MassBudget: MA becomes first state with majority college-educated workforce

MassBudget Information. Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center Democracy. MA becomes first state with majority college educated workforce Massachusetts has added another chapter to its history as the nation's leader in education, becoming the first state ever with 50 percent of its workforce holding a bachelor's degree, according to MassBudget's new report, "Education and State Economic Strength: A Snapshot of Current Data." The study highlights the ever-strengthening link between educational attainment and strong state economies. Massachusetts and New Jersey have the two best-educated workforces and the two highest median wage levels in the United States. Nationwide, 35.5 percent of the labor force holds a college degree, compared to 50.2 percent in Massachusetts. The U.S. median wage in 2016 was $17.80; in Massachusetts it was $21.22. The report also finds a strong connection between educational attainment and earnings within Massachusetts. Among the state's 25 largest cities and towns, those with the highest rates of college-degree attainment have the highest household incomes while those with the lowest prevalence of college degrees have the lowest household incomes. Expanding educational opportunity can help a lot of young people and strengthen our economy, but it won't by itself ensure that economic growth leads to rising wages for working people. The report's findings demonstrate that since 1979, inflation-adjusted wage growth overall has been flat or weak for most Massachusetts workers, including those with a college education. But over nearly four decades there has been growth in the "college wage premium" - the additional amount earned by workers with a college degree compared to those who have not attended college. By 2016, the median wage for Massachusetts workers with a college degree was twice that of workers with no more than a high school diploma. The link to the MassBudget report is here.  The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

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MassBudget: Labor Day report on the State of Working Massachusetts 2016

Study highlights trends facing workers and their families

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. State of Working Massachusetts: Wage earners saw gains last year, but haven't made up lost ground Hourly compensation for Massachusetts' low-wage workers rose by 7 percent from 2014-2015, buoyed by an increase in the minimum wage. A new report from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, The State of Working Massachusetts, 2016 Edition, highlights wage gains among all income groups, but notes that low- and middle-income wages in Massachusetts and across the nation have barely grown for decades and remain lower than in 2009. While long-term national trends are troubling, the report found some good news locally: Massachusetts has both the nation's highest median wage and the best educated workforce (49 percent have a college degree). Looking across the country, the report finds that states with better-educated workforces consistently have higher-wage economies. Comparing cities and towns within Massachusetts shows the same close relationship between the wages and education levels. The wage growth we see among low-wage workers who are benefiting from the minimum wage increase reminds us of how important public policy can be in improving the economic well-being of working people and their families. The challenge for our Commonwealth is to develop policies that expand opportunity and raise wages for all of our people. The State of Working Massachusetts 2016 Edition also pinpoints several other Massachusetts economic data points, including: Wages in Massachusetts grew by 3 percent last year for the broad middle class; Other states with minimum wage increases also saw higher wage gains for low-income workers; Massachusetts job growth between 2007 and 2016 has been among the strongest in the nation; Child poverty rates in Massachusetts are below the national average and have begun to decline, but 1-in-7 children remain in poverty, a higher level than before the recession. Among adults without disabilities whose incomes were less than 125 percent of the poverty level, the vast majority (71 percent) work at least part-time. The link to the MassBudget report is here. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

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Funding for Workforce Training in MA -- and a Promising Opportunity

MassBudget reports show spending and an opportunity to leverage federal funds

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Funding for Workforce Training in Massachusetts - and a Promising Opportunity Workforce training gives people the skills they need to get good jobs and support their families. These programs are also important to our Commonwealth more broadly, since we rely on well-educated, highly-skilled workers to sustain our state's high-wage economy. Despite the evidence that workforce training gives people the skills they need to succeed, state funding for workforce training has fallen over time, down 30 percent between Fiscal Years 2001 and 2017, as indicated below. MassBudget's new paper Investing in People: Workforce Training in the Massachusetts State Budget analyzes these long-term trends while also walking users through our interactive on-line Jobs & Workforce Budget tool. Together these resources describe each workforce training program funded by the state, show funding histories, and highlight broader trends across programs that provide similar supports. The Jobs & Workforce Budget also provides highlights from this year's state budget. Through recent work, state officials and leaders from the workforce training community have recognized the SNAP Employment and Training program as one important opportunity to help offset some of these long-term cuts. To describe this promising opportunity to support training for people eligible for SNAP (formerly called food stamps), MassBudget is also releasing The SNAP Employment and Training Program: Opportunities to Expand Work Supports for Low-Income People in Massachusetts. The SNAP Employment and Training program funds workforce training and related supports like transportation and childcare for people receiving training.  Federal funds can reimburse 50 percent of state and local spending and can be used both to expand services and to offset some existing state costs.   The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, 15 Court Square, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02108 Sent by nberger@massbudget.org in collaboration with Try it free today

In the News: Freedom from Hunger Food Drive, workforce disability conference, teacher contract close

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"St. Mary’s Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul will host its sixth annual Freedom from Hunger Food Drive from June 25 to 26. 

