My purpose at the meeting was to present local officials with information about local aid, and to encourage them to work with me and other like-minded individuals to advocate for change.
Specifically, I encouraged them to consider four action items:
- For Fiscal Year 2010, oppose granting Governor Patrick additional authority to cut school and local aid in Fiscal Year 2010.
- For Fiscal Year 2011, oppose cuts to school and local aid. Allowing school and local aid to be “on the table” for reduction will remove the incentive to reform and streamline government to achieve needed state-level cost savings.
- Relative to Education Reform to be debated in House of Representatives, push for a fair funding formula for Charter School Reimbursement to suburban school districts like Shrewsbury.
- Support an Early School and Local Aid Resolution which will disclose the minimum state aid to cities and towns in order for municipalities to approve local budgets with a degree of certainty.
I think that, together, these action items would help us improve our ability to provide a quality education to Shrewsbury residents. You can view a copy of a letter I sent to local officials on these topics by clicking here.
What do you think of these action items? Please post a comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts and how you think we can advocate for each of these items.
