The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met for their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 9 AM. Note that the Board had met online the evening for a presentation by Harvard Graduate School of Education Thomas Kane on his "Education Recovery Scorecard," a recording of which can be found here. The…
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education had their May meeting in Everett on May 21. The agenda is online here; the video of the meeting can be accessed here. The Board opened with public comment. There was public comment referencing the recent Commonwealth Beacon piece referencing widening of the achievement gap in Massachusetts, and arguing for…
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held their April meeting at Wellesley High School in recognition of their student member Ela Gardiner, who will graduate from Wellesley High School this spring. The agenda of the meeting is here; the video of the meeting is here. The Board meeting opened with public comment. Beth Kontos,…
Annual Forms Booklet Every Spring we send membership a packet of very important material relating to election of officers of the Association, MASC award nominations, volunteers to serve on MASC Committees, and resolutions for our Delegate Assembly in November. This is your chance to offer a nomination, propose a resolution, volunteer to serve, or run…
As the legislature prepares to address the ramifications of the state’s ongoing revenue shortfall, compounded by the cessation of many federal pandemic-related funding assistance programs, MASC puts forward the following priorities for consideration in developing the FY25 state budget, and establishing new policies that will support sustained and appropriate educational funding and equitable opportunities for…
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held their regular March meeting on Tuesday, March 26 at 9 am in Everett. The agenda of the meeting can be found here; the video of the meeting is here. This is the first Board meeting at which Acting Commissioner Russell Johnston was in that capacity. The…
In accordance with a new MASC bylaw, all MASC resolutions now expire three years after their initial passage. The list below details the seventeen (17) resolutions that are set to expire in November of 2024. Expiring MASC Resolutions Year Passed Accomplished Expiration Date Pertaining to Educator Diversity and Professional Licensure 2019 No 11/2024 Full Funding…
On Friday, March 1, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means regarding education and local aid at Greenfield Community College. Archived video of the six and a half hour hearing can be viewed here. President Mildred Lefebvre offered testimony in concert with MASS on behalf of the Association. The video of her testimony may be…
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met for their regular February meeting on February 27, 2024 at 9 am at their new offices in Everett. The agenda of the meeting can be found here; the video of the meeting is here. Members Mohamed and Rouhanifard participated in the meeting remotely; Member Stewart was not…
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held their January meeting on January 24 at the Department's new location in Everett. The agenda of the meeting can be found online here; a livestream of the video of the meeting is here. Governor Maura Healey has appointed Dálida Rocha to the Board for the labor seat.…
MASC Policy Update - December 2023 In MASC’s ongoing review of existing policies, we have found that the policies regarding technology are in need of additions and updates. Many of these changes reflect the expanded use of technology both inside and outside the classroom. Several better align policies with their appropriate coding. As part of…
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met virtually on November 21, 2023. The agenda is here; the livestream is here. The meeting opened with public comment. Noah Berger of the Mass Teachers Association called attention to the foundation budget inflation rate, capped by the Student Opportunity Act at 4.5%, noting that it would, if…
Check out the Full Report Here. MASC’s 78th annual meeting was held at the start of the annual conference in Hyannis, Wednesday, November 8. A total of 108 delegates representing school districts across the state were registered and participated in the deliberations. Following are the actions taken on the eight proposed resolutions, as well as…
Thank you again to all who joined us at the 2023 MASC MASS Joint Conference, "Investing in Equitable School Districts: Moving from Theory to Practice." Your active participation contributed to the success of this event, and we are grateful for your commitment to advancing education in Massachusetts. In addition to over sixty panel sessions, the…
Learning Lunch Series: 2023 Delegate Assembly And Resolutions for Consideration (10/6/2023) Slides Here | Recording Here This workshop provided a comprehensive understanding of the resolutions to be considered at the upcoming MASC Delegate Assembly. MASC Executive Director Glenn Koocher and MASC Vice-President Jason Fraser led the discussion and guided attendees through an analysis of each of the resolutions, which included topics…
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met Tuesday, October 24 at 9 am in Malden. The agenda can be found here; the livestream is here. The Board opened with public comment. There was public comment supporting state mandated acceleration policy for gifted students; among those speaking to this issue was a second grader from…
The Mass School Building Authority met this morning, and made some significant changes to the programs they oversee, funded by the Fair Share amendment and changes made in the FY24 budget. The first set of changes was to the cost funding limit per square foot that the MSBA will cover in a core project.…
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education resumed their school year meeting schedule with a meeting on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 9 am in Malden. The agenda can be found online here; video of the meeting can be viewed here. The Board opened with public comment. Senator Jason Lewis, Senate Chair of the Joint…
The members of the Resolutions Committee met on July 5, 2022 to consider resolutions proposed by member districts for consideration at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Association.
