PARENTS REACT TO GOVERNOR BAKER’S 2019 BUDGET PROPOSAL Massachusetts Parents United Applauds Governor Baker’s Approach to Education Funding (BOSTON, MA) – Yesterday, Governor Baker unveiled his 2019 state budget that includes funding the Foundation Budget Review Commission’s recommendations and outlines 1.1 billion dollars for school funding over seven years with additional funds targeted towards high need districts and tied to…
We Attended Your ALL WHITE PANEL on Educational Equity: Here’s What We Thought.
By Ed Shoemaker, Massachusetts Parents United When you decide to go to an event called “SUPERINTENDENTS DEMAND EDUCATIONAL EQUITY FOR ALL STUDENTS” hosted by the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, one would think a question about equity will be welcomed. I mean, come on. You’re “demanding educational equity” right? But that’s not what happened last night at an ALL WHITE PANEL…
No Additional Funding for Education – Until You Bring Us the Receipts
Even as we celebrate the success of Democrats on Capitol Hill and in elected offices across the country, highlighted by the most diverse Congressional class in history, we have work to do. A lot of it. Let’s remember Stacey Abrams, who successfully challenged an establishment Democratic insider to become the first Black woman nominated to run for Governor of Georgia.…
Election Night 2018
For exhausted Boston Marathon runners, Heartbreak Hill represents ambivalent solace and the short-term angst that is the friction of growth and promise. After a grueling 20-and-a-half miles and so much hard work, you are almost at the finish line. You are so close, but you have to find your last wind, continue forward, and march with a powerful stride until…
5K Needles Uncollected Weekly, but Let’s Focus on Plastic Bags
We all know that school recess for children is supposed to be a time to relax, enjoy, and get a break from the rigors of the classroom. Some schools have detailed playgrounds with slides and basketball courts, while others have soccer or baseball fields to let the kids run around. Regardless of what recess looks like, it’s meant to be…
Thoughts on the Boston Superintendent Search
In the past few weeks, the Boston Superintendent Search Committee has held a couple of hearings and community feedback sessions at the Bruce Bolling Municipal Building. What critical component was missing? Community. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, voting is your passport to democracy. Use it! The Boston Public Schools serve mostly children of color and the…
Welcome to Zaida Luna!
MPU is thrilled to welcome a new member to our team, Zaida Luna! Zaida is a well-known and longtime warrior for children, women, the elderly, and the community. For the last 20 years, she has been a community organizer and advocate fighting to prevent the building of a correctional facility in the neighborhood; working towards a better, stronger, and healthier…
Wildflower Families Bloom in A Sea of Union Red
By Brian “The Coach” Bass, Director of Organizing, Massachusetts Parents United Sometimes education fights feel like Groundhog Day. Different zip codes, different parents, different kids, same stale talking points, same stale opposition. Change the name on the building or the name of the school, swap out a different logo, but be prepared to refute the same nonsense playbook that you’ve…
Dear Superintendents: Fairy Tales are for Kids, Not Parents
An epidemic has hit Massachusetts. An epidemic of critical proportions that threatens the lives of children in every city and town and jeopardizes the future of every community in the Commonwealth. It’s a public information crisis. Some Massachusetts school superintendents are systemically lying to the public about how poorly their school districts are performing. They are painting a picture of…
EduMom in CommonWealth Magazine: Listen to New Bedford families, not special interests
I wrote this piece for today’s Commonwealth Magazine. At Massachusetts Parents United we have been working with New Bedford parents on the ground for several months. It’s what we do. Now isn’t it about time we listened to them? SINCE THE 2016 BALLOT campaign around charter schools, we’ve seen victory lap after victory lap from the regressive anti-innovation crowd in…