Your Arlington, your views

The following was sent via e-mail on Oct. 17 by Rep. Will Brownsberger, a Democrat of Belmont who represents part of Arlington, and is published with his permission:

You’ve probably been following the news of budget cuts from the governor. Here are some observations about where Massachusetts stands in the crisis, how the state is responding, and how the cuts affects our local communities.

1) The Massachusetts economy, while beginning to weaken, is still relatively strong compared with other states.

* Total employment stands at 3.2905 million in Massachusetts and, in September, was only 5,000 (0.1%) jobs below its 12-month peak which occurred in June. By contrast, national employment peaked in December 2007 and was 0.6% below that peak.

* Unemployment in Massachusetts in August was 5.3% as compared to a national 6.1%. The West and the Midwest regions have the highest unemployment.

2) The state’s budget gap is vast, at $1.4 billion, which is 5% percent of the total budget. Yet, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 21 other states are experiencing midyear shortfalls, many much greater, with New York at 10% and California at 22% of revenues. Massachusetts also has relatively strong financial reserves.

3) It does appear that economic conditions are getting worse and that our budget gap estimates do not reflect the most recent indicators of oncoming recession. The governor’s budget-cut plan was final before the latest report on falling consumer spending, a report which triggered another big sell-off on the stock markets.

4) The governor’s plan makes no cuts in the major local aid accounts. This is a politically safe call and one that all members of the legislature appreciate. Midyear changes in school funding could be very disruptive. The word is out though that municipalities should husband their resources in case a further round of cutting is necessary. The governor does not have the power to make local-aid account cuts without legislative approval. The governor did cut the METCO account and the special education circuit breaker.

5) Within the executive branch, it appears that the Governor was surgical and thoughtful about his cutting. He deserves real credit for attempting to preserve core lifeline services for the most vulnerable, not always politically the easiest choice.

* The total percentage cut within budgetary line items was $655 million or 2.4%.

* The legislative branch itself took a voluntary cut of 10%.

* The executive branch areas that got the largest cuts in percentage terms were housing (15.9%), environment (7.3%) and labor (25.0%). Housing is an area where independent agencies, like the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, can offset some of the cuts, but the cuts in employment training grants are very deep. I was disappointed to see a substantial cut in DCR’s Office of Dam Safety which has responsibilities relevant to controlling flooding in the Alewife area.

* Transportation (2.1%), education (including Chapter 70 which was not cut, 1.6%) and public safety (1.9%) absorbed relatively modest percentage cuts.

* Areas that were untouched include legal services for the poor, food stamp outreach, elder protective services, domestic violence programs, homeless individual assistance. Many human service programs did experience cuts, but many of these cuts were less than the average statewide cuts.

* The areas that got the biggest cuts in dollar terms were healthcare accounts. Over $200 million in Medicaid cuts will mean benefit cuts and provider rate cuts that are just beginning to be explained.

* After the proposed job cuts, the total state government employment will still stand above its recent nadir in 2004 after the last downturn.

6) Apart from the direct cuts of $655 million, the following measures balance out the governor’s budget gap of $1.4 billion:

* $146 million from decisions not to fund to fund projected overruns in selected accounts which were contributing to the gap (this may prove to be a weak area)

* $200 million from reserves

* $168 million from additional revenues (including an increased tax on telecommunications companies)

* $100 million from extending the amortization of the Commonwealth’s unfunded pension liability (this is a cost deferral, not a savings)

* $52 million from “pension reconciliation”

* $64 million in reduced support for the Boston Medical Center

* $15 million from reduced transfers to energy, life sciences and e-health trust funds (cutting back on flagship initiatives from the last session).

7) The governor used the occasion of the budget squeeze to cut most earmarks out of the budget — a mixed bag of decisions, but a move that furthers a perennial executive branch goal of reducing legislative control over the budget. The governor cut several small earmarks that helped Arlington’s town budget. There were no earmarks that directly supported Belmont’s town budget. A Belmont community institution, the Payson Park Music Festival, lost a new 2009 earmark of $10,000.

