While standardized test scores of Massachusetts students are still mostly below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, one education statistic that keeps rising is the cost to the state of funding teachers’ pensions.
In a new report on pension costs across six populous states including Massachusetts, we found that in the Bay State, 14 cents of every tax dollar dedicated to associated education spending went to pensions in 2022. That’s up from 9 cents in 2015 and far above the 8 cents forked over by taxpayers in our runner-up state, California.
Despite this increase in resources, the financial strength of the Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System hasn’t improved. Over this period, the percentage of assets the fund has relative to the value of its pension commitments remained consistently low, increasing from just below 57 percent to just below 58 percent.
Yes that’s right, MTRS has less than 58 cents saved for every dollar it owes, even under its assumption of a 7.15 percent return on investments every year. To put that in perspective, MTRS would consider a $100,000 payment due in 10 years as “fully funded” if it had just over $50,000 in its account today. And yet, this eye-popping increase in cash has barely kept MTRS treading water. This means that without policy reforms, Bay State taxpayers will probably pay an increasingly hefty bill.
While the MTRS funding ratio and contribution increases are worse than its peers, these trends reflect a nationwide problem. Public pensions when properly measured are underfunded to the tune of $5.12 trillion, and the cost burden on state and local governments is increasing.
To understand how the contribution increases impact education, consider that Massachusetts’ current education budget for fiscal 2024 is $7.95 billion. The fact that pension contributions have increased by 5 percentage points translates into $398 million per year of additional money going into the fund than if the share had remained at its 2015 level.
This means that the state has $398 million fewer dollars per year to dedicate to important expenditures such as salaries for new teachers, classroom resources, or support services such as counselors, technicians, or librarians.
State revenues generally rise of course, as they have in recent years, giving the state more money at its disposal to offset these increases. For example, while pension contributions per pupil in Massachusetts have risen by 109 percent since 2015, revenues per pupil have increased by 21 percent, softening the blow.
Yet this pace of revenue growth is not guaranteed. While Massachusetts fiscal 2025 budget foresees a $2 billion or roughly 3.5 percent spending increase, the incremental revenues are coming mostly from the significant Fair Share tax increase. Money to fund education, pensions, and other public priorities does not grow on trees. It comes out of taxpayers’ pockets.
Massachusetts officials could address the pension challenge through one key policy change: moving new employees from traditional defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans similar to 401(k)s.
Current teachers typically receive pensions based on a formula that uses a series of inputs including employees’ salaries, the ages of the employees, and the number of years of employees’ service. If an employee leaves their job, pension benefits are reduced or lost.
401(k)-type plans conversely require the state to contribute a flat percent of pay to a tax-deferred account as long as the employee is working in the job. Employees who leave the job can take their full accumulated retirement savings with them, and the state avoids the creation of more long-term obligations.
The mobility of 401(k)-type plans could attract more young people to the teaching profession, since they often prioritize flexibility early in their careers. While public sector defined benefit plans tend to be more generous than private sector 401(k) plans, that difference can be reduced by offering higher employer contributions. This setup would vastly improve the state’s finances while ensuring that retirement contributions do not continue to consume ever-increasing shares of education budgets.
Ultimately the burden of pension contributions will threaten the Commonwealth’s ability to remain a national leader in education. It would serve the state and its valued teachers well to move to a more sustainable model for retirement benefits before it’s too late.
Joshua Rauh is a professor of finance at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. Gregory Kearney is a senior research analyst at the Hoover Institution.
Where are layoffs happening in Massachusetts?
As part of the federal The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, employers in Massachusetts with 50 or more employees are required to provide advance notice of mass layoffs.
The state publishes this data, known as WARN notices, weekly on Fridays. See recent layoff notices.
John Hancock can be reached at john.hancock@globe.com. Follow him @Hancock_JohnD.
Correspondent Cam Pellegrino was in Norwell where the 15th-ranked Clippers’ boys’ lacrosse team stayed perfect with a win over No. 16 Scituate with help from Teddy Glynn’s five goals.
In boys’ volleyball, No. 3 Natick swept No. 8 Newton North as Luke Dratch handed out 32 assists.
It all started with good news for the hockey community, as the proposed return of the Super 8/Division 1A tournament cleared a major hurdle, gaining approval from the MIAA’s Tournament Management Committee during a morning meeting in Franklin. All it needs now is approval from the finance committee and Board of Directors.
