Entries by Editorial Staff

Study: Boston-Area Communities Should Loosen Restrictions for Accessory Dwelling Units

/by

Additional units could help ease housing shortage BOSTON—A review of 100 cities and towns around (but not including) Boston finds that loosening local zoning laws to allow for the development of more accessory dwelling units (ADUs) would help ease the region’s housing shortage without creating any significant problems, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute in partnership with the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance. Accessory dwelling units are apartments within or behind owner-occupied single-family houses that appear to be single-family as opposed to two-family homes. Thirty-seven of the 100 Boston-area communities allow ADUs and permit them to be rented out, though typically with significant restrictions.  Another 31 allow them temporarily for occupancy by relatives of the homeowner or a […]

New Study Warns of Emergence of Two-Tiered Public Education System in Massachusetts

/by

Contact Jamie Gass, 617-723-2277 ext. 210 or jgass@pioneerinstitute.org Overall 4th-grade reading and 8th-grade math scores flat, but percentage scoring in top category continues to rise BOSTON – A review of the performance of Massachusetts students on National Assessment of Academic Progress 4th-grade reading and 8th-grade math tests shows that overall improvement has stalled in the last decade, but the percentage of students scoring in the top category has steadily increased, according to a new policy brief published by Pioneer Institute. Fourth-grade reading and 8th-grade math scores were chosen because they have been shown to be the most predictive of students’ future academic success. “The results suggest the emergence of an inequitable public education system in the Commonwealth,” said Michael Sentance, […]

Op-ed: Mass. has to return to its high standards for education

/by

By Thomas F. Birmingham and William F. Weld   JULY 05, 2018 Its 25th anniversary is an appropriate time to reflect on the success of Massachusetts’ 1993 Education Reform Act. Yet instead of rededicating ourselves to all the work still to be done, the Commonwealth seems to be turning away from the core principles of an approach that brought unprecedented success. In the early 1990s, Massachusetts’ broken educational standards and financing system were in urgent need of reform. Wide funding disparities existed between wealthy suburban districts and poor urban and rural ones. Due to the misguided practice of social promotion, students frequently graduated from high school without the academic preparation to succeed in college or the workplace. Parents who desperately sought alternatives […]

Inspired by America’s past, facing future challenges

/by

As we celebrate America’s birth, we are reminded that this is a nation built on ideas, but powered by individuals – motivated by the pursuit of happiness, drawing on deep wells of courage, hard work, and optimism – who overcame challenges to achieve superhuman feats. We here in Massachusetts hold a special place in this country’s origin story – it was here where patriots first met and engaged in public debate. They challenged the status quo and helped form and inform the new hopeful American identity then taking shape. Pioneer Institute embraces that spirit every day, stimulating public discourse and driving rational civic engagement, always looking to make our Commonwealth an exemplar to other states and a place where individuals […]

Public Statement: Janus v. AFSCME Decision

/by

Pioneer Institute applauds the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion in Janus v. AFSCME, a case with significant implications for Massachusetts in which the Court held that public employees who choose not to join a union cannot be compelled to pay the union an “agency fee” to cover the cost of contract negotiations and workplace grievance procedures. Pioneer believes that the constitutional guarantee of freedom of association means that just as union membership should never be banned, no one should ever be compelled to contribute to an organization with which s/he does not agree. The ruling will have significant impact in Massachusetts, where 18 of the 20 political action committees that contributed the most to candidates for state and county offices were […]

Study: No Longer A City On A Hill: Massachusetts Degrades Its K–12 History Standards

/by

The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education should reject a proposed rewrite of the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework in its entirety and immediately restore the state’s 2003 framework, considered among the strongest in the country, according to a new research paper titled, No Longer a City on a Hill: Massachusetts Degrades Its K-12 History Standards, published by Pioneer Institute. “The 2018 revision fails to provide effective history education. It must be replaced with a framework that requires much of students but offers them, in return, a share of our common treasure,” wrote the paper’s authors, David Randall, director of research at the National Association of Scholars; Will Fitzhugh, founder of the The Concord Review, and Jane Robbins, […]

