Wednesday, April 27, 2016
School Committees' Day on the Hill
The annual Massachusetts Association of School Committees' Day on the Hill took place yesterday and it serves as a keen reminder that education is a corner stone of our democracy; today we expect a great deal from our school staff, and our students. I had the pleasure of meeting with students and school professionals from our Senate district. I appreciate the efforts that they made to come to the State House and advocate on behalf of improvements to our education system and laws.
The Senate has been actively reviewing a host of education concerns including; charter school reform, regional transportation aid, strengthening safety net services to keep children safe from harm, and revamping the formulae by which the state and local districts fund K – 12 education.
The first collection of tax money used for public schools in America happened in Massachusetts. Today, education spending represents about half of the dollars spent in city and town budgets and $7.8 billion in the state budget.
The Senate is now preparing to consider the state budget for the coming fiscal year, 2017; I welcome your input on making our education system better able to serve students and prepare them for college and careers.
Representing Rockport Public Schools:
Martha Morgan School Committee Chair
Whitney Swamberg MS Social Studies Teacher
Jakob Wessel Student
Julian Mendoza Student
Carlotte Salmon Student
Jordan Fears Student
Anders Larsen Student
