SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS from across the Commonwealth are a varied but pragmatic bunch. During this budget season they are focused on balancing budgets and working with school administrators to reallocate […]
School committees support stronger, lasting reform
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Is Trump crazy like a fox?
President Trump is taking an enormous amount of flak. The news is filled with stories questioning his policies and his judgment. Saturday Night Live is hilariously skewering the president and […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Why I’m joining the Democrats — and how they must change
AMERICAN POLITICS has changed. The driving force today is class – working people versus the wealthy, connected elite – and working people feel angry and left behind. They feel they’re […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Education must adapt to 21st century
Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. – Malcolm X THE PAST 25 YEARS have seen dramatic changes in our culture […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Eversource solar hikes unwarranted
I READ WITH INTEREST the story entitled “Eversource seeks higher fees on customers with solar.” In several instances, the utility’s stated reasons for its proposed fee hikes for customers with […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 36: Lessons from the teacher of the year
It was one thing when Sydney Chaffee was named Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. Now she’s been named one of four finalists for National Teacher of the Year, with announcement […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
The Codcast: Lessons from the teacher of the year
It was one thing when Sydney Chaffee was named Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. Now she’s been named one of four finalists for National Teacher of the Year, with announcement […]
Posted inEconomy, Gambling
Buzz building about Suffolk Downs sale
RESIDENTS OF EAST BOSTON and Revere say they are hearing a sale of Suffolk Downs is imminent, but officials at the track say they have nothing to report. “We’ve fielded […]
Posted inEducation, The Back Story
DeVos selection roils reform sector
THE BATTLE OVER President Trump’s pick for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, had teachers unions, public school advocates, and many on the political left in high dudgeon. DeVos’s record of support for […]
Posted inUncategorized
Power auction goes smoothly for 2020-2021
NEW ENGLAND POWER GRID OFFICIALS said on Thursday that they easily secured enough electricity to meet the region’s energy needs three years from now. ISO-New England, the region’s power grid […]
Posted inThe Download
Hitting Trump where it hurts
President Trump’s opponents haven’t had much luck in Washington blocking his cabinet appointments, but they seem to be having some success in convincing people to stop purchasing products associated with […]
Posted inEducation
Will state embrace innovation school zones?
THE HIGHLY CHARGED DEBATE over charter schools last fall ended with a resounding statewide vote against significant expansion of the public, but independently operated, schools. What the vote did not […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Polling matters now more than ever
POLLING IS AN act of political resistance. It agglomerates the messy and inconvenient opinions of everyday people, kneads them into a whole, and forces them through the door into the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
What’s the martyr with Warren?
If Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s intent was to make an example out of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, he better use some of his campaign war chest to buy himself a clue. […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Legislative income inequality
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE NOW THAT PAY RAISES for lawmakers have been finalized, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stanley Rosenberg will soon dole out the lucrative leadership and […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
No one is taking Healey seriously
Attorney General Maura Healey says she wants to keep her job and plans to run for reelection in 2018, eschewing a showdown with Gov. Charlie Baker. A lot of people […]
Posted inTransportation
T finds demand for late-night
THE MBTA MOVED one step closer to restoring late-night bus service after members of the oversight board gave cautious support for subsidies because of surveys showing there would be an […]
Posted inTransportation
T reaches agreement to fix Silver Line buses
THE MBTA’S Fiscal and Management Control Board approved a $1 million addition to a contract with a Maine state government-backed equipment refurbishing company after the pact was suspended by Gov. […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Voc-tech schools are a Mass. success story
MASSACHUSETTS VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL high schools are like the person who toils for years, only to be termed an “overnight sensation” when he or she finally achieves recognition. For over a decade the […]
Posted inTransportation
T to jettison parking vendor
THE MBTA’S OVERSIGHT BOARD voted to approve a potential 15-year contract with one of the country’s biggest parking management companies, ending a troubled relationship with its longtime lot operator that resulted […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, The Download
Is criminal justice reform misfiring?
This is the era of criminal justice reform. States across the country are reexamining criminal justice policies with an eye toward addressing the ignoble distinction the US holds of claiming […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Baker’s health care tax is bad policy
IN AN ERA OF ALTERNATIVE FACTS, a bit of revisionist history may seem like a small sin. But in the case of Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposed tax on employers who […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Stipends on steroids
HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO and Senate President Stan Rosenberg got much more than a $1,000-a-week pay hike when the Legislature passed the bill to increase their salaries: They also were […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 35: What should Charlie do?
The press has been giving Gov. Charlie Baker a lot of advice on how he should deal with President Trump, so we thought we might as well get into the […]