Entries by Editorial Staff

PioneerLegal Submits Amicus Brief In Pacheco-Law Case Before SJC

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Pioneer Institute (Pioneer) has submitted an amicus brief supporting the defendants in SEIU, Local 509 v. Massachusetts Department of Mental Health et al. (SJC-12035). The case was argued on September 6, 2016, before the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts (SJC). It involves a claim by the SEIU challenging contracts awarded by the state Department of Mental Health (DMH) to private mental health providers by asserting that the contracts failed to comply with the Pacheco Law – when they were first entered into in 2009. Pioneer identified this case through PioneerLegal, its new public-interest law initiative. Pioneer recognizes that September 6th was the first day of the SJC’s 2016-2017 term and, therefore, the first day of argument for the Court’s three […]

New ACA-Related Medicaid Fee Will Cost MA $162M+ Over Next Decade

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Read news coverage of this report in The Boston Globe. Health Insurer Provider Fee Will Cost Taxpayers $324 Million by 2025 BOSTON – Taxpayers will be saddled with over $320 million in additional costs in the next decade as a result of a revenue provision of the federal health care law that helps fund increased public insurance coverage, according to a new Pioneer study. In “Over a Decade, the ACA Fee on MassHealth Will Cost Hundreds of Millions of Dollars,” authors Lauren Corvese and Josh Archambault examine the potential budget impact of the Health Insurer Provider Fee (HIPF), a revenue-raising mechanism for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). “The ACA insurer fee is taken from taxpayers’ wallets, and […]

Op-ed: Teaching American History: A Straightforward Fix For The Bay State

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Read this full article on WGBH News.  THOMAS BIRMINGHAM It’s often said that what isn’t tested isn’t taught.  At the same time, recent federal laws compel far too much standardized testing.  State education leaders should reinstate passage of a U.S. history MCAS test as a high school graduation requirement, as was envisioned in the commonwealth’s Education Reform Act. Given the proven performance of Massachusetts public schools over the last two decades in English language arts and math, the commonwealth should also apply for a waiver from federal, annual testing mandates. Massachusetts public schools have had much to be proud of over the last two decades.  Between 2005 and 2013 we led the nation at every grade level and every subject […]

Join us 9/19: Equal Access to Excellence: Charter & District School Reform

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As the Commonwealth debates lifting charter school caps, district reforms, and strategies for closing achievement gaps, Pioneer is hosting an event featuring Cheryl Brown Henderson, daughter of the late Rev. Oliver Brown, namesake of the landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education. A diverse panel of nationally recognized school reform experts will discuss how best to make equal access to academic excellence a reality for schoolchildren.   When Monday September 19, 2016 from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM EDT Cost: Free Where Omni Parker House 60 School Street Boston, MA 02108

Study Highlights Best Practices In Summer Enrichment Programs

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Read coverage of this report in The Recorder. Second of three-part summer enrichment series with focus on high-need students BOSTON – The second of a three-part Pioneer Institute series of studies on summer enrichment programs with a particular focus on opportunities for disadvantaged students highlights best practices in the field by profiling a range of summer programs. “Learning loss during the summer is a serious issue, especially for low-income students,” said Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios.  “Summer enrichment programs can reverse that trend, and this paper highlights some of the best.” “Expanding Educational Opportunities: Best Practices in U.S. Summer Enrichment Programs” highlights a range of these programs.  Some are at independent schools like Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and […]

Mass. Public Officials Must Brush Aside The Know-Nothings’ Legacy Of Bigotry

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Last week, Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios sent a letter to Governor Baker and the leaders of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Senate asking them to support our call to move the portrait of Know-Nothing Governor Henry J. Gardner from its current location at the entrance to the House of Representatives. Gov. Gardner and that 19th century political party he led, the Know-Nothings – the most infamous party in state history – promulgated bigotry against Irish-Catholic immigrants. Their legal agenda left a legacy that persists today – the Know-Nothings’ constitutional amendment prevents tens of thousands of poor and minority kids from attending high-quality private and parochial schools. Below, you can read an excerpt of Jim Stergios’ letter, […]

Event To Call For Moving “Know-Nothing” Governor’s Portrait From State House Wall

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Bigoted Know-Nothing Amendments still part of state constitution Read coverage in The Boston Globe: “School-choice advocates target portrait of 19th-century governor” BOSTON – Former Ambassador to the Vatican and three-term mayor of Boston Raymond Flynn will headline an event calling for moving symbols and repealing amendments from a disgraceful and bigoted chapter in Massachusetts history. “Move This Portrait: The Know-Nothings’ Governor and Barriers to School Choice” will be held on Monday, August 1 from 9:00 to 10:20 a.m. at the State House. “It should trouble Massachusetts residents that the portrait of Gov. Henry Gardner, a member of the nativist “Know-Nothing” party, hangs in the State House right next to the main entrance of the Massachusetts House of Representatives,” said Pioneer […]

Leveling the Playing Field for the Taxi Industry

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As a Massachusetts state legislative committee considers a contentious ridesharing regulation bill, a new Pioneer Institute report urges lawmakers to explore changes to the taxi industry that would modernize service and increase competition in a marketplace that includes innovators like Uber and Lyft.  A recent U.S. District Court ruling ordered the City of Boston to revise its taxi regulations, and cab drivers in Cambridge are suing the city on equal protection grounds. In Leveling the playing field: the need for taxi reform in the Commonwealth, authors Matt Blackbourn and Gregory Sullivan describe some of the unfair and outdated regulatory restrictions that cab operators face, and recommend that the ride-for-hire task force, to be established by new legislation, consider the feasibility of […]

Study: Expand Use of Transponder Technology to Parking, Other Non-Tolling Services

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Report calls for creation of single account to simplify customer experience, boosting transponder market share, streamlining MassDOT services BOSTON – With all-electronic tolling and the elimination of Turnpike toll booths set to take effect later this year, a new Pioneer Institute white paper calls on state leaders to embrace transponder technology for a wider variety of applications such as parking and retail services. Driving Innovation: Tolling and Transponders in Massachusetts, by Pioneer researchers Wendy Murphy and Scott Haller, explores transponder use in other states and encourages cooperation between public agencies and private industry to simplify and rethink customers’ transportation experience. “Whether it’s dealing with a parking lot ticket machine or sitting in line at a drive-thru window, Massachusetts commuters face […]

Join us 8/1: “Move This Portrait: The Know-Nothings’ Governor & Barriers to School Choice”

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Henry Gardner was the Know-Nothing Governor of Massachusetts who led the effort to persuade lawmakers to adopt a state constitutional amendment that blocks greater access to school choice. Today, his State House portrait hangs next to the Main Entrance to the House of Representatives. Bigoted and antiquated state legal barriers prevent