Governor Makes Appointments to Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development

11:35AM / Wednesday, January 24, 2024Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced the appointment of Ken Brown as Assistant Secretary for Employer Engagement and Employment Outcomes and Sarah Joseph as Director of Community Engagement for the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD).

"Across industries, we have employers who urgently need talent to fill open positions, and we have people arriving in Massachusetts who want to work. Our administration has worked hard to get people work authorizations as quickly as possible, and now we are connecting them with jobs that need to be filled," said?Governor Maura Healey. "We are bringing in Ken Brown and Sarah Joseph to drive this work and get this done."??

The Healey-Driscoll Administration has worked with the MassHire Regional Workforce Boards and Careers Centers to assess skills and work readiness for individuals in shelter who have their work authorization. Recently, the Healey-Driscoll Administration also partnered with the Biden Administration to hold two, week-long clinics to help migrants in Massachusetts with obtaining work authorizations. The clinics

were successful, and now nearly 3,000 people have work authorizations in Massachusetts.

Brown will oversee hiring and job placement for migrants with work authorization. Joseph will oversee local and regional partnerships with stakeholders dedicated to employment outcomes for migrants, refugees, and vulnerable populations, including addressing work supports like language barriers and skill development and providing resources for employers statewide.

"EOLWD is pleased to welcome Ken and Sarah to deliver employment outcomes and strengthen hiring practices, especially for new arrivals," said?Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones.?"This work will get more people employed with livable wages, which will help both employers and relieve pressure on our existing shelter system."

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Pittsfield School Committee Sees Budget Calendar, Chapter 70 Concerns

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:28AM / Monday, January 19, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Public Schools kicked off its fiscal year 2027 budget calendar, and are again facing uncertainties with state Chapter 70 funding.

During the first meeting of the new term on Wednesday, the School Committee OK'd an FY27 budget calendar that plans the committee's vote in mid-April. Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips stressed the importance of equity in this process.

"It's really important for us through these next couple of months to look at our different schools, our different needs, different student demographics, and really understand, are we just assigning resources equally, or are we really assigning them based on what different groups of students need?" she said.

The district could lose up to $5 million in Chapter 70 funding from declining enrollment, specifically of low-income students. This is a similar issue that PPS saw in 2024, when the discovery of 11 students meeting those income guidelines put the district in the higher funding category and added $2.4 million to the school budget.

"We are in a funding category, Group 11, for a district with a large percentage of low-income students, and that number could fluctuate depending on who exited the district," Phillips explained.

"So we're going to do our best to understand that, but ultimately, these numbers will impact the budget that is proposed to us by the governor."

According to the budget calendar, a draft budget will be presented in March, followed by a hearing in early April, and the School Committee is set to vote on the budget in mid-April. The City Charter requires it to be adopted before May 1, and a meeting with the City Council must occur no later than May 31.

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Bonnie Howland provided an overview of the Chapter 70 funding and budget process. The budget calendar, she said, is designed to really support transparency, coordination, and legal compliance.

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