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Massachusetts
Amid Mass. school budget crises, lawmakers weigh how to fix school funding system – The Boston Globe
The recommendations could address budget challenges districts are facing due to causes including recent high inflation, the end of federal pandemic relief funds, and the rising costs of special education and student transportation.
“There are few issues as important as ensuring we have well-funded, high-quality public schools for all of our children, no matter what communities they live in,” Lewis said. “Even though the inflation rate has come down to more manageable levels, we had several years where inflation was quite high, and that has a real impact on school districts.”
Lewis helped lead the creation of the Student Opportunity Act, passed in 2019, which will add more than $1.5 billion to school budgets by 2027. Most of the new money has gone to Gateway Cities such as Springfield, Worcester, and Lawrence, which serve disproportionate numbers of high-needs students and depend heavily on state education funding. The law has also ensured all districts receive at least $30 more per student each year.
But that financial boost has been greatly eroded by inflation: its annual inflation cap is 4.5 percent, but inflation in the wake of the pandemic surged to more than 7 percent. It has since come back down, but the gap it created in district finances remains. Teachers and other school staff continue to seek raises to keep pace with the cost of living, including through increasingly frequent strikes.
School leaders, teachers unions, and advocates have called for the state to cover the gap created by inflation. Lewis’s proposal appears to have early bipartisan support; Senate minority leader Bruce Tarr is a cosponsor of the bill, while Senate President Karen Spilka said in her inaugural address earlier this month she hopes to tackle school funding this year.
Ed Lambert, director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, said it made sense to try to address some of the challenges identified by Lewis, but said the state should not just be focused on how much money it provides districts.
“We need to really be prioritizing, along with how the money is distributed, how the money is being spent,” Lambert said. “If they’re not spending it on evidence-based practices … you can change the formula all you want, it’s not going to make a difference.”
Lambert’s group is one of those that would get a seat on the commission, according to the bill.
Other drivers of rising costs include special education, particularly the $1 billion-plus Massachusetts districts spend to send students with disabilities to specialized campuses, including private special education schools. The cost of transporting students — also often to special education schools — has also risen significantly.
Making district finances more difficult is the state’s property tax cap, which limits increases to 2.5 percent annually unless voters approve an override at the polls. Dozens of communities have sought overrides in the last two years — often unsuccessfully.
Colin Jones, deputy policy director for the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, a progressive think tank that would get a seat on the commission, said in a statement his group has not taken a position on the bill, but immediate action is also necessary.
“Over the past five years, the Student Opportunity Act has added $1 billion in school funding across Massachusetts,“ Jones said. ”Even with that incredible progress, it is a fitting time to have a systemic review of K-12 funding.”
Lewis acknowledged the budget challenges go beyond the schools, and said he would also support reexamining how the state distributes other local aid, but education is his priority.
“The school budgets are typically by far the largest part of municipal budgets, so if a community is looking to have to make budget cuts, that’s often going to fall disproportionately on the schools,” he said.
This year also marked the end of federal pandemic relief funds, which infused more than $2 billion into Massachusetts schools since 2020. That money was always known to be temporary, but it was used to “shore up the finances of many districts,” Lewis said. Other districts spent it on new staff, including tutors and extra classroom aides, to help their students, who are still behind their pre-pandemic peers.
Lewis noted the commission would take years to produce a new school funding formula and said the state should try to provide more funds to school districts on an annual basis in the meantime.
According to the bill text, the commission would also consider whether to remove the inflation cap on state aid, how to fund special education and transportation appropriately, and how to adapt to many districts losing enrollment, given state aid is largely allocated based on enrollment, except the state does not cut aid to districts with falling populations.
That could even include examining areas of potential cost savings, Lewis said, such as having small districts with declining enrollment share resources or consolidate.
The commission would include members of both parties in the state Legislature, the state education department, teachers unions, various municipal and school associations, and five appointees of the governor.
The commission would also consider removing or altering a requirement for the state to assist even the wealthiest towns with their school budgets. The state calculates a “foundation budget” required to adequately educate the community’s students (though districts can and do spend more) and funds at least 17.5 percent of the foundation budget for every district.
Lambert said the commission should address that provision as well as the annual per-student increase received by every district, as both run counter to the system’s goal of sending more needs-based aid to needier districts.
Christopher Huffaker can be reached at christopher.huffaker@globe.com. Follow him @huffakingit.
BOSTON, MA — An international restaurant group with locations across the globe is preparing to open its first Massachusetts restaurant this year.
LPM Restaurant & Bar, a French Riviera-inspired restaurant founded in London, is set to open on the second floor of the Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street in Back Bay, according to Four Seasons. The hotel lists the restaurant as “Opening Summer 2026,” while the Boston Business Journal reported the restaurant plans to open in September.
