MASC reports on Massachusetts public schools, education news, school committee issues and updates from the Department of Education.
This information has been compiled by MASC Field Director Tracy Novick.
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.
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.
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met for their regular meeting on December 18. The agenda can be found here.
In his opening remarks, Commissioner Riley asked that stakeholders hold the date of March 19 for a meeting at UMass Amherst on planning the way forward. He also remarked "many people are hopeful" that action will be taken on the foundation budget during this coming Legislative session, and we will "need to remain more vigilant" in order to see that through.
The only public comment was one on wireless technology.
Each year, the Legislature's Joint Ways and Means Committee holds a public hearing with the Governor's office to receive expert testimony before they agree upon a revenue number for the next fiscal year; this amount will determine what they budget for next year. The Joint Committee met Wednesday, December 5 this year. The Committee is jointly chaired by Representative Jeffrey Sanchez and Senator Joan Lovely, with Secretary of Administration and Finance Michael Heffernan sitting in for the Governor's office.
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met on Tuesday, November 20 for a short agenda, largely regarding the FY20 budget. A recording of the meeting can be found online here.