar Charter School in New Bedford, two reports were the purpose of the evening special meeting: one on the complete overhaul of the school and district report cards, and one on the use of computers in scoring student writing on the MCAS.

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Update on MASC Field Directors

MASC Field Directors play a critical role in assisting and supporting our members. Each school committee across the Commonwealth is assigned one of five Field Directors on the MASC staff. Your Field Director serves as the primary liaison for your district. He or she is available to:

• answer questions
• recommend resources,
• provide technical assistance,
• conduct onsite workshops, and
• assist with other matters.

Two of our longtime Field Directors, Pat Correira and Mike Gilbert, recently retired after many years of service to the organization. We are delighted to welcome two new Field Directors to the team: Kathleen Kelly and Liz Lafond.

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