Public Statement: SJC Decision on Prop 80

/by

Pioneer Institute and its public-interest law initiative, PioneerLegal, applaud the decision of Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) in Christopher Anderson et al. v. Maura Healey. The SJC upheld decades of precedent in finding that Proposition 80, a ballot initiative that would have instituted a graduated income tax in Massachusetts, violates the “relatedness” provisions of state constitution, thereby precluding voters from expressing a unified statement on public policy. The Institute, through PioneerLegal, filed an amicus brief with the SJC in support of the plaintiffs before the Court heard oral arguments in February.  The Tax Foundation also signed onto the brief. Pioneer research looked into key legal issues and the negative economic impact that would have resulted from adoption of the ballot […]

Poll: Parents, Teachers, Legislators Support Reinstating Passage of U.S. History MCAS Test as High School Graduation Requirement

/by

Strong majorities of parents, history and social studies teachers, and legislators in Massachusetts support restoring passage of a U.S. history MCAS test as a high school graduation requirement, according to a new poll of the three groups commissioned by Pioneer Institute. “Support for the U.S. history graduation requirement has remained strong despite the anti-testing backlash we’ve seen in recent years,” said David Paleologos, president of DAPA Research, who conducted the poll. Strong majorities of parents and teachers, and a plurality of legislators also opposed changing the Commonwealth’s U.S. history education standards, which are considered to be among the nation’s finest. Parents were the most in favor of restoring the U.S. history graduation requirement, with 68 percent either strongly or somewhat […]

Policy Brief: UMass Has a Spending Problem

/by

Author: Greg Sullivan Date: 6/6/2018 Pioneer’s Director of Research, Greg Sullivan, releases a follow-up policy brief to address the source of UMass’ financial woes. The University of Massachusetts claims admissions policies that favor out-of-state students over in-state residents are required as a result of insufficient state funding growth, but the data tell a different story.     Related Posts

2018 Hewitt Healthcare Lecture: Paying for Innovation in the Coming Age of Breakthrough Therapies

/by

The 2018 Hewitt Healthcare Lecture focused on value-based payment arrangements and other creative reimbursement solutions for innovative therapies. New England is home to the world’s greatest cluster of life sciences companies. Many are developing specialty or higher cost therapies that treat rare diseases with smaller patient populations. Effective reimbursement strategies will allow innovation to continue and expand patient access to new life-changing treatments. Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, is the Robert J. Margolis Professor of Business, Medicine, and Policy, and Director of the Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University. He is a physician-economist who focuses on quality and value in health care including payment reform, real-world evidence, and more effective drug and device innovation.  Dr. McClellan is former administrator […]

Public Statement: Admission Bias Against Massachusetts Residents

/by

Freshman admission to the University of Massachusetts’ flagship Amherst campus is more competitive for the Commonwealth’s students than for out-of-state applicants, as reported in Pioneer Institute’s study, “Differentiating Admissions Standards at UMass-Amherst to Meet Out-of-State Enrollment Targets.” For instance, in the fall of 2016, the average combined SAT scores of accepted, in-state, first-time degree-seeking Massachusetts students were 23 points higher than the average of similar students accepted from out-of-state. The numbers imply that Massachusetts residents are held to a higher admissions standard. The pattern of accepting out-of-state students with lesser academic credentials than in-state students has been consistent since at least 2010, with respect to both combined SAT scores and high school grade point averages. Solutions There are solutions to […]

Study: UMass Amherst Admissions Standards Now Higher for MA Students than Non-Residents