Find the rest of Thursday’s results on our scoreboard. Looking for a certain game? Try our sport-specific scoreboards: Baseball | Softball | Boys’ lacrosse | Girls’ lacrosse | Boys’ volleyball | Boys’ tennis| Girls’ tennis
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▪ King Philip senior McCoy Walsh, commited to Hofstra, eclipsed 700 career strikeouts during a 3-1 loss to Dighton-Rehoboth.
▪ Plymouth North sophomore Chloe Stasinos notched her 100th career strikeout with six whiffs in a 14-4 win over Duxbury.
▪ Acton-Boxborough boys’ lacrosse scored a program-record 13 goals in the first period of an 18-10 win over Westford, paced by Will Cronin, who finished with six goals, Ethan Fennell, who scored five, and Thomas Quirk, who whipped five assists.
▪ Hoosac Valley senior Reagan Shea collected her 100th career goal during a win over Hampshire.
Congratulations to Reagan Shea on collecting her 100th Career Goal this afternoon! Her milestone day helped lead the ‘Canes to a hard fought win over Hampshire! Way to go Reagan! We’re proud of you! pic.twitter.com/HJQfLKXt7P
— Hoosac Valley Athletics (@HVHSHurricanes) April 16, 2026
It’s hard to say any game involving Bumila on the mound is an upset, but technically Feehan’s win over St. John’s (Shrewsbury) was a No. 9 over a No. 2 in the Globe’s baseball Top 20 poll.
It’s also difficult to consider any Dighton-Rehoboth win an upset as the Falcons seek a third-straight state title, taking down No. 2 King Philip, 3-1, in the process thanks to junior Maddie Simonds’s game-tying solo homer in the fifth inning and sophomore Courtney Botelho’s two-run homer moments later.
The unranked Middleborough softball team took took down No. 9 Bishop Feehan, riding a solo homer from Taylynn Robinson and a two-way performance from senior Taryn Clancy, who drove in two runs in the sixth inning and struck out 11 in the circle while scattering five hits to a 3-1 victory.
Also in softball action, No. 7 Norton defeated No. 4 Attleboro, 4-1.
▪ Freshman Payton Scuilli delivered the walkoff single to complete a 4-3 come-from-behind softball win for Silver Lake. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Madisyn Thompson and Megan Arseneau walked before Katelyn Taylor’s sacrifice fly tied the game, setting the stage for Scuilli.
▪ With the clock winding down in overtime, Monomoy goalie Harry Beaumont walked the ball up the field and found Nick Garneau coming out of the substitution box. Garneau sprinted to the cage and deposited the winner with under 10 seconds remaining as the Sharks escaped with a 3-2 boys’ lacrosse win over Cape Cod Academy.
▪ With 11 seconds left, senior middie Zach Brady buried the winner for Milton, which beat Natick, 9-8, two days after scoring its first win over Needham in 20 years.
Plymouth North junior Emerson Boyd crushed a grand slam, and four schools featured two home-run hitters Thursday.
Dighton-Rehoboth got homers from Simonds and Botelho, John King and Manny Delcarmen III both left the yard for East Bridgewater, Norton’s Natalia Faria and Avery Tinkham launched longballs, and Greater Lowell’s Lauryn Ducharme and Cora Wilder cranked round-trippers.
The rest of the day’s blasts belonged to Woburn’s Aislin Grammer, Minuteman’s Alyssa Collins, East Bridgewater’s Maggie Schlossberg, and Middleborough’s Robinson.
Alyssa Collins, Minuteman — The senior stacked up 17 strikeouts without a walk, tossing a shutout and going 3 for 3 with a homer at the plate in a 12-0 softball win over Nashoba Valley Tech.
Danny Kenney, Plymouth North — The senior nearly no-hit Duxbury in a 1-0 baseball win, settling for a one-hitter.
John King, East Bridgewater — The junior nearly hit for the cycle, finishing a double shy and driving in four runs during a 10-0 baseball win over Rockland.
Julia Kipperman, Nauset — The Merrimack-bound junior followed up a 13-goal performance on Monday with nine goals in Thursday’s 20-5 win over St. John Paul II.
Ava MacLean, Walpole — The senior orchestrated the Timberwolves’ attack with eight assists, adding five goals in an 18-9 girls’ lacrosse victory over Wellesley.