In order to receive a variety of nonperishable items, the group has divided the alphabet into six groups and are requesting different donations from each group.
The items requested are divided by the spelling of last names. Below are the items requested by beginning letter of the donors' last names. 

• A-D: cereal; coffee; tea; juice boxes; muffins and bread mixes.
• E-H: peanut butter and jelly; individual containers of Jell-O, fruit and pudding.
• I-L: granola bars; rice; whole grain crackers; oatmeal.
• M-P: canned fruit; fruit juice; applesauce; cranberry sauce.
• Q-T: tuna and Tuna Helper; beef stew; spaghetti sauce and paste; canned vegetables.
• U-Z: all paper products; shampoo; detergent; soap; toothpaste; deodorant."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160618/freedom-from-hunger-food-drive-announced

"The Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress and Riverside Community Care’s Central Massachusetts Employment Collaborative co-hosted a free workshop at Milford National Bank &Trust to educate employers on ways to expand their workforce by hiring people with disabilities. Rep. Jeffrey Roy, D-Franklin, talked about the connection between members of the MDSC and government work. 

Roy talked about different initiatives that he is currently following, in an effort to move people into more meaningful jobs. He mentioned the Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative and the higher education bill of Rep. Tom Sannicandro, D-Ashland, both of which push for people with differing abilities to receive higher education and skill training. Roy also told the attendees about his plans to refile a bill for student loan repayments."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160617/workforce-disabilities-conference-held

"The town school district and its teachers union are reportedly nearing a contract agreement. 

The School Committee, at its meeting this week, approved a memorandum of understanding with the Franklin Education Association, outlining the changes that a new three-year contract would bring. The committee is scheduled to sign the contract at its June 28 meeting, after which its full terms will be made public. 

Chairman Kevin O'Malley said the memo was approved unanimously by the committee. He said the teachers, too, voted to approve the document."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160617/franklin-teachers-district-nearing-agreement

For additional information from the recent School Committee meeting
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/06/school-committee-recognizes-retirees.html

MassBudget: The State of Working Massachusetts

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. The State of Working Massachusetts Our state economy is growing. The state unemployment rate is at its lowest level since 2008: 4.7 percent. And yet, despite this very real progress, our economy is not working for everyone - or even for most of us. The median wage is lower today than it was a decade ago and poverty is higher, even though our economy has grown substantially. Fixing that disconnect - the failure of economic growth to lead to an improving standard of living for working people - is the core economic policy challenge facing our state and our country. To read the full State of Working Massachusetts report, click HERE.  There are a number of policies that could be pursued at the national level to restore real wage growth and begin to build broadly shared prosperity. Massachusetts also can do a lot to expand economic opportunity and improve the lives of working people and families. The State of Working Massachusetts explores the well-being of our people and the strengths and weaknesses of our state economy. With the best educated workforce in the country we have the highest median wage. But across the income spectrum, wages have stagnated while income growth is concentrated among our very highest income households. That's a problem that state and federal policies need to address.  In addition to covering issues of wages and incomes, the various sections of The State of Working Massachusetts discuss the jobs situation in our state, poverty and child poverty, and the important role education plays in all of these areas. Throughout the report, we present data available from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and others. We invite you to read more about all of these topics and to explore the many other issues we cover and reports we provide on the MassBudget website. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

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MassBudget: Jobs & Workforce Programs in the State Budget - two new resources

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Jobs and Workforce Programs in the State Budget: Two new resources One of the most important things we do together through government is to support the development of people's skills to enable more of us to find good jobs, provide for our families, and contribute to the Massachusetts economy. With support from SkillWorks, MassBudget has created a new resource, our online Jobs and Workforce Budget, which provides easily accessible funding information and clear descriptions of the workforce development programs funded by our state budget. In connection with the launch of this on-line resource, we are releasing a new brief, "Investing in People: Jobs and Workforce Training in the Massachusetts State Budget," that builds on resources in the Jobs and Workforce Budget. This brief analyzes state support over the past decade, finding that these programs have been cut by about a third since FY 2001 (adjusted for inflation).  Jobs and Workforce support via budget Using the Jobs and Workforce Budget you can: Learn about all the programs in a particular area: Workforce Development, Education, Workers with Disabilities, and Youth Development. Within those areas, you can look at individual programs, like the Workforce Training Fund. For each program, you will find a full description, state funding history, proposals for future funding, and links to other online resources. If you want to understand how we support workforce development through our state budget, please visit the Jobs and Workforce Budget and read "Investing in People: Jobs and Workforce Training in the Massachusetts State Budget." The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

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