/by

Freshman admission to the University of Massachusetts’ flagship Amherst campus is more competitive for the Commonwealth’s students than for out-of-state applicants, who pay more to attend, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. “The central mission of the University of Massachusetts is to serve the state citizens whose taxes support increased appropriations to the system,” said Mary Connaughton, co-author of “Differentiating Admissions Standards at UMass-Amherst to Meet Out-of-State Enrollment Targets.”  “While the general belief has been that non-resident student help augment intellectual rigor on campus, that benefit is in question if admissions standards, on average, are lower rather than higher for those students.” UMass admissions standards rose significantly for all students between 2004 and 2017, but especially for […]

Study: Methodology of Noted “Millionaire’s Tax” Researcher Excludes Vast Majority of Millionaires

/by

The work of a Stanford University Professor whose research has formed the foundation of efforts, such as one scheduled to appear on the Massachusetts ballot in November, to impose surtaxes on high earners is flawed because it excludes the vast majority of millionaires, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. Professor Cristobal Young’s research has found that no more than 2.4 percent of U.S.-based millionaires changed their state of residency in any given year.  But his methodology, which he describes as “people who earned $1 million or more in year t and changed their state of residency between year t and t+1,” captures just a small fraction of U.S. millionaires. The ballot measure, known as Proposition 80, would […]

Study Finds MA Inter-District School Choice Program a Success, but Should Be Updated

/by

Policy makers should raise tuition rate, cap on program enrollment BOSTON – With little fanfare or controversy, Massachusetts’ inter-district school choice program has allowed students to access better schools and spurred competition between districts, but the 27-year-old choice law should be updated to ensure the program’s continuing success, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. “By providing a way for school districts to fill empty seats and allowing them to have sufficient enrollment to sustain niche programs, inter-district choice is a vehicle for delivering better and more efficient K-12 public education,” said Jamie Gass, director of Pioneer’s Center for School Reform. In Inter-district School Choice in Massachusetts, author Roger Hatch writes that districts choosing to accept choice students […]

Time to End MA State Legislature’s Exemption from Public Records Law

/by

The purpose of transparency laws is to promote more effective, accountable and responsive government. Engaged citizens are essential for our form of government to thrive over the long-term. According to the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, “the founding fathers of our nation strove to develop an open government formed on the principles of democracy and public participation. An informed citizen is better equipped to participate in the process.” Yet, despite this paramount need for the long-term health of the Commonwealth, our transparency laws remain deeply flawed. The Public Records Law expressly states that the law “shall not apply to the records of the general court” Meaning the state legislature “exempted” itself from a most important law. Although the Supreme […]

Study: MA Private & Religious School Students Denied Federally Funded Special Education Services

/by

Despite federal laws to the contrary, state education agency claims providing services at private schools would violate amendments to state constitution BOSTON – Over the past dozen years, thousands of private and religious school students in Massachusetts have been denied hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of special education services to which they are entitled under federal law. According to No IDEA: How Massachusetts Blocks Federal Special Education Funding for Private and Religious School Students, a new study published by Pioneer Institute, this denial is due to the non-compliance of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Each year, the federal government allocates billions of dollars to the states […]

MA Health Insurers Have Made Good Progress in Price Transparency, But Significant Work Remains

/by

Read press coverage of this report in the Boston Business Journal and State House News Service. Tools are more user friendly and cover growing number of procedures, but still used by just a small fraction of potential market BOSTON – A Pioneer Institute study finds some significant improvements in the online cost estimator tools created by Massachusetts’ three largest health insurers, but there is much still to be done for the carriers to maximize the opportunity price transparency represents. Online cost estimator tools give consumers/plan members online information about a range of information for outpatient and many inpatient procedures. These tools display the amount that has to be paid by consumers to any particular provider, how much the plan pays the […]

Public Statement: Pioneer Institute Questions UMass Amherst’s Purchase of Mt. Ida Campus

/by

Between September 2015 and the fall of 2017, Pioneer Institute released a series of reports on the University of Massachusetts that chronicled rising fees and tuition, a flood of new administrative hires, the high salaries of top university brass, the university’s out-of-control capital plans, shaky financial planning premised on recruiting an ever-increasing number of out-of-state students, and its enormous and growing debt load. Political leaders should take pride in the university system’s hard-won improvements over the last two decades, but they should not ignore the mounting challenges UMass is facing and the reputation that it has earned for empire building.  There is a huge bill coming due; one that is not necessary to the future stewardship of a high-quality public […]

