Last week, I voted along with my colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to pass a Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) budget, which invests in programs and services across the Commonwealth. Funded at $46 billion, the House budget aims to address the sweeping effects of the global pandemic by making targeted investments in housing, food security,…
During the ongoing Massachusetts 191st General Court’s 2019-2020 session – which has been extended through action taken by the Legislature – the House of Representatives has passed emergency legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as major legislation relating to education, transportation, and climate change. Following a decisive vote in July to extend the…
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will be allocating more than $50 million in federal CARES Act funds to benefit education in elementary and secondary schools, as well as colleges and universities. The funding will improve early literacy, expand remote learning opportunities, and cover costs associated with reopening certain schools and colleges, as well as boost financial…
Today, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released initial guidance for school reopening this fall that prioritizes getting students safely back to school in person, following a comprehensive set of health and safety requirements. The Department is also requiring schools to create hybrid learning plans to teach students in-person and remotely on alternating schedules, and…
House leaders, including Gloucester’s Ann-Margaret Ferrante, are eyeing ways to provide oversight and support for industry viewed as critical to the success of the state’s economic recovery. “Access to safe and reliable childcare for working families is critical to getting our economy running as we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Cooperation and engagement…
Last week, Speaker Robert A. DeLeo announced the creation of the House’s Early Education and Care Recovery Advisory Group, which will take on the challenge of childcare in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and gradual economic reopening. I am proud to report that Speaker DeLeo has appointed me as a co-chair of the group…
Last week, in his State of the Commonwealth address, Governor Baker announced the inclusion of the “Career Technical Institute Initiative” in his FY2021 budget proposal. This initiative would transform vocational schools in order to provide classes in shifts, allowing for greater use of these technical resources, just as we have done on Cape Ann with our…
This week, the House of Representatives advanced and finalized several pieces of important legislation, covering the topics of education, nutrition, public safety, and children’s health before breaking for the holidays. As formal sessions end for the remainder of the year, I’m pleased we advanced these critical pieces of legislation, sending several to the Governor’s desk…
Last week, the House of Representatives unianimously passed the Student Opportunity Act to update the education funding formula for our K-12 schools. This historic legislation invests $1.4 billion in the Commonwealth’s public education system, including a projected $3.4 million in new Chapter 70 funding for Cape Ann’s schools once fully implemented.
As fall begins and our formal sessions resume at the State House, I want to update you on some of the important work that is happening on Beacon Hill and around Cape Ann! First, some exciting news on education. The Joint Committee on Education released an education funding reform bill last week that fully implements…