Updated MASC Financial Policy - September 2023 We are pleased to bring you what we know are long-awaited updates in model policy language regarding purchasing. These model policies have been rewritten not only in light of Chapter 198 of the Acts of 2022, which went into effect last November, but also in light of the…
Updated MASC Policy Reference Manual - September 2023 MASC Field Staff is currently undergoing a comprehensive review of the MASC Policy Reference Manual. Changes as a result of this review are detailed below and copies of these updated policies are available in the Online Policy Reference Manual. We have also posted links to the individual…
The state senate has approved a supplemental budget bill authorizing $513 million. Â This contrasts with the $693 million that the House of Representatives had approved earlier this month. Â A conference committee must now work out the differences. The bills add more spending tied to a fiscal year where tax revenues through May fell well short…
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education had their final meeting of the school year on Tuesday, June 27 in Malden. The agenda can be found online here. In opening the meeting, Chair Katherine Craven welcomed incoming student member Ella Gardner of Wellesley, and announced the appointment and welcomed new Board member Professor Ericka Fisher.…
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met on May 23 at 9 am. The agenda is here, The Board opened with two public comments, both on topics they have previously spoken on: one relating what they see as lacks in the state's gifted education to the meeting presentation on the vision of the Department…
Update from MASC President Stacey Rizzo and MASC Executive Director Glenn Koocher The ongoing stalemate in lifting the debt ceiling puts at risk the nation’s full faith and credit and would impose cuts that could hurt children and undermine education, raise costs for families, and set back economic growth. It would also mean lashing critical…
Updated MASC Policy Reference Manual - March 2023 MASC Field Staff is currently undergoing a comprehensive review of the MASC Policy Reference Manual. Changes as a result of this review are detailed below and copies of these updated policies are available in the Online Policy Reference Manual. We have also posted links to the individual…
The Massachusetts Department of Education has posted the preliminary estimates of Chapter 70 school aid and net school spending requirements for FY2024, based on the Governor's proposed budget. Download the budget document here, or view the details on their website.
MASC public policy priorities for public education in 2023 are now available. 2023 Legislative Priorities include: Full funding for the Student Opportunity Act Children's Services Safety Net Full funding for the Special Education Circuit Breaker Establishing Regional Reserve Assessment Funds and Expanding Vocational Education Reserve Funds as approved by the MASC Delegate Assembly Reforming of…
Due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), in consultation with the MASC Board of Directors, many of the MASC staff are currently working remotely.
Policy Update for September 2022 Policy Newsletter for September 2022 – Updated Model Policies for District Finance Section D – Fiscal Policies KCD – Public Gifts to the Schools
The members of the Resolutions Committee met on July 5, 2022 to consider resolutions proposed by member districts for consideration at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Association.
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held a special meeting on Monday, August 15 at noon. The agenda can be found here; the video of the meeting is here. The Board opened with public comment, much of which focused on the proposal to raise the MCAS score required to fulfill the state's competency determination…
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education had their regular June meeting on June 28 at 9 am. The agenda is online here; the video of the meeting is available here. Commissioner Jeffrey Riley participated remotely, as he has COVID.
Do you have a student representative on your school committee? If so, the Massachusetts Association of Student Representatives (with the help of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees) will be hosting a Spring Student Representative conference on Saturday, May 14th at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School.
MASC worked with Student School Committee Representatives to develop a resource for students serving on the School Committee including important protocols, parliamentary procedures, and advice on how to maximize effectiveness.
COSCAP held its annual meeting virtually on February 3, 2022. The Council elected the Executive Committee for the next two years. Plans for the MASC Annual Conference sessions and professional development workshops are underway for 2022.
Children Discovering Justice is a K-5 standards-based civics curriculum developed by Discovering Justice to support and enhance social studies, literacy, and SEL instruction.
The public input survey: Model School Resource Officer MOU Commission Public Input is now available in multiple languages. In the upper right hand corner of the survey, you will see a globe with the word English next to it on a drop down menu. By clicking on the drop down menu, survey participants can select…
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in partnership with Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) are co-chairing the School Resource Officer (SRO) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Commission.
During the next few weeks, School Committees will be deciding whether masks will be required on school property for all or some students and staff in the 2021-2022 school year.
After enrollment dips, America's schools hope for fall rebound (Chalkbeat) To get billions in aid, states focus on mental health, learning recovery (EdWeek)
Here's what you need to know about the COVID-19 Delta variant (Boston Globe) Framingham schools use bikes as an alternative way to get to school (Metrowest Daily News) Haverhill officials shift gears on eighth grade events (Eagle Tribune) Tewksbury parents urge School Committee to eliminate elementary mask mandate next year (Lowell Sun)
Schools have legal obligations to address sexual harassment under both federal (Title IX) and state (MGL c. 76, s. 5; c. 151C, s. 2) law. Schools must have policies and procedures that comply with both sets of obligations. Federal regulations concerning sexual harassment have recently changed. A new template policy that will cover both federal…
Pandemic prayers; COVID took her father, cancer threatens her mother, but Anne Laurie still has her faith(WGBH) Opinion: State must close loophole that allows unvaccinated children in schools (Boston Globe) Secretary Cardona's first budget hearing becomes a forum on in-person learning, the 1619 project (EdWeek) With COVID-19 vaccines for kids and teens, timing matters (The…
Pfizer vaccine shown to be 100% effective in adolescents (WCVB 5) Why virus tests at one elite school ran afoul of regulators (The New York Times) To reopen schools faster, vaccinate teens, Boston superintendent says. (Boston Globe) At Reid Middle School, custodial staff attention to detail noted (The Berkshire Eagle) Lee School Committee adopts FY22…
DESE Commissioner Riley has shared updated guidance from DESE on In-Person Learning and Student Learning Time Requirements. The updates are available for download using the following links: Guidance on In-Person Learning and Student Learning Time Requirements DESE On The Desktop Message on New Guidance