The Boston restaurant will mark LPM’s debut in the Northeast and its third U.S. outpost, following locations in Miami and Las Vegas, according to a Four Seasons announcement.
LPM, also known as La Petite Maison, was founded in London in 2007 and is known for French-Mediterranean food, Mediterranean ingredients and dining rooms influenced by Belle Époque design.
The business operates locations in London, Dubai, Miami, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Riyadh, Limassol, Doha, Mykonos, Kuwait, Boston, Maldives and Bangkok.
Four Seasons said LPM will take over the space that formerly housed One Dalton’s breakfast concept, One + One. The restaurant will join other dining options at the hotel, including Zuma and Trifecta.
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Massachusetts
Massachusetts high school under investigation after teachers diagnosed with breast cancer
A Massachusetts high school is under investigation after “several” teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions.
The state Department of Public Health is set to visit Uxbridge High School on Thursday to “conduct a series of air quality tests,” to determine whether the multiple cases are potentially connected.
Superintendent David Ljungberg and Principal Michael Rubin alerted families and district staff on Monday of the “sombering news,” after Uxbridge High School’s graduation over the weekend.
“We are writing to inform you about a concern we are investigating at Uxbridge High School,” Ljungberg and Rubin stated in the letter. “Several female teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions over the past few years.”
“It is, of course, possible that these multiple cases are not connected to one another,” the leaders added, “but out of abundance of caution, we are looking into any environmental factors at the school that may be a factor in their diagnoses.”
The 123,000-square-foot school, with an enrollment of roughly 600, was constructed in 2012 at a cost of $45 million, including a $22-million state reimbursement.
Uxbridge school leaders say they notified the state Department of Health and local health board as soon as they became aware of the cases, seeking “counsel about how best to proceed.”
“Massachusetts DPH officials have indicated that there is no evidence of immediate danger in the building and no reason to limit access to or use of the facility at this time,” they wrote in their letter. “In fact, the public health officials have commended our decision to approach them with these concerns, our readiness to partner with them in support of the evaluation process.”
Health officials are assessing the school’s interior and exterior to “ensure there are no issues with the infrastructure that would present risks (including electrical, plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, and other systems)” and the indoor and outdoor air quality on campus.
The superintendent and principal said that state officials have ruled out water supply as a “risk factor” after “thorough testing.”
“The team has reached out to the women who have been diagnosed, requesting data to evaluate whether there may be a connection among their cases,” Ljungberg and Rubin wrote. “We are grateful for their cooperation.”
They added that the state has said discovering an environmental “smoking gun” is “rare” in workplace investigations.
“However, even if a direct causal link is not established,” the leaders wrote, “the administration is utilizing this process to rigorously test the building and guarantee that it meets all safety standards moving forward.”
Local News
The legislation would allow licensed establishments to sell alcohol one hour later than their normal closing time, up to 3 a.m., between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2026.
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a measure that would allow cities and towns to temporarily extend bar and restaurant hours during the summer, as the state prepares to host FIFA World Cup matches and celebrations marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The legislation (H.5465) filed by state Rep. Carole Fiola, would allow licensed establishments to sell alcohol one hour later than their normal closing time, up to 3 a.m., between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2026. The bill would also allow communities to establish designated public consumption districts where alcohol could be consumed in approved public spaces.
In a press release announcing the bill, Fiola said the summer’s threefold events lineup — the World Cup, Tall Ships, and July 4th — is an economically significant moment that the state should take advantage of.
“We should capitalize on these events that will generate economic benefits for small businesses and the state as a whole. It’s a local opt-in idea worth exploring that’s being done in other states,” Fiola said.
The proposal has received support from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and most recently Gov. Maura Healey, who submitted written testimony Monday to the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies urging lawmakers to advance the measure.
“Massachusetts is planning for a once-in-a-generation summer,” Healey wrote, according to the Boston Globe. “In 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, welcome tall ships from around the world to Boston Harbor for Sail Boston, and host seven FIFA World Cup matches in Foxborough, along with watch parties across the Commonwealth.”
The governor argued that the added flexibility could help local economies benefit from an influx of visitors.
“That flexibility can help communities capture more visitor spending, support jobs, keep downtowns active, and strengthen Massachusetts’ image as a dynamic destination ready to host the world and a place our residents, including our young professionals, are proud to call home,” Healey wrote.
She also urged lawmakers to move the legislation forward, saying it will “help Massachusetts meet the full economic and cultural opportunities for the summer ahead.”
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Rhode Island bill proposes 24-hour bar hours during World Cup
In Rhode Island, a similar bill to allow bars and restaurants to remain open until 4 a.m. during the World Cup was signed into law on Friday.
Fiola’s bill remains before the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. Any final version would require approval from both the House and Senate before reaching Healey’s desk.
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