Camryn Pendergast, Woburn — The sophomore fired a five-inning no-hitter, striking out five to blank Watertown, 13-0.
Senny Walton, Cape Cod Tech — The junior hit on fours, with 4 hits, 4 RBIs, and 4 runs scored in a 28-5 baseball rout of Mashpee.
Cormac Heney, Hamilton-Wenham — The senior not only fired a five-inning no-hitter, he tripled and doubled in a 10-0 win over Lynnfield.
▪ Pembroke announced the promotion of former Braintree star Bella Scarpa to head coach of its girls’ basketball program. She takes over for Tim Lopes, who had helmed the program since 2018, winning a Patriot League title and South sectional in 2019. Scarpa, whose sister Allie is an assistant coach at UMass Boston, played at Regis and Eastern Connecticut after winning a state title with the Wamps.
“Bella’s basketball acumen combined with her strong ability to connect with young athletes will surely bring the program to new heights,” Lopes wrote on social media.
▪ Former Norwell and Nobles basketball star Grace Oliver is headed home. The 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year has committed to transfer to Boston College after playing one season at Colorado and one season at Wake Forest, where she averaged 14.3 points and 6.1 rebounds while starting 29 games and shooting 38.8 percent from deep.
Former Norwell and Nobles hoops star Grace Oliver is heading to Boston College.
Oliver, a 4-star recruit and 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year, started her career at Colorado and averaged 14.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last year for Wake Forest.
Versatile, dynamic player… pic.twitter.com/xiAPl6MOF2
— Trevor Hass (@TrevorHass) April 16, 2026
▪ Bishop Feehan held a signing ceremony for its college-bound football players that featured Kane Mankins (Ole Miss), Mason Nealand (Bryant), Max Pennellatore (Utica), Momo Mills (RPI), Kaden Baltzar (Bentley), and Colin Lahiff (UNE).
▪ Masconomet senior Jimmy Farrell announced his commitment to play men’s basketball at WPI. The 1,000-point scorer averaged 19.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while leading the Chieftans to the Division 2 championship game.
I’m extremely grateful to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at WPI. I want to thank Coach Bartley and Coach Naclerio for this incredible opportunity. I also want to thank my family, Coach Jaycob, and Coach OC for the endless support. pic.twitter.com/z1jLvPLYOU
— Jimmy Farrell (@JimmyFarrell_4) April 16, 2026
Former Nobles standout Caroline Ducharme, the two-time Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year, has signed a training camp invite with the Golden State Valkyries after wrapping up her challenging collegiate career at UConn.
The Milton native played 86 games at UConn, making 19 starts, and won the 2025 national title with the Huskies. If she makes the Valkeries roster, she will be teamamtes with Newton South graduate Veronica Burton, who is coming off winning the WNBA’s Most Improved Player award.
Cambridge Rindge and Latin sophomore Natalya Cafasso rose to No. 3 in the world in junior women’s épée after capturing a silver medal at the Junior & Cadet Fencing World Championships in Rio de Janeiro.
The 16-year-old Cafasso placed eighth in junior women’s épée and helped Team USA secure a bronze medal in the team event. Her run included a victory over the reigning junior world champion in the quarterfinals.
