Workshop: Together is Our Only Chance (Suburban Coalition and MASC)

In Collaboration with the Suburban Coalition and MASC Divisions I, II, III, IV, VIII, IX and Minority Caucus

Wednesday, November 30, 2016
7:30-9:00PM
Newton Marriott
2345 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA

Please join us as the Suburban Coalition, in collaboration with MASC’s Divisions I, II, III, IV, VIII, IX and Minority Caucus, will assemble to continue efforts towards the implementation of the Foundation Budget Review Commission's Recommendations.

Speakers

• Senator Karen Spilka, Senate Chair of Ways and Means Committee
• Representative Alice Peisch, House Chair of Education Committee
• Nathanael Shea, Chief of Staff for Sonia Chang-Diaz, Senate Chair of Education
• Glenn Koocher, Executive Director, Massachusetts Association of School Committees

Although many of us have listened to the rationale before, now is the time, to take deliberate action together. The FBRC report is definitive on the point that local taxpayers are carrying a disproportionate share of the cost of educating children in Massachusetts. Local officials can testify to the ways that is fracturing their ability to provide the essential services that all residents depend upon. State officials can demonstrate how deliberate tax cuts, along with the growth of their Medicaid responsibilities, leave them with difficult budget decisions. Yet the fact remains, the funding of an excellent public education system needs to remain a vital priority in every city and town across Massachusetts and the local taxpayers need help. As the 190th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts prepares to meet, we believe there needs to be a plan to address this priority.

We urge representatives from each town to begin this dialogue locally and to communicate your concerns to your State Representative and Senator. Then, attend the November 30th meeting as a team or as their representative, contributing to the discussion and learning from the positions of others. Last spring, as elected and appointed officials, hundreds of us, from Boards of Selectmen, School Committees and Finance Committees, passed the Suburban Coalition resolution for Full Funding of the Foundation Budget Review Commission's Recommendations because we know that this is the single largest source of Local Aid and critical to our ability to provide local services. Now, we need you to join us as we plan our next steps. All interested MASC members are invited to participate.

The Suburban Coalition is a statewide organization of local officials that advocates for the resources, funding and support at the state level to sustain thriving communities throughout the Commonwealth. We work to ensure that every municipality has the resources to provide high-quality essential services of life safety, education and infrastructure maintenance to its citizens. We provide input to the state about local services, state funding and state regulations. By speaking with one voice, we can address mutual problems more effectively at the state level. The Suburban Coalition is the only statewide organization that brings together Selectmen, School Committees and Finance Committees and other local officials to jointly advocate for our communities. For more information, visit www.suburbancoalition.org

Questions? Email Nancy Gallivan, Vice President, Suburban Coalition