THE GOVERNORS OF 17 STATES, including Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, came together recently to forge an agreement to develop cleaner energy and transportation solutions for our nation. The pact, known as the Governors’ Accord for a New Energy Future, represents a bright avenue for cooperation on energy efficient grids, energy storage, and clean fuels and […]
Colleen Quinn
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
State takes control of Holyoke schools
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOLYOKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS will be taken over by the state, after the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted 8 to 3 Tuesday to authorize the education commissioner to appoint a receiver. The board designated the district “Level 5” and declared the Holyoke schools “chronically under-performing.” Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester is […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
Chester calls for state takeover of Holyoke schools
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE SHOULD take over the Holyoke Public Schools, Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester recommended Tuesday, saying “persistent and pervasive” problems in the school district make receivership necessary. The commissioner’s suggestion at a state Board of Education meeting in Fitchburg sparked angry outbursts from parents and teachers in the audience. The board […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
Holyoke students being shortchanged
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE EDUCATION COMMISSIONER Mitchell Chester is not ready to recommend that the Holyoke Public Schools be put into receivership, but he has not ruled it out either. Low performance among Holyoke students is “persistent and pervasive,” Chester told members of the Massachusetts Board of Education during a meeting Tuesday. “These kids […]
Posted inHealth Care, State House News Service
State health plan deficit could hit $190m
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE EMPLOYEES IN Massachusetts could see increases in their health insurance co-payments and deductibles under one option being considered by a state commission grappling with a growing deficit in state and municipal employee health insurance budgets. Dolores Mitchell, executive director of the Group Insurance Commission, said Wednesday that the amount of […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
State board grants waiver to Brockton charter
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Against the wishes of local school officials, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education granted a waiver Tuesday to a proposed charter school in Brockton, allowing the applicant to continue in the approval process. Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester recommended the board approve the waiver for the New Heights Charter School, […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
Lawmakers pitch ways to ease student debt
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE As student loan debt tops $1 trillion nationally, state lawmakers are recommending ways to ease the burden on Massachusetts college students. Approximately 66 percent of Massachusetts students take out loans to pay for college, and the state ranks 12th in the nation for the number of students carrying debt. A Joint […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Opinion, Politics, State House News Service
Commission backs graduated income tax
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A 15-member special commission charged with looking at ways to make the state’s tax code simpler and fairer is recommending a graduated income tax. A graduated income tax – which imposes higher taxes rate on those who earn more and lower rates on those who earn less – was rejected several […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
Lawrence teachers push for bargaining rights
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Union officials urged lawmakers to restore collective bargaining rights to Lawrence public school teachers, arguing the state education commissioner and state-appointed receiver overseeing the turnaround of city schools have overstepped their authority and trampled on teachers’ rights. Frank McLaughlin, president of the Lawrence Teachers Union, told lawmakers on the Public Service […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Ties to ADL imperil Patrick judge nominee
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Saying he hadn’t had a chance to work on rounding up votes to ensure confirmation, Gov. Deval Patrick prevented the Governor’s Council from voting on judicial nominee Joseph Berman, the governor’s pick for a Superior Court judgeship. Councilor Marilyn Devaney, who criticized Berman during his confirmation hearing last week for being […]