Transition Team on Education

I went to the Patrick/Murray Transition Team Forum on education at the Butler School tonight. There were over 100 people there and the audience did the talking, while the Transition Team listened, took notes and asked questions. As might be expected, much of the conversation was about funding. Parents and school committee members from Chelmsford and other towns that are being short-changed by Chapter 70 explained the budget cuts, increased fees and reduced programs that their systems have undergone since 2003. Paul Schlichtman who is the Coordinator of Research, Testing and Assessment in Lowell, while also serving on the Arlington School Committee made an excellent point about Chapter 70 funding: that densely populated, low-growth towns are being penalized under the formula in favor of high-growth areas. That certainly explains why Westford did so much better under Chapter 70 than Chelmsford. I asked that questions of many people last June and could never get a straight answer. Thanks, Paul!Many people urged the team to recommend a change from funding education out of property taxes, something I think Deval Patrick campaigned on, and that certainly makes sense.

Anyone can submit ideas and suggestions to the transition teams by visiting http://www.patrickmurraytransition.org/