Charlie Baker, Deval Patrick, and Mitt Romney certainly have their differences, but extolling the virtues of public education in Massachusetts is not one of them. Understandably, each took great pride during their administrations in sharing with constituents, potential businesses, and the nation that “We’re #1!” in education. After all, US News & World Report says…
Hard Lessons: Longmeadow’s Education Pros Confront the School Committee
Last night the Longmeadow School Committee held a public discussion with the School Department’s entire 10-member administrative team that proved to me that the political firestorm ignited by the School Committee’s 4-3 vote not to renew the Superintendent’s contract has exacerbated a serious problem that is far bigger than the Superintendent. For my analysis of…
Emailgate Longmeadow Style: The Battle Over the Superintendent’s Fate Gets Uglier
The anger and frustration sparked by the Longmeadow School Committee’s controversial 4-3 vote against renewing the contract of the current Superintendent of Schools (which I previously wrote about HERE and HERE) flared up again this week with the public release of an email sent to the Chair of the School Committee from a town resident…
A Place for Adaptation in the Green New Deal
For the first time in nearly a decade, climate change has seemingly reemerged as a key component of the Democratic agenda thanks in large part to progressive newcomers’ promotion of the Green New Deal. The Green New Deal outlines a series of sweeping policy goals to combat the effects of climate change, including a vast…
MassFiscal Injects Voter Suppression into the Race for GOP Chair
“Never let a disgraceful idea die a quiet death” must be on the masthead over at the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance because it is ramping up its shameful voter suppression campaign. It poses this question for candidates for chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party: will they bow to MassFiscal’s campaign to intimidate minorities or stand tall…
Who are the Special Interests Here?
While the 2016 statewide ballot question to expand charter schools failed to pass, the battle over charter schools continues to rage on in Massachusetts. Down here on the Southcoast, the Alma Del Mar Charter school in New Bedford is seeking to expand by adding two new schools and over 1,100 new charter school seats. The…
The MassFiscal Precedent!
Last week I called upon the Office of Campaign and Political Finance to disallow testimony from the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance on the “incidental expenditures” rule making because MassFiscal has ignored OCPF’s directive in CPF 16-20 to disclose a single donor. OCPF disregarded my advice, which is just fine. Their call. But there may be a…
Compromise in Longmeadow is the smart play
Did unfair treatment of the vanquished after World War I help produce World War II? Sorry, this question is a bit out of my wheelhouse, but I can tell you that if the Longmeadow School Committee doesn’t acknowledge and deal forthrightly with its present fracture, the future with or without the present superintendent will be…
Hands Off the Incidental Expenditures Rule
Office of Campaign and Political Finance has long followed a practice in which small “incidental” campaign finance expenses do not trigger a need to file as a political committee. Some union giving has fallen under this guidance and the practice is thus under attack from corporations, the wealthy, and the right wing dark money group…
OCPF Should Prohibit Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance From Participating in Regulatory Procedures
Below is the text of a letter I sent today to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, asking it to disqualify the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance from submitting comments or giving testimony in an upcoming regulatory hearing, based upon MassFiscal’s refusal to comply with OCPF’s directive in CPF 16-20.