Press Release: Birmingham Touts 1993 Ed Reform Act’s Success, Expresses Concerns about Recent Policies

/by

BOSTON – Massachusetts Education Reform Act co-author and former Senate President Tom Birmingham praised the historic success that has been achieved since the law was enacted in 1993, but expressed concern that the Commonwealth is veering away from basic principles of the law that produced that success at a State House event marking the 25th anniversary of the Education Reform Act. Describing the day the bill was signed, Birmingham, now the Distinguished Senior Fellow in Education at Pioneer Institute, said “If you had told me that over 90 percent of our students would pass MCAS and that we would have 13 consecutive years of improvement on SAT scores, or that our students would rank first in the nation in every […]

Time to End Legislative Exemptions from Public Records & Open Meeting Laws

/by

Under Massachusetts law, the state Legislature is not considered a “public body” in the traditional sense, and therefore enjoys exemptions from open meeting and public records laws. Pioneer Institute believes this is unconstitutional. The state constitution says the Legislature should be accountable to citizens “at all times.” The laws that apply to municipalities and the rest of state government should also apply to the Legislature. The 2016 public records reform law failed to adequately address this exemption but did establish a special legislative commission to look into the issue further. The commission’s report was supposed to be submitted to the House and Senate Clerks’ Offices by December 30, 2017. Unfortunately, the deadline was quietly extended to December 1, 2018. In February of 2018, […]

Draft History and Social Studies Frameworks Continue Trend Toward Dumbing Down Public School Content

/by

Weaker ELA and math standards have already produced declines in student achievement BOSTON – The draft of the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks that was released for public comment in January would follow in the footsteps of recently adopted English, math, and science standards by representing a decline in academic quality, content, and coherence compared to their predecessors, according to comments on the draft published by Pioneer Institute. “The watering down of the content children learn in public schools continues,” said Dr. David Randall, director of research for the National Association of Scholars and co-author of 2018 Proposed Revisions to Massachusetts History and Social Studies Frameworks. “This time it comes in the form of eviscerating the 2003 Frameworks […]

Inadequate Inflation Adjustment Factor Will Subject Increasing Numbers of People to So-Called “Millionaires” Tax

/by

Would take particular toll on those relying on home value appreciation to fund retirement BOSTON – The tax hike on those with annual taxable incomes of $1 million or more that would result from a proposed amendment to the state constitution scheduled to appear on the Commonwealth’s November ballot will likely ensnare an ever-increasing number of taxpayers because the index used to adjust the million-dollar threshold has historically grown at a far slower rate than both the taxable income of Massachusetts taxpayers and increases in state home values, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. “Those who are counting on decades of appreciation in the value of their homes in particular to fund retirement will be in for […]

New entry deadline: March 30th! Enter the 2018 Better Government Competition: “Making Higher Education & Career Training Options Affordable & Effective”

/by

Each year, the Better Government Competition focuses on one of the country’s greatest public policy challenges. Families today are struggling to afford college, young adults are saddled with crippling debt, and government workforce development programs and existing education models have not been reliable pipelines to stable employment. In recognition of these challenges, Pioneer Institute’s 2018 Better Government Competition seeks ideas to make postsecondary education options for high school graduates more affordable, accessible, and effective. Download the contest guidelines, visit us online to learn more, and submit your proposal today! *New entry deadline: March 30, 2018. POTENTIAL AREAS FOR APPLICANTS TO CONSIDER • Develop approaches to address escalating education costs and student loan debt. • Generate new information resources to: o […]