8) Similarly, the governor is resubmitting a recommendation that state employees pay a larger share of the salaries for healthcare benefits (included in the $655 million of cuts). The employee share was increased in the last down turn, but the Legislature (including me) voted to reject further increases in this budget cycle. It seems likely, however, that we will now vote to accept employee share increases in the new downturn — sacrifice will need to be shared broadly.

9) Watch for additional use of the crisis to make politically difficult cuts in the coming weeks and months. I am hopeful that we will be able to make reforms in the pension plans. Notably, we need to align benefits more closely with lifetime earnings. This will not affect most employees, but will eliminate some of the most common excesses of the system — excesses in which people inflate the last three years of their salary to gain a pension that bears no relation to their lifetime contributions to the system. The governor has signaled an intention to file a reform package shortly.

10) So far, the direct impact on our municipal budgets has been minimal, and the most vulnerable among us have not lost their lifelines, but the cuts in many other areas are real and substantial and diminish the state’s ability to provide services that most voters do value.

P.S. Vote NO on Question One! The cuts forced by Question One would be 10 times greater than the cuts forced so far by the still worsening economic conditions.

By Joyce Fienman and Rebecca Weiss

On Tuesday, May 27, 2008, the Walden Woods Project sponsored a reading featuring award-winning author E. L. Doctorow. Held at the Trinitarian Church in Concord, Mass., Doctorow sampled the story “Walter John Harmon” from his collection Sweet Land Stories. “Walter John Harmon” is the story of the tragedy that befalls a Kansas cult. After the reading, Doctorow took questions from the audience and concluded with a book signing.

In his talk, Doctorow explained how a book can literally come from nothing. He finally overcame a year of writer’s block before writing Ragtime by creating the story of his New Rochelle home and the fictional family who lived after its construction in 1906. Despite some hearing difficulties due to wartime injuries, Doctorow was dynamic and engaging, infusing his talk with understated bits of humor.

Even in his late 70s, Doctorow maintained great vigor and expression throughout the hourlong reading and was incredibly charming in personal interaction.

E.L. Doctorow, famous for his political novel Ragtime, which deals with racism at the turn of the 20th century, is also the author of numerous critically acclaimed works. Among the most well-known are The March, detailing General Sherman’s march to the sea and the destruction he left in his wake during the American Civil War, and Loon Lake, the story of personal discovery during the Great Depression.

Recipient and multiple nominee of the National Book Award and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Doctorow is one of the greatest writers of contemporary American fiction. Though unwilling to give details on his next novel, we can be sure that it will live up the high standards of his previous works.

As Arlington High School seniors, we first became of Doctorow and his work when we studied Ragtime in our AP English class taught by English Department Head Mrs. Elise Frangos. Ragtime tells the story of three disparate but converging groups: Jewish immigrants, African-Americans, and a WASP family. Though read as part of our contemporary literature unit, this novel will be integrated into the summer reading program for next year’s AP English students.

The following was written by Andrew O’Brien of Arlington, who was a candidate for state representative this winter. His comments are posted with his permission. He submitted them to YourArlington after he missed the deadline to get his letter to The Advocate for its March 27 edition. He wrote that he believes the current School Committee debate is overly focused on rebuilding school buildings and the character of the candidates. Scarcely little has been mentioned about the importance of curriculum, he says. Anyone seeking to present another view about a different candidate is welcome to do so.

At this time within the School Committee, I believe it is critical that we have someone with Leba Heigham’s qualifications and experience serving on the committee. Everyday new discoveries are being made in brain science and human development. Promising new research suggests that we can improve a student’s ability to concentrate and process information. Some researchers are making claims that we can change student attitude and behavior. Medical researchers claim that when children with dyslexia, ADHD, and Asperger’s establish certain new brain pathways, many of their symptoms disappear. Entrepreneurial education companies are all too willing to push products based on this research.

But because something works in a research lab does not mean the same results will play out in the classroom. I was a student during Arlington’s 1970s failed experiment with open-classroom education. While some students benefited from this program many of us fell behind academically.