Julia Kipperman, Nauset, 9
Ciara Hendricks, Mashpee, 8
Cam Guedner, Tewksbury, 7
Riley Halloran, Walpole, 7
Bobby Olsen, Dover-Sherborn, 7
Pat Connor, North Quincy/Quincy, 6
Will Cronin, Acton-Boxborough, 6
Amelia Hawkins, Nashoba Valley Tech, 6
Claire Howard, Mashpee, 6
Sophia Morin, Mashpee, 6
Emily Regan, Cohasset, 6
Hanane Aboutoui, Methuen, 5
Ryan Brennan, Tewksbury, 5
Molly Campbell, Cohasset, 5
Avery Croteau, Barnstable, 5
Ethan Fennel, Acton-Boxborough, 5
Lucy Francis, Bridgewater-Raynham, 5
Teddy Glynn, Norwell, 5
Quinn Gray, Waltham, 5
Ava MacLean, Walpole, 5
Will Sesselman, Westwood, 5
Meg Sullivan, Nauset, 5
Reese Sullivan, Scituate, 5
Ava MacLean, Walpole, 8
Shea Sullivan, Scituate, 6
Thomas Quirk, Acton-Boxborough, 5
Anya Kelsch, Sandwich, 4
Grayson Ryder, Tewksbury, 4
Maddie Campbell, Scituate, 3
Quinn Gray, Waltham, 3
Trey Sweder, Methuen, 27
Harry Beaumont, Monomoy, 16
Jake Fiore, Newton North, 15
Ipp Routo, Brookline, 15
Devyn Blige, Norwell, 13
Norah Swanson, Nauset, 13
Than Hunt, Sandwich, 11
Julia Dunfey, Greater Lowell, 10
Alyssa Collins, Minuteman, 17
Amaya Flood, Greater Lowell, 14
Taryn Clancy, Middleborough, 11
Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan, 9
Delaney D’Hondt, Methuen, 8
Danny Kenney, Plymouth North, 8
Lidia Miedema, Beverly, 8
Bob Widdop, Duxbury, 7
Hailey Boutin, Seekonk, 5
Sophia Cappiello, Tewksbury, 5
Erin Gunn, Somerset Berkley, 5
Aislin Grammer, Woburn, 4
John King, East Bridgewater, 4
Lila Sullivan, Cape Cod Tech, 4
Ryan Tullish, Middleborough, 4
Senny Walton, Cape Cod Tech, 4
Mia Basile, Woburn, 3
Mia Davis, Tewksbury, 3
MC Gambino, Concord-Carlisle, 3
Maggie Schlossberg, East Bridgewater, 3
Senny Walton, Cape Cod Tech, 4
Julius Soto, Methuen, 3
Lila Sullivan, Cape Cod Tech, 3
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
New England Travel
If you’ve ever scrolled Airbnb and found yourself saving a listing out of wanderlust, welcome to the wish list industrial complex.
Airbnb this week named the most wishlisted properties across all 50 states, and the Bay State’s winner might surprise you. Massachusetts’ top honoree isn’t a shingled cottage on the Cape or a waterfront Nantucket mansion. It’s a mid-century octagonal glass house perched on 7 private, wooded acres in Otis, deep in the Berkshires. And it has a quirkier origin story than you’d expect.
The Mid-Century Glass Octagon was built in the 1970s as a kit house by the owners who had purchased the surrounding land as a private ski hill for their friend group, current owner Katherine Auleta said. It was originally off the grid, heated by a single wood stove, and lit by candelabras hanging from the rafters. By the time Auleta, a former New York fashion photographer, became the third owner, the home had been updated by its previous occupants but had drifted into what she described as “twee” territory — lots of colors, lots of little bird things everywhere.
Auleta stripped the interior back, leaned into the boldness of the octagonal structure, installed a mid-century fireplace gifted by a friend, and lined a shelf with photography books hauled up from her old New York City apartment. The result is a 4.95-star, 463-reviewed juggernaut — one of the most-loved homes on Airbnb, per its listing — that regularly books out at a pace that has guests telling her they’ve been trying to lock in dates for years.
“It’s a special home to me, and I love sharing it with other people,” said Auleta, who now lives on an island off Vancouver and manages the property remotely.
Getting to its lofty, wishlisted perch required some guest-driven compromises. Auleta resisted adding air conditioning (the home’s wraparound slatted windows were designed for natural airflow, she said) but eventually relented.
“That’s what people were asking for, so I did it,” she said. “Your guests are your best teachers, in a way.”
The hospitable philosophy extends to every touchpoint: linen bedding, organic bath products, and a hospitality instinct she traces back to a $3-a-night bamboo hut she once stayed in near Lombok, Indonesia, where French linens and a ceiling fan made a $3 stay feel like luxury.
Guests typically come from Boston, New York, and around the region — often for a romantic weekend, sometimes to get engaged — and they usually bring their groceries, light the fireplace, and stay put.
“The people that really get into the place are the people that are coming to unplug,” she said.
Other New England honorees on Airbnb’s wish list roundup include a modern treehouse with hot tub and water views in Georgetown, Maine; a converted silo house on a Litchfield Hills estate in Connecticut; a tiny cabin retreat in Woodstock, New Hampshire; a tiny eco-cottage with lake views in Smithfield, Rhode Island; and a treehouse with sauna and stream access in Hardwick, Vermont. Consider these wishlisted homes proof that the folks looking for a Northeast getaway increasingly want something off the beaten path for true R&R.
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