“We’re a year behind in fulfilling the promise of the Student Opportunity Act"

"The Baker-Polito Administration today filed its Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) budget recommendation, a $45.6 billion proposal that continues the Administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and addresses critical priorities including promoting economic growth, fully funding the first year of the landmark Student Opportunity Act, and supporting cities and towns across Massachusetts. This balanced proposal does not raise taxes on the Commonwealth’s residents and preserves substantial financial reserves for the future.

Submitted as House 1, this budget recommendation provides $246.3 million in new funding for the Student Opportunity Act including an increase of $197.7 million in Chapter 70 funding, with a particular focus on school districts serving low-income students. The Administration is also proposing to allow municipalities to count $114 million in federal dollars towards their Chapter 70 required local contribution increases to further deliver on the commitments in the Student Opportunity Act. Additionally, House 1 maintains the Administration’s promise to cities and towns with a $39.5 million increase in unrestricted local aid, which is equivalent to the 3.5% consensus tax revenue growth rate."

Continue to read the press release from Gov Baker's office

https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-files-fiscal-year-2022-budget-proposal

To review the budget letter and funding details

https://budget.digital.mass.gov/govbudget/fy22/

Chapter 70 info for FY 2022 from DESE

https://www.doe.mass.edu/finance/chapter70/fy2022/preliminary.html

Insights into the details of the budget and slick accounting used

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/baker-releases-fy22-budget-with-drop-in-spending-no-new-taxes/

Critics of the budget proposal outline details

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/school-advocates-call-bakers-funding-proposal-inadequate/

Gov Baker budget press conference:  https://youtu.be/S3KlSfJdu5s

COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Veterans

COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Veterans

January 27, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Veterans

We know some of our veterans have already received the COVID-19 vaccine, some are not planning on getting it and others are anxiously waiting to receive it.

If you are enrolled in the VA medical system and get called for an appointment to receive the vaccine, you must go to that facility at the scheduled day and time. You can't go to the Brockton VAMC to be vaccinated if you've been scheduled to receive it at the Jamaica Plain VAMC. You can, however, request a different day and time if the scheduled appointment is not convenient for you. The VA is currently scheduling appointments for veterans who are 75+ years of age.

If you are not enrolled in the VA medical system but have a disability rating, you can enroll in the VA medical system and will be eligible to receive a vaccine at one of the VA facilities. Vets who are not enrolled in the VA medical system should contact their civilian health care practitioners for vaccine information.

For current information about vaccines at the VA Medical Centers, please visit:

https://www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/

Here you'll be able to sign up for email updates, find information about vaccine eligibility and get answers to many of your questions. Please remember to continue to adhere to social distancing guidelines and stay up-to-date with the Department of Public Health prevention recommendations. 

COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Veterans

The Guardian: ‘A remarkable phenomenon’: billions of cicadas set to emerge across eastern US

"Billions of cicadas that have spent 17 years underground are set to emerge across large areas of the eastern US, bringing swarming numbers and loud mating calls to major towns and cities.

The periodic cicadas – bugs with strikingly red eyes, black bodies and orange wings – burrow underground as nymphs and suck fluids from the roots of plants as they grow, eventually bursting into the open as adults in mass synchronized events.

The last such event for 15 states including New York, Ohio, Illinois and Georgia occurred in 2004. The cicadas emerge in a 17-year cycle, meaning they will appear this year once temperatures are warm enough, expected to be mid-May."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/26/cicadas-emerge-eastern-us 

Scammers cash in on COVID-19 vaccination confusion

Scammers cash in on COVID-19 vaccination confusion by Colleen Tressler, Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC With every passing day, the news on COVID-19 vaccine distribution seems to change. One reason is that distribution varies by state and territory. And scammers, always at the ready, are taking advantage of the confusion. Read more https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2021/01/scammers-cash-covid-19-vaccination-confusion?utm_source=govdelivery This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

"Baker delivers ‘very different’ State of the Commonwealth" (video)

"A RESTAURANT OWNER feeding needy families, prompting his competitor to do the same. Aid groups feeding the growing number of economically insecure families. Grocery store workers, who checked people out even at the height of the pandemic.

Those were some of the many Bay Staters Gov. Charlie Baker thanked during his annual State of the Commonwealth address. The pandemic loomed large as his theme, even before the first words were uttered.

Instead of his usual address in a crowded House chamber flanked by Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, the House speaker, Senate president, and other constitutional officers, Baker was alone in his office, bookended by the Massachusetts and American flags. The moment, he said, was not unlike the solitude people have come to experience in their own homes — far from their family and colleagues while striving to remain safe.