Leba is very familiar with the latest educational theories and is a math curriculum expert. Because she has been a teacher she understands the challenges and the learning curve teachers face when adopting new texts, curriculum, and methodology. If elected, Leba would use this knowledge to advise the school committee on curriculum issues. Right now school curriculum is catching up with the latest research. While curriculum catches up with research we need to be careful not to adopt the wrong programs. Because the state and federal government threatens to base school aid on performance standards, adopting the wrong program will not only hurt students academically but it could be costly for taxpayers. I believe Leba will help us strike the balance that is needed to keep the Arlington schools advancing but at the same time prevent us from adopting unproven hype-driven, wasteful programs. I believe that a vote for Leba is a vote for putting qualified individuals on the School Committee during a most challenging time.

The following was written by Josh Lobel and posted to the Think of Our Kids list on March 18. It is republished with his permission. Some reference in his remarks are to recent posts to that list:

Some interesting things to think about in these discussions.

Fees: *************
First, a fact to put the fees in perspective. The FY09 budget includes these fees (among others not directly from families — grand total is $3,710,000 — see fiscal 2009 budget information):

Full Day K $577K (+76K vs FY08)
Athletic Fees $158K (+7K vs FY08)
Instrumental Music $71.7K (+3K vs FY08)
Bishop Bus $16K (-2K vs FY08)
Extra Curr Fee $40K (same as FY08)

That totals $862,000. This is all for services over and above the system’s obligation to provide. Many of these things are for services we had when we were in school, or even things that might have been much less costly to families 5-10 years ago. Because there is not enough money from other sources of revenue (state, fed, grants, arlington), either these fees are necessary, or these activities will cease.

Fundraising ****************
Several years ago, when there was a significant shortfall (about $1 million), the Arlington Schools Foundation raised $260K to fund reading teachers for the year. This was an exception to their mission statement, which is to not add to the operational budget — but rather to aid long term strategic initiatives and development. It is possible to raise significant sums — but 862K/year is probably beyond reach.

Rose and Barbara’s suggestions about thinking about quality education and what it costs, and how we pay for it as a society are great. They need to be addressed and worked on.

Saving money **************
Linda’s suggestions for saving money are great. I get that she isn’t wild about the administration, but I’m guessing the water cooler and air conditioner has been there for a long time, and that double-sided printing could be of value throughout the system. Likewise energy savings.

We have saved money over the last few years. Our school administration hired a procurement person last year, who I believe found ways to save 4 times their salary. I’m sure there are other places to save, but I would guess much of the low hanging fruit has been picked.

Long range options of developing special ed programs in house (saving transportation costs and keeping kids in the community, when appropriate) are in the works.

Perhaps we can save more money on regionalizing some services (transportation has been mentioned, but maybe curriculum development, special ed programs, data analysis, professional development, etc. could be done with larger groups across districts). Maybe we have some larger class sizes coupled with a larger technology/distance learning component in the higher grades. Maybe every science course at the high school doesn’t need a 2nd lab hour. Maybe we eliminate some teachers by increasing work study, or leveraging some university or community
programs. No Child Left Behind mandates professionals will deliver classes that count against time on learning, but maybe the community has to kick in in all of the non-professional areas. Most of these options for non-professional volunteering would save money by taking away the
job of people in the system — custodians, clerical staff, crossing guards. These have not been popular choices either. Temporarily closing an elementary school would also save some money, and preserve our staff. Also unpopular discussion. However, all of these ideas should be discussed now for next year’s budget, and if there are immediate savings opportunities, perhaps they could be initiated within this year.

Budget night *************
I think Ron’s testiness about Susan’s comments was that the school committee, on budget night, can’t directly address the long term fixes. Budget night is or should be the culmination of months of work. By that night, they make choices about either raising fees (that’s the only real way to increase their immediate revenue) or cut services. So unless we are willing to take the painful step to sacrifice programs for the long-term hope that we get them funded, we’re in a bind.

