While athletic and academic prowess usually get the most attention, music provides a different method of learning — fostering creativity, innovation, and teamwork toward a common goal, supporters say.Read the full article in the Boston Globe West Section here
“It’s through music and the arts that we tell the human story,’’ said Bill Pappazisis, the fine and performing arts director for the Belmont schools.
The National Association of Music Merchants surveyed teachers and administrators to distinguish 174 districts and schools in 30 states. Each school was selected based on criteria including funding, the amount of staff and their credentials, student participation and career paths, curriculum, facilities, and public support.
The functions of these programs differ widely, but they all share one remarkable feature. The taxpayer dollars were not wrenched from the pockets of the Commonwealth’s residents. Instead, thousands of Bay Staters checked off boxes on their income tax returns opting to contribute to the funds. These people paid, in other words, what sounds like the ultimate oxymoron: voluntary taxes.
Though voluntary tax programs could never generate enough money to run a state, more people chip in than you might expect (more, that is, than none). And according to some enthusiasts, we could be doing more to capitalize on this surprising willingness to give. Voluntary taxes, these thinkers say, offer a politically palatable way to raise additional revenue and perhaps even to strengthen Americans’ sense of patriotism and citizenship. And in the current political and fiscal climate, lawmakers are frankly desperate for creative solutions.and this from a study referenced by the article
The authors concluded that dislike of taxes may be not just a matter of reluctance to part with our money, or mistrust of the government: It may be largely about the lack of control over where exactly our money goes.I think too little is paid to this particular aspect of control. Several of the comments on the Milford Daily News pages mentioned this lack of specifics as to where the money was to be used. Even though the authorization from the Town Council was for the $3 million to be divided with $1.8 M for the schools, $300,000 for the Town and $900,000 for road repair, the question on the ballot per state guidelines was phrased as:
Shall the Town of Franklin be allowed to assess an additional $3,000,000.00 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purpose of the operating budget for which monies from this assessment will be used for the fiscal year beginning July 1, two thousand and ten?Indeed, the article does go on to say
... it seems that giving taxpayers some control over the funds is key. The University of Texas economists found that when subjects were permitted to earmark their donations, contributions more than doubled.Read the full article in the Boston Globe Ideas section here:
New Trash and Recycling Carts
Your new trash and recycling carts are currently being
delivered to your homes.
PLEASE DO NOT USE THE NEW TRASH AND RECYCLING CARTS UNTIL JULY 1
Thank you.
“Our message all along has been clear and consistent: Massachusetts will only adopt the Common Core standards if they match or surpass our current expectations for students,” said Education Secretary Paul Reville. “Even if the Board votes to adopt, the Commonwealth would still maintain the opportunity to add to the standards, personalize them to Massachusetts and build them out in a way that will allow our educators to propel our students to the next level of learning.”
“Our goal is to provide every student in the Commonwealth with the best possible schools, teachers, curriculum and opportunities they need to be successful in school, college, careers and in life,” Chester said. “We will take the time to evaluate the Common Core Standards before making a decision, and if we ultimately find that the final product represents a decline in expectations from our state standards, we will not hesitate to walk away.”
The Common Core State Standards and survey can be viewed by clicking hereRead the full posting on the School Committee blog here:
The 495/MetroWest Development Compact is aimed at ranking infrastructure improvements for the region as a whole, rather than tackling projects piecemeal.
Greg Bialecki, the state secretary of housing and economic development, and Jeff Mullan, secretary of transportation, announced the compact at the 495/MetroWest Partnership's annual conference.
Bialecki said the compact will help create a common "strategic action plan" for all of the agencies involved to get behind, rather than "creating a laundry list of changes to infrastructure that need to be made."
On June 24, 2010, the Legislature approved the Conference Committee’s version of the FY2011 budget. The Division of Local Services has posted updated local aid estimates based on the Conference Committee budget recommendations at the link below:
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=dorsubtopic&L=5&L0=Home&L1= Local+Officials&L2=Municipal+ Data+and+Financial+Management& L3=Cherry+Sheets&L4=FY2011+ Local+Aid+Proposals&sid=Ador
Though the estimates are substantially the same as previous estimates, the Conference Committee proposal relies on reimbursements from the Federal Medical Assistance Program (FMAP) to fund part of certain appropriations.
Outside section 190 restricts the expenditure of FMAP funded appropriations until receipt of those funds is certain.
Cherry sheet estimates for the State-owned Land, Regional School Transportation and Local Share of Racing Taxes programs reflect the portion of the appropriation funded only from the general fund.
If the FMAP funding becomes certain by tax rate setting time, FY2011 cherry sheets will be amended.
These estimates are subject to final approval by the Governor.
Hello Everyone,
The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by workshop activities. The facilitator for this week will be Steve Sherlock. We will devote the first hour, from 10 to 11 AM to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs & Leads. Please arrive early, so we can make every effort to start on time. In the second hour, we will conduct a workshop with various activities. Here is how it will be done:
Workshop Activities:
Discovery...Re-Discovery...and FUN:
The handout provided has a 7 x 4 matrix of boxes, i.e., 28 in all, where each box contains an open-ended statement that when completed will yield a more composite picture of the person.
Transferrable Skills:
Bring your resume. We will break out into small groups and use the classrooms. After the resume is reviewed, a discussion will take place to determine what transferrable skills your résumé displays.
Name Associations (if time permits):
Think of a relationship of your name with something else that others could relate with and could remember your name. For example, the association I use is the breakfast serial Rice Krispies whereby removing the last letter "s" and replacing it with a "n" spells my last name. You will be quite surprised how easily it will be to remember names afterwards.
They may be on summer vacation, but Meghan and Shannon Morrison are already getting into the holiday spirit.
The sisters were only 9 and 7 at the time their mother, Susan, was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. And though Christmas that year fell on one of Susan's "bad weeks," she was able to spend the holiday home with her family.
Recognizing their own good fortune in being able to see their mother at Christmas, the sisters have dedicated themselves to raising money to buy holiday decorations for the AstraZeneca Hope Lodge Center in Boston - an outpatient care facility that serves as a home away from home for cancer patients.Read the full article here:
Flickers ... for Hope
AstraZeneca Hope Lodge Center in Boston
125 South Huntington Ave
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Buzz has planted what he calls his "two dollar garden" - left over lattice strips and seedlings that were on sale a couple of weeks ago - all less than $2.
'If we had data on all 351 Massachusetts municipalities, the exact impact of the simulated override might vary, but the overall results would be similar. By not passing the override, homeowners in Hull would save on their property taxes over the next five years. But for every tax dollar they save, Hull homeowners would likely forfeit close to four dollars in home value when they sell their homes.
Before pulling the lever in the voting booth, residents across Massachusetts considering a Prop 2 override to help fund local schools might be wise to consider whether a no vote is being penny-wise but pound-foolish.'
If the override was split into 2 separate questions, would you have approved the school override? Q1 - $2.1 million for schools Q2 - $900K for roads/the town
Yes
No