Proposition 80 Won’t Generate $1.9 Billion Annual Projected Revenue

/by

Passage of November 2018 ballot measure will make Massachusetts far less competitive BOSTON – Passage of Proposition 80, the tax hike proposal scheduled to appear on the November 2018 Massachusetts ballot, will fail to generate the level of revenue growth projected by its backers, according to a new Pioneer study. The ballot measure would add a 4 percent surtax on any annual taxable income over $1 million. In “Proposition 80 Will Not Raise $2 Billion and the Money Won’t Be Free,” Pioneer Institute Research Director Greg Sullivan warns that proponents’ projected revenue gains are based on a small pool of taxpayers, some of whom are likely to relocate outside the state if the proposal passes. According to Massachusetts Department of […]

Proposition 80 Will Increase Out-Migration of High Earners and Businesses

/by

Passage of November 2018 ballot measure would jeopardize Massachusetts’ long-term economic health BOSTON – Passage of Proposition 80, the tax hike proposal scheduled to appear on the November 2018 Massachusetts ballot, would accelerate migration out of Massachusetts, especially to Florida and New Hampshire, according to a new Pioneer study. Proposition 80 would add a 4 percent surtax on any annual taxable income over $1 million. In “Will The Wealthy Leave? They Already Are and Proposition 80 Will Only Make It Worse,” Pioneer Institute Research Director Greg Sullivan draws on IRS data showing aggregate migration flows by amount of adjusted gross income (AGI) and age of the primary taxpayer. The data show a strong correlation between state tax levels and migration […]

Op-ed: Time to lift up Boston’s voc-tech high school

/by

Read this full op-ed in CommonWealth magazine. By Tom Birmingham and Ken Campbell Years of missteps are leaving students behind “SUCCESS IS TO BE measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life,” said Booker T. Washington, the famous turn-of-the-20th-century black educator, “as by the obstacles… overcome.” February is both Black History and Career and Technical Education month. No figure in America’s past bridged those two worlds like Booker Washington, who was the first leader of Tuskegee Institute, Alabama’s historic black vocational college. Read more at CommonWealth magazine.

Supreme Court Arguments in Compulsory Union Fee Case Set for Today

/by

Outcome will affect similar petition pending before Massachusetts SJC Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case with important implications for Massachusetts in which an Illinois public employee is challenging the requirement that he pay an “agency fee” to a union as a condition of employment. Closer to home, a group of educators has petitioned the Commonwealth’s Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) to hear a case challenging compulsory union payments.  The SJC will likely delay any ruling on the petition pending the outcome of Janus v. AFSCME. “Union membership should never be banned,” said Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios.  “Nor should it ever be compulsory.” It is settled law that public employees who choose not to join […]

Celebrating Black History Month

/by

In the month of February, the nation honors the achievements of African Americans; their stories and historical accomplishments are worthy of recognition year round. That’s why Pioneer Institute has sponsored events, produced videos, and published opinion pieces informing the public about important leaders and key milestones in the African-American experience, as well as the need for more educational choice options for all children. Pioneer supports school choice and improvements to academic instruction, especially in U.S. history, so all schoolchildren learn about African-Americans’ long struggle for freedom and equal opportunity. Below, we share some highlights from our coverage of seminal figures, topics, and periods such as slavery during the Founding era, the Civil War, and Civil Rights icons such as Fannie […]

Study: New Federal Tax Law Would Exacerbate Economic Damage of Prop 80

/by

This report earned media coverage on WGBH radio, WBZ radio, and Fox 25 TV, Bloomberg radio; The Boston Globe, the Associated Press, MassLive/The Springfield Republican, Newburyport News, Gloucester Times, Salem News, Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, Greenfield Recorder, CommonWealth magazine, and The Lowell Sun. Cap on state and local tax deductions to hit Massachusetts hard BOSTON – Recent passage of the federal tax overhaul legislation will exacerbate the negative economic impact of Proposition 80, the proposed constitutional amendment scheduled to appear on Massachusetts’ November ballot that would add a 4 percent surtax on annual taxable income over $1 million, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. “The combined effect of Proposition 80 and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s $10,000 limit on deductions […]