[WestMALocals] CLERGY LEADERS: EDUCATION IN SPRINGFIELD HURTING UNDER FISCAL CONTROL BOARD

[Nat Fortune]

A quote from the article on education in Springfield (see end of email)

> “There’s nothing more important than the education of our youngsters,” 
> Rep. Rivera said, adding that a principal she spoke with at eighth 
> grade graduation ceremonies this week expressed nervousness about 
> teachers not returning.

Actually, there is something more important than the education of our 
youngsters for Rep. Rivera because just last week (6/15), she chose to 
vote against closing $65 million in corporate loopholes! This $65 
million was needed to reverse cutbacks in state education aid and 
services that Springfield relies on.

Here are links to the roll call vote on the proposal to close all $170 
million in loopholes, which was defeated 45 to 109. Y in favor, N 
opposed. Note that the Dem and Rep leadership joined the Governor to 
defeat what the Governor originally proposed! Wouldn't want to endanger 
those generous corporate donations!

see house journal <http://www.mass.gov/legis/journal/hj061505.pdf> and 
rollcall vote #00074
from <http://www.mass.gov/legis/journal/main.htm>. See also 
www.massbudget.org	

two snippets from the debate on the loophole amendment:

>  Rep. Patrick: "Corporations and corporate taxes in Massachusetts 
> compared to other states, we are ranked 47th.  To bring them to the 
> median, that would be an additional billion dollars of revenue.  Many 
> remember we gave 43-odd tax cuts in the 90s.  Many were corporate tax 
> cuts.  In 1973, the CEOs in this country earned 43 times the average 
> workers.  In 1997, it was 326 times.  By 2000, it was 531 times the 
> average pay of a worker in their corporations.  Seventy-five percent 
> of Mass. corporations pay the alternative minimum tax of $456.  That 
> is 109,000 of the 147,000 corporations in Massachusetts."


> Rep. Parente: "This constant barrage against business is very 
> disheartening.  I can not believe what I hear today.  At campaign time 
> they always run around looking at business for those generous 
> donations.  Defeat this amendment."

An unintentional argument in favor of campaign finance reform!

Begin forwarded message:
>

> CLERGY LEADERS: EDUCATION IN SPRINGFIELD HURTING UNDER FISCAL CONTROL 
> BOARD
> By Michael P. Norton
> STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
>
> STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JUNE 22, 2005……Saying more than 200 have left and 
> 70 percent of the remaining public school teachers in Springfield have 
> their resumes out, clergy leaders and educators from the state’s third 
> largest city held a prayer vigil outside Gov. Mitt Romney’s office 
> today and called for legislative intervention.
>
> “Do not forsake the people of the city of Springfield,” Rev. Morris 
> Stimage Norwood of the Greater New Life Christian Center said outside 
> the governor’s office, as clergy leaders applauded and Romney aides 
> and a pair of State Troopers looked on.  “These are our brothers and 
> sisters.  These are your brothers and sisters.”
>
> Rep. Cheryl Rivera (D-Springfield) joined the clergy, and announced 
> she will file legislation soon seeking to bring accountability to a 
> fiscal control board created by the Legislature last year to right the 
> city's stumbling finances.  Rivera questioned whether the board, 
> controlled by Romney appointees, is operating in good faith with the 
> city.
>
> “It’s unfortunate it has come to this,” said Rivera.
>
> Under her legislative plan, a member of the Springfield legislative 
> delegation would be added to the fiscal control board, the teacher’s 
> contract would be sent to binding arbitration before a neutral 
> arbitrator, and school budget funds would be allocated to restore 
> competitive teacher salaries.
>
> “There’s nothing more important than the education of our youngsters,” 
> Rivera said, adding that a principal she spoke with at eighth grade 
> graduation ceremonies this week expressed nervousness about teachers 
> not returning.
>
> Rev. Stimage Norwood said there’s a $10,000 gap between the salaries 
> of Springfield teachers and those in neighboring districts.  “Our 
> school system has been pushed into crisis,” he said.  The problems, he 
> said, have negative ramifications for the city’s already struggling 
> economy and tax base.
>
> The Legislature last year passed a law giving the city access to $52 
> million in no-interest loans but putting it under the control of a 
> board dominated by Romney appointees, including Department of Revenue 
> Commissioner Alan LeBovidge and influenced by Administration and 
> Finance Secretary Eric Kriss.  In the first quarter of this year, the 
> city borrowed $36 million from the trust fund for cash flow purposes, 
> and has since paid the money back.
>
> After monitoring the vigil, Timothy Connolly, a LeBovidge spokesman, 
> said the control board remains committed to negotiating a teachers 
> contract by September.  Matters are complicated by the city’s $21 
> million deficit, he said.
>
> “It was a great rally as far as rallies go, a lot of music and 
> heartfelt prayers,” Connolly said.  “What it comes down to is the 
> control board wants to have a contract and wants to negotiate a 
> contract and where they have to do that work is at the bargaining 
> table.  They’re trying to work with the teachers union.  The control 
> board would like to see the teachers stay obviously.”
>
> City teachers are frustrated, Connolly said, because they had already 
> been working without a contract for two years when the control board 
> began managing city affairs 10 months ago.  The board is proposing a 
> merit-based teachers contract.
>
> Clergy members spent 90 minutes offering prayers and singing songs 
> outside Romney’s office.
>
> “We pray on behalf of all of our teachers that they have strength in 
> the classroom,” said Rabbi Mark Shapiro of Temple Sinai in 
> Springfield.  “We stand behind them.  May they have patience as they 
> wait for this government to work out an equitable solution to their 
> own resources.”
>
> According to the control board’s most recent update, on April 15, the 
> board has:
> -- Maintained wage freezes for all city employees for a savings of 
> $5.6 million;
> -- Implemented a new health plan with Cigna designed to save the city 
> $11.2  million and employees $3.8 million;
> -- Entered into a contract with JER Revenue Services of Connecticut to 
> collect $41.5 million in delinquent taxes;
> -- Hired Automatic Data Processing of New Jersey to combine city and 
> school payroll services;
> -- Reorganized 27 city departments into 11 divisions;
> -- Hired Infrastructure Management Group of Maryland to coordinate 
> on-street and off-street parking services;
> -- Hired consultants to examine the city’s Department of Public Works 
> and school department capital needs;
>
> “We continue to report substantive progress in addressing the City of 
> Springfield’s immediate fiscal crisis, yet we do project that there 
> will be a deficit at the end of this fiscal year and that much more 
> will need to be done to remedy the fiscal crisis that has overtaken 
> the state’s third largest city and the economic engine of Western 
> Massachusetts,” LeBovidge wrote in his April update.
>
> - END -
>
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>
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>
>