The blog is back. Sorry for the lengthy absence. The Hancock v Driscoll decision is a good reason to return to writing. Most who are interested in improving Lowell's schools were thrilled with the decision, which found that the state has failed to adequately fund public schools in urban areas. The reason the court is involved in this in the first place is that the Massachusetts Constitution guarantees each resident a free, public education. The recent court decision held that the state's funding was inadequate to meet this constitutional requirement. No one knows what will happen next. The legislature only concern seems to be where will the money come from. As practical a consideration as that is, it ignores the reality that urban school systems need a lot more money if they are to meet the steep requirements set by MCAS and No Child Left Behind. Perhaps the legislature should consider regionalizing school system - let urban kids go to school in suburbia and suburban kids come to school in the inner city. That wouldn't cost any more money and it would certainly equal the opportunities available to all the state's children.