Day on the Hill: Program Information

Now is the time for vigorous and positive action.

Martin Luther King uttered those words almost fifty years ago, but for Massachusetts school leaders the time is now for legislators to hear your concerns as the budget debate moves into high gear. Key issues include inadequate state funding, sky-rocketing and/or unanticipated health, special education and special services costs and the administration’s focus on the 4% of students in charter schools to the detriment of the remaining 96% of students in our traditional public schools. Your legislators’ votes are critical. Your voice is even more so!

Remember, students attend at no charge!

MASC and Dairy Council Collaboration on Key Nutrition Summit

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: One Meal at a Time

Join Massachusetts Congressman James McGovern, current and former New England Patriots Devin McCourty and Jermaine Wiggins and other distinguished guests and colleagues for an unprecented summit on Tuesday, March 8th from 10am to 2:30pm at Gillette Stadium(1 Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA 02035) ! The program is sponsored by the New England Dairy and Food Council and the Massachusetts Association of School Committees .

The program is designed to provide school committee-school administrator teams with best practices and tools that districts can access in order to help all students begin the day alert and ready to learn. Additionally, the program will highlight successful alternative breakfast service models, as well as (and this is key) available resources and financial support to make school breakfast programs a success in your district—for your financial bottom line and for all your students’ well being.

Remember:

This is a summit for school leaders that has both budget and policy implications and long-range impact on student wellness and closing the achievement gap. We encourage you and your district colleagues to attend as a team (2-3 people) to fully get the benefit of this unique program.

Cost for the program is $25.00. There is no charge for parking and there will be a complimentary “Behind the Scenes” tour of Gillette Stadium at the conclusion of the program. Space is limited, so sign up today! Registration closes March 2, 2016.

Sign Up

Charting the Course: An Orientation Program for New and Veteran School Leaders

The hallmark of an effective school committee is how well its members understand their roles and the issues they need to address in these challenging times.

This training program, developed and presented by the MASC Academy for School Leadership, is designed to introduce new and aspiring school committee members to the Eight Key Components of School Leadership as identified by the MA Legislature in the Acts of 2002, and also to provide veteran members with an update on ever-changing requirements and regulations school committee members should be aware of.

The Charting the Course program has been structured to meet the mandates of the new school committee training legislation requiring that all school committee members newly elected after March 24, 2003 participate in a minimum of eight hours of supervised training covering the topics listed below.

Attendance at this Charting the Course program meets the eight hour orientation requirement for new school committee members (MGL Chapter 71 Sec 36A). This session also includes important changes to the Ethics and Open Meetings Laws relative to all school committee members.

Topics covered include:

• School Finance
• Open Meeting Law
• Public Records Law
• Conflict of Interest Law
• Special Education Law
• Collective Bargaining
• School Leadership Standards & Evaluations
• School Committee Roles & Responsibilities

MASC/MASS Joint School Leadership Conference

MASC and MASS host the largest annual gathering of education leaders in Massachusetts, featuring a program of nationally known guest speakers, panel sessions offering professional development opportunities and in-depth discussion of the critical education issues of today, a variety of vendors and exhibitors, demonstrations on instruction and management best practices, special lunch and dinner programs, and a chance to network with other school leaders! Last year's conference included a wide variety of popular workshops and panel sessions on cost-savings issues, social-emotional learning, equity issues, labor relations, educator and administrator evaluation, leadership development and legislative updates, plus innovative ideas as described by MASC partners.

2021 Conference Details

November 3, 2021 - November 6, 2021
Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis
35 Scudder Ave, Hyannis, MA
OR Virtual!

The 2021 MASC/MASS Conference will be held as a hybrid program, both online and in-person (with all appropriate safety protocols in place) in order to ensure the comfort and safety of all of our members! More details will be available soon!

Register 2021 Conference

Conference Hotel

Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis
35 Scudder Ave, Barnstable, MA 02601

All under one roof for attendee convenience: meeting rooms, exhibition hall, banquet facilities, sleeping rooms, health club and pool, bar and dining room. There is ample free parking on the grounds, all adjacent to the hotel golf course. Hyannis is 70 miles from Boston, has an airport and also good scheduled bus service.

Hotel Website

COSCAP Conference

The MASC/MASS Joint Conference sponsors a meeting for Massachusetts Administrative Assistants to Superintendents and School Committee Secretaries who are members of COSCAP. Administrative assistants and executive secretaries throughout the state participate in the Council, with support from MASC. The COSCAP executive committee works with MASC to offer professional development opportunities and training for its members at this and other annual events, and also hosts an email discussion group for members to share questions and information.

COSCAP Details

Conference Photos

Photos taken of recent MASC/MASS conference sessions, receptions and awards, plus many candid photos are available online at Tasher Studios. Use the password Cape to access the gallery where you can view photos and order prints.

A special thanks to Chris Kisiel of Tasher Studio of Photography! Chris is also a member of the Woburn School Committee and takes photos of the MASC/MASS Conference each year. If you have specific photo requests, please contact him at (781) 938-3838.

MASC 2014 ACADEMY PROGRAMS

May 3 - Ludlow
Role of the Chair/Difficult People
So you have been elected Chair of your School Committee. Do the rest of the members look to you for guidance on building consensus, or actively work a separate agenda. This session will focus on strategies the Chair can use when faced with a divided Committee, or a single member who refuses to support the decision of the majority.

May 17 - Cape Cod Voc. (Harwich)
School Board's Role in Student Achievement
Do you as a school committee member realize how you can positively impact student achievement? This session will focus on 10 steps every school committee can take to focus your discussions on student achievement.

June 14 - Whittier Voc. Tech. (Haverhill)
Role of the Chair/Difficult People
See above

June 21 - Braintree
Parliamentary Procedure/COSCAP
Does this meeting have to run until midnight? This discussion will show how using Rules of Order can keep your meeting efficient and moving your agendas ahead.

Sept 13 - Lenox
School Board's Role in Student Achievement (tentative)
See above

To register for any of these events click here.  Please note that registration for MASC events is typically posted online 30 days prior to the scheduled date of the event. If you don't see the online registration for a particular event, you might want to check back in a couple of days, or give the MASC office a call (800-392-6023).

January 2015 Bulletin

Highlights include: Proposed rewrite of NCLB law; MASC testimony at recent Foundation Budget Review hearings; SOI requirements for FY15 and more.

Read more...