Two Boston-area schools are the first local higher education institutions to break $90,000 in annual student costs.
Wellesley College’s sticker price will be $92,060 for the 2024-’25 school year including tuition, fees, room and board, and a meal p…
Massachusetts
Cuts expected as Boston School Committee votes on budget
Big questions on the future of Boston Public Schools are set to be answered Wednesday night, when the school committee will vote on the district’s new budget.
However, that vote is expected to come with some significant cuts. That’s because schools like the Thomas A. Edison K8 School in Brighton could lose about 18% of their staff.
What is Boston Public Schools looking at?
It’s about a $1.5-billion budget for fiscal year 202 but it includes a loss of millions of dollars in ESSER funds and “hold-harmless” funding, which are post-pandemic federal stimulus dollars that helped schools make ends meet in previous budgets.
Essentially, 70% of schools would lose staffing, including cuts to music and the arts.
What’s leading to these cuts?
There are several reasons, including declining enrollment. Boston Public Schools has lost about 8,000 students over the past decade, increased busing and facilities costs and skyrocketing student needs costs, like for special education and English Language Learners.
The school committee is scheduled to vote on this proposed budget during its meeting that starts at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
After Baltimore bridge collapse, officials reassure public bridges in Mass. are safe
The state of Massachusetts has a little under 8,000 bridges, with the Tobin Bridge being the largest in New England.
The Tobin is also a truss bridge like the one that collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland, and after the bridge tragedy, Gov. Maura Healey called agencies to reassess the state’s infrastructure safety.
“Look, with any situation, let’s take a look. If there are additional measures, we should have them in place. Let’s make sure that they’re in place, but I feel confident right now,” said Healey.
During her meeting and the one held by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation later Tuesday, officials tried to calm any concerns over bridge strength and safety.
MassDOT explained that the bridges they’re responsible for are inspected every two years and highlighted the differences between the Tobin and Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.
“We are not the same size port as they have in Baltimore, we don’t have the same size navigable waterways nor the same size bridges. But again, we do have similar situations,” said State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver.
The Tobin does have maritime traffic underneath but infrastructure engineers stressed that all of Massachusetts bridges are sturdy. They’ll also be monitoring the information coming out of Baltimore as a precaution.
More on the Baltimore bridge tragedy
Cloudy with a few showers Wednesday, with heavy rain on the way
Temperatures get a much-needed boost Wednesday thanks to an end of the nagging northeast wind. Sure, we’re still on the cool side of things at the coast with a feeble sea breeze but away from the water, we have a chance to hit 60 (or better).
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Coolidge Corner Theatre expansion adds 2 new screens and over 200 seats
A beloved movie theater in Brookline, Massachusetts, unveiled a huge expansion at a Tuesday afternoon ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The Coolidge Corner Theatre became the community’s first movie theater in 1933. A new 14,000-foot expansion grows i…
Person freed from car after Hanover crash takes out power
A crash in Hanover, Massachusetts, left a person trapped in a car and people nearby without power.
Fire officials say the crash happened near the Hanover Police Department on Rockland Street, sharing photos of a badly-damaged sedan against a utilit…