Full Day Kindergarten **************
It may not be so easy or desirable to give every school a 1/2 day program You would certainly need a full class of students who want that option to avoid the problem of the kids who just don’t come back after lunch and miss half of the program. I believe the full day program is beneficial to a majority of kids, but why not take a survey of current kindergarten parents and present them with an alternative of a separate, 1/2 day program that is complete unto itself, and see how many would prefer that. If that’s the way the pendulum is swinging, or if there are enough students in certain schools to make it happen, why not explore it. It might be necessary to pool students from several schools into one class like this.

Funding Education ***********
It’s much too common in public discourse to talk about having our state legislators give us our share, or eliminate fraud and waste. This might work in the long run, but even then, maybe not. The real answers involve much more complexity. If we increase education funding, we decrease funding for something else — maybe mental health, or physical infrastructure or public safety.

Personally, I hope there is another ballot initiative to eliminate the income tax. If there is, we need to work incredibly hard to defeat it soundly. That will help deliver a msg to Beacon Hill that instead of talking about Casinos and lowering the income tax, perhaps they can think about increasing it, and maybe even create tiered levels. That would be a much fairer way to fund our schools.

As a parent of two children in the schools, I don’t relish the thought of losing a single service. I would prefer to have everyone who is able to pay a modest fee to help support their children’s education — spread the load universally — but this is not legal, and many feel that this
approach undercuts the idea of public education. Since the universal fee is not allowed, I prefer to think of the huge fee for pre-K as allocated across the 6 years of elementary school (and largely middle school), where there aren’t many fees. I balance it against the ~$8,000/year the school is spending for each student, and against the $20K you might pay at a private school.

The role of our republican governors in all of this was to sell to the commonwealth the idea that we spend too much on government, and that taxes could and should be lowered. That helped create the expectation that we are not getting our money’s worth.

And of course, I agree completely with Rose, that one of the biggest sources of our problems is the war in Iraq. It’s saps our resources, and diminishes our stance in the world. But even if there was not a war, this country is not committed to printing money for education in the same way it prints money for a war. That takes a mindset shift that recognizes that the US doesn’t automatically get to be the greatest nation — we have to work for it. And if you think we will continue our place in the world just because we are so much cleverer and deep thinking than other cultures around the world, I fear that a a huge surprise is in the works.

The following was written by Grace Tinsley, an Arlington High School senior.

Walking outside the Unitarian Universalist Church at Mass. Ave. and Pleasant in Arlington Center on a Saturday in February, you would never realize what was happening. Some teenagers walked through the church doors, but nothing about them looked out of the ordinary. Once inside the church, not much appeared to be “normal.”

The men were dressed in skirts, dresses and anything frilly, while the girls were wearing baggy shirts and men’s jeans. The whole scene was hilarious. It started out with everyone inside changing into their drag outfits and introducing themselves to new faces — since the GSA is extremely open to new members. The purpose of this event was to bring its members closer together and invite new affiliates in a fun, bonding, Saturday-night experience. Members and chaperones brought food, drinks and a karaoke machine to tie it all together.

Arlington High School junior James Wallis was the announcer for most of the singing performers and brought a wonderful spark to the whole event. Eva Leah Cirker-Stark, another junior, was another strong member who looked stunning in her blue-stripped button down shirt, tie, and men’s blue jeans.

All types of music were played and performed. There was everything from metal to the Spice Girls performed by Miranda Forman, Emily Allen, Rebecca Brown and Claire Weinberg.

Nearing the end of the performances, Ms. Holt, the head of the GSA, took the stage and announced the contestants for the drag fashion show. Everyone who wanted to participate got a chance to strut his or her stuff in front of the whole crowd of laughing teenagers and chaperones.

Once everyone had the chance to show off “what they got,” the audience members voted on who had the best costume. The winner was Arlington High School alum, William “Bear” Smith, who came back for the weekend from Wheaton College, was wearing a black dress with a black shawl and flats. He topped off his whole get-up with red lipstick.

The evening ended at 10 o’clock with a warming group singalong to the Monty Python tune “I’m a lumberjack, and I’m OK, I sleep all night and I work all day.”