OKAY, #MAEdu, we've got the House FY22 Ways and Means budget coming out tomorrow, so it is a time for a thread (with some help from the Muppets):
AS ALWAYS, the first order of business here is to look at Chapter 70 funding:
We should OF COURSE first recall that we are a year into implementation of the first year of the Student Opportunity Act...except we aren't:
Now, based on the local aid agreement of last week, it *does* appear that the House and Senate intend to implement ONE-SIXTH of the Student Opportunity Act in FY22.
Reminder, though, that one-sixth =/= two-sevenths, so while we will get there in the same period of time, we will not, this coming year, be where we were going to be if things went as planned.
It's another $20M in a $5.5 BILLION account...this makes good press, but if you think we're talking big money here...
which brings us to the change we're still seeking...
The Ways and Means agreement puts in a $40M "enrollment reserve" account for districts that had enrollment drops this past year.
Smooth sailing, right?
Nope.
This literally puts every district that depends on Ch. 70 aid and had a big drop in the Pre-K/K accounts here:
Two reasons:

1. It just plain isn't enough money. Per @massupt (Roger Hatch did the math here) 1/6th enrollment + hold harmless enrollment is $152M.
They're doing let's call it $22M + $40M = $62M.

We're short $90M. So that's not working.
2. (and this one I seem to have real trouble getting across to legislators, for some reason)

WE ARE DOING OUR BUDGETS NOW.
Districts need to know NOW how much money they can plan on spending next year, so they can hire teachers NOW (or ASAP), so they can bid out space NOW, so they can arrange for curriculum NOW.

THESE THINGS TAKE TIME.
Insufficient pothole accounts that don't get to districts until late summer? next fall? leave us here:
So do NOT come out with messaging about how you've provided for our enrollment issues for next fall if what you're offering is something outside of Ch. 70
NOTE: Supplemental budgets do the SAME THING.
While I'm sure we've all appreciated the irony of the decades fight over reforming the education funding system to get done just in time for it not to be funded, for that to be followed by it being funding but with an undercount of pupils takes this a bit far, let's say.
And can I just say:

If there were ever a year to ensure that we as a state are doing all that we can--in and OUT of school--for kids, wouldn't this be the year?
Shouldn't we be flooding summer programs and out of school programs as well as district programs with resources this year?
And so, looking for sufficient funding for school budgets....
#MAEdu

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More from @TracyNovick

13 Apr
“...the normal treatment for blood clots is to administer anticoagulants like heparin—but heparin can be harmful to people with CVST, so the FDA and CDC want providers to be aware of this rare condition and to know they must treat it differently.” vitals.lifehacker.com/what-you-need-…
I already tweeted this link, but I am sharing it again with that highlight, as, from all I am reading, it seems to be the big thing to know.
It isn’t ONLY the rare blood clots, but the KIND, which need DIFFERENT treatment from most, should they occur.
Read 5 tweets
13 Apr
going to tune into @US_FDA's 10 am press conference: youtube.com/channel/UC_giJ…
@US_FDA "abundance of caution"
"extremely rare"
stress again "extremely rare"
@US_FDA plan to revise the fact sheet to make "appropriate benefit/risk evaluations"
Read 4 tweets
12 Apr
I am not a “hate read” sharer, but I believe, as Dr. Angelou held, that when someone tells you who they are, you should believe them.
Thus I think it important to note that this piece is written by a member of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

time.com/5954077/reopen…
It neatly encapsulates a chosen ignorance of both the pandemic’s actual impacts and the true responses of district leadership, while demonstrating a marked callousness to the pandemic’s deadly effects. #MAEdu
Read 4 tweets
12 Apr
“As of last week, School Committee member Tracy O'Connell Novick was the only School Committee or at-large City Council candidate to break the 300-signature barrier and get on the ballot, with 310 signatures.” telegram.com/story/news/202…
First, thank you to every last one of you that had anything to do with this. Doing this in a pandemic is *not* something one anticipates; I only managed because of all the help I had!
Second, because I get asked, *yes,* you can donate to my campaign here: tracynovick.org/?page_id=33

(Yes, the website needs updating...been a little busy...) #worcpoli
Read 5 tweets
11 Apr
Page 90: "During fiscal year 2019, a significant amount of supplemental budget transfers (from both Police Department salaries and other City Departments' budgets) were required to fund Police Department overtime expenses. This was also the case in previous fiscal years."
"This is indicative of original budgets that are not accurately estimating annual costs and/or a need for improvement in managing overtime costs within budgetary constraints."

aka: this is the sort of thing you'd want to have Council being sure was true of the budget coming soon
(again, not my purview, but if you're interested, it's in the F&O backup) #worcpoli
Read 4 tweets
11 Apr
#WorcSchools finance and operations subcommittee meets at 5 tomorrow, so doing some agenda review this afternoon: worcesterschools.org/wp-content/upl… Image
(No, I didn’t print out all 171 pages, but I write all over budget and transportation updates.)
It's 171 pages because it has the three year student activity fund audits (pages 6-65) as well as the annual city audit (pages 71-138)
Read 6 tweets

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