NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Lisa Blackmer, candidate for the Democratic nomination in the race for the 1st Berkshire District has released her education platform below:

 

This week finds me a little nostalgic. I remember the building excitement of my children in the weeks leading up to the start of school — the new school supplies, new clothes and sneakers, how could they have grown out of them already — the anticipation of a new teacher and as my children got older, new subjects …

 

For many complicated reasons, not every child has this experience. Massachusetts, considered by many sources to be the birthplace of public education in America, must maintain and fund this commitment to every child. We want our teachers, students, and parents to be engaged, to find creative ways to learn and innovate. It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a state to provide the money and local control of policy. Our communities have good ideas of what they need and want to do. We need to provide the funds, get out of the way, and let them do it. As the recent president and a board member of the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA,) I have consistently advocated for proper overall funding, regional equity, and fewer unfunded mandates.

 

School Funding

In the Berkshires, our school funding needs are different than those of Boston schools. Though our school population is shrinking, our basic costs are not. The Chapter 70 school funding formula is broken and under serves our region.

 

As someone who served on the first School Council for Drury High School, I can attest that much has changed since 1993. To tackle school funding challenges, we need to implement the Foundation Budget Review Commission's recommendations which correct outdated and obsolete aspects of the funding formula.

 

In the Berkshires, some of our schools are quite rural and need to be supported with rural sparsity aid. They also need more money for school transportation, including out-of-district vocational students which is why I support the Legislature's increase of this funding by $1 million (up to $61.5 million).

 

The state also needs to support updates for special education services and health insurance costs for employees. Costs of special education for low-income and English Language Learners, for example, are volatile and can be burdensome. I support full funding of the Special Education "Circuit Breaker" Program, through which the state provides support for services provided to high-cost special education students.

 

To pay for these services, we need to ensure that funds from the Millionaire's tax go directly to our schools and infrastructure. We cannot continue to underfund our public education.

 

Charter School Reimbursements

The diversion of school aid away from public schools to pay tuition to charter schools has imposed a major and growing financial burden on municipalities in the district, a problem made more acute as the state grants more charters and existing charter schools expand. I strongly support full funding of the commonwealth's commitment to reimburse school districts for the loss of a portion of their aid that is redirected to fund charter schools. When charter school reimbursements fall short, communities are forced to cut other programs and services to make up the difference.

 

I have proposed that before we determine a district's per-student cost, we take the cost of providing off-site or residential programs off the top of monies spent. Determining the amount in this way would be more equitable. Charter schools are not paying for these services; so,those costs should not be reflected in the funds sent to them. Charter schools are supposed to be models of experimentation and innovation that would then be shared with our district schools. We need to make sure that is happening.

           

Not all about the money

While funding is an important component of education, it isn't everything. We all have a teacher who left an impression on us, who exposed us to something new, or one we we didn't want to let down. My second grade teacher Miss Van Wert (? spelling was not my best subject) introduced us to Thornton Burgess and Laughing Brook, brought us to the Springfield Planetarium, Forest Park Zoo, and more. In high school, our English teacher, Mrs. Merritt, taught us about art, history, and significant passages. If I  didn't give her my best, I felt guilty. These teachers weren't tested on this, we as students didn't even realize what we were learning. It is just part of who we are now. That is education as it should be. Who do you remember? Maybe it is time to think about that when we think about education for the next generation.

 

Universal Pre-K, Kindergarten and Before and After School Programs

My sisters participated in Head-Start. Pre-K does exactly that, it gives children a head start on a life of learning. We need universal full day programs. Kids need to play. These programs level the playing field, giving all students the opportunity to learn and succeed. Before and after school programs provide a safe place for kids to explore different subjects, give parents peace of mind and flexibility in their schedule, and give older children an opportunity to mentor their classmates.

 

Higher Education

My dad was the first in our family to go to college. He went to BCC and transferred to UMass at Amherst. We need to fund our State University system so students across the state have an equal opportunity to succeed. Those who graduate from these institutions will be our leaders of tomorrow. We need to make it affordable. How can they contribute to the economic base if they are strapped with too much student debt? As an MCLA alumnae and Alumni Board member, I hear that too many students are leaving higher education because they cannot afford it. The gap between what the FAFSA determines as the need and the actual need is growing. We need to fix this, while at the same time paying for our commitments to our employees. We can't negotiate raises on behalf of the colleges and then not fund them. Our community and state colleges are economic drivers in their communities. This is no more apparent than in North Adams and its relationship with MCLA. The renovated buildings, new science center, and additional majors exemplify "public works" and capital planning at its best.

 

Conclusion

How can we honestly expect to revolutionize our energy industry when high schools in this country are cutting science and technology programs? How can we build manufacturing jobs in America when our children no longer have the opportunity to work with their hands in school? We need to expand upon programs like those offered at McCann.

 

The mom in me wants to see every child succeed. We need to get kids interested in education again. No one can argue that our children don't need a background in mathematics and English to be successful. But our children also need science and art and technology. While we need to cover the basics, we also need to allow for experimentation and innovation at all levels. Education in the district and in the state should be as exceptional and as diverse as its citizens.