Baker’s speech had no big news or policy proposals as in past years. It offered no indication of whether the governor will seek reelection next year and, aside from a lament at the divisiveness of social media, there was no mention of former president Donald Trump or the insurrection in Washington. "

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/baker-delivers-very-different-state-of-the-commonwealth/

 

Direct link to the YouTube video of the State of the Commonwealth by Gov Baker  (~ 25 minutes) https://youtu.be/Owhh6C80l5E

Senator Rausch: COVID-19 Vaccination Distribution Update

Senator Rausch State House Briefing
Part 2, Chapter 1 (January 26, 2020)

Dear friends,

I hope 2021 is off to a good and healthy start for you and your loved ones. I am proud and honored to continue serving as your Senator in this new term.

It’s fitting that my first newsletter to you in 2021 focuses on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Massachusetts. The good news is that we are moving into Phase Two of vaccine eligibility. Tomorrow morning, residents who are 75+ can start scheduling appointments to receive vaccinations. Please see key information in the section below.

Unfortunately, Massachusetts continues to rank near the bottom of all 50 states for vaccine administration, droves of doses remain on freezer shelves, and some doses are even ending up in the garbage because of the implementation failures to date, despite a solid plan from the Vaccine Advisory Board. The devil is always in the details, and the details have been a deadly disappointment. I share your deep frustrations about how poorly the vaccine rollout process has been so far, I continue to press the administration for improvements, and I worry that vaccination rollout and COVID management in Massachusetts may continue to be embarrassingly substandard going forward. In particular, I am concerned about access to appointment sign-ups, physical ability to get to a vaccination site, inequitable vaccination and testing site locations, insufficient collaboration with local health experts and grassroots health advocacy organizations, language barriers, inadequate communication from the Baker administration, a failure to address vaccine hesitancy, poor judgment calls resulting in changing vaccine prioritization, and public health experts continuing to be outnumbered by big business representatives on the reopening board.

Because the vaccination distribution will take several more months, it is absolutely imperative that everyone continue to take precautions to mitigate/prevent the spread of COVID19. That means masks, hand-washing, and physical distance from others. It’s hard and we’re tired. I get it. Please do not relent in your diligence. Also, try to get 20-30 minutes of physical activity daily, stay hydrated, eat well, and take time to take care of your mental health.

Questions and comments about the COVID vaccine distribution plan and implementation can be emailed directly to the Baker administration at COVID-19-Vaccine-Plan-MA@mass.gov. I welcome constituents to copy me on those emails as well.

I promise to continue advocating for personal and public health.

As always, if you or any of your loved ones in my district have fallen on hard times during this pandemic, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office via phone (617-722-1555) or email (becca.rausch@masenate.gov). We are here to help. You can also find robust resources to help you navigate through COVID-19 on my website.

Yours in service, 

Senator Becca Rausch  

This newsletter was shortened for publication here. To view the full content follow this link:  https://mailchi.mp/1a84a07d935c/maearlyvoting2020-13232068?e=0c2c9810fe

Sign up for the February 9th Senior Coffee here.

FHS girls basketball continue streak with win over Mansfield

From HockomockSports.com we share the FHS sports results:

Girls Basketball = Mansfield, 43 @ Franklin, 62 – Final 

– Franklin broke the game open in the second half to stay perfect on the season. Behind a strong second quarter, Mansfield had cut the lead to just 25-21 at the half, but the Panthers extended the lead to seven after three and exploded for 25 points in the fourth to put the game out of reach. Olivia Quinn scored a game-high 16 points in the win, while Brigid Earley chipped in with 12. The Hornets were led by Ashley Santos’ eight points. Sarah Dooling and Anna Darlington each scored seven for the visitors. 

 

Boys Basketball = Franklin, 50 @ Mansfield, 60 – Final 

"For nearly three quarters, the Franklin boys basketball was following its gameplay to near perfection.

The Panthers were sharing the ball on offense, cutting to the basket, and hitting open looks from outside. And the defense was on point too, keeping the Hockomock League’s leading scorer Matt Boen in check for over 20 minutes.

But as the visitors learned the hard way, anything short of a full 32-minute performance isn’t enough to beat the Hornets.

Franklin’s double-digit second half lead evaporated, shrinking over the final minutes of the third quarter and disappearing by the midway point of the fourth. Instead, it was Mansfield who walked away with a double-digit victory, 60-50, behind a big second half turnaround. "

Continue reading the game recap by Ryan Lanigan, founder and Editor-in-Chief of HockomockSports.com:  https://hockomocksports.com/mansfield-boys-basketball-rides-second-half-rally-franklin/

 

For a Photo Gallery from this game:  https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/2020-2021/Winter-2020-2021/Mansfield-Franklin-Boys-Basketball-01-26-21

For other results around the Hockomock League

https://hockomocksports.com/tuesdays-schedule-scoreboard-01-26-21/

Mansfield senior Jack Colby is defended by Franklin’s Jake O’Brien in the second half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)