GOV. CHARLIE BAKER in August signed into law a comprehensive bill to address climate change. The bill includes provisions designed to reach a net zero carbon goal by 2050 by promoting the adoption of electric vehicles, supporting the modernization of the power grid, and expanding support for the development of offshore wind power. But one of […]
Opinion
Posted inEducation
A roadmap for success for Boston’s new school superintendent
SUPERINTENDENT MARY SKIPPER begins her tenure at a critical time for Boston Public Schools – a moment when the state, families, and other stakeholders are demanding swift action and accountability for improving aspects of the system that have been failing our students for far too long. The work before Superintendent Skipper is undoubtedly daunting, but […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t fixate on the state’s elite private schools
LOCAL COVERAGE of the latest US News and World Report ranking of US colleges has focused on the fact that 7 Massachusetts schools made the top 50. People have questioned these rankings for years. From a local perspective, they highlight an important question: why do these elite private colleges dominate discussions of higher education here […]
Posted inOpinion
Give the Health Policy Commission greater leverage
“UNLESS THE Commonwealth’s health care cost containment approach is strengthened and expanded by policymakers, the result will be a health care system that is increasingly unaffordable for Massachusetts residents and businesses with growing health inequities.” There is a lot of truth and wisdom in that statement from the Health Policy Commission’s 2022 cost trends report, […]
Posted inHealth, Opinion
An epidemiologist’s advice for living with COVID
IT SEEMS LIKE a pretty simple question: Have we reached the point where COVID-19 has become less lethal than the flu? But if you ask a group of public health/infectious disease experts, it’s almost certain some will say yes and some will say no. In all likelihood, they’re both right, because the question is not […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t be an outlier, reform the estate tax
SOMETIMES TAX policy is hard and sometimes it is not. Voting to modernize the Massachusetts estate tax as part of the Legislature’s economic development bill is an easy decision – it costs little and protects the middle class, while preventing a flight of wealthy taxpayers from the Commonwealth. Regarding the estate tax, Massachusetts is not […]
Posted inOpinion
A roadmap for fixing the MBTA
THERE’S NOTHING complicated, surprising, or even new about what ails our metro Boston public transportation system. The task may seem daunting (it is), and the troubles may seem to be mounting (they are), and progress appears to come in slow motion (indeed it does). But none of this means it’s complicated to understand, and then […]
Posted inOpinion
New fed law offers big clean energy incentives
THE INFLATION REDUCTION Act has over $300 billion in incentives for clean energy–solar and wind, geothermal and green hydrogen, batteries, and heat pumps–incentives that mean businesses that invest in clean energy can reap substantial financial benefits. But a tip to businesses thinking about making the move to clean energy–act fast. There is a massive advantage […]
Posted inEducation
A tipping point for school accountability?
THIS FALL BROUGHT the first opportunity since 2019 for students in Massachusetts to enjoy a “normal” first day of school. The joy of learning is returning to Commonwealth classrooms, and preliminary reports suggest early signs of improvement in key areas like attendance. Yet some numbers are down. As we learned Thursday, average student results on […]
Posted inOpinion
Overextended MBTA is moving in right direction
ONLY A GOVERNOR not seeking re-election could close the Orange Line for a month. We need further bold steps like that — further bold steps to simplify the challenges that the men and women working for the T are facing. And I say that as a regular rider of the T. I have long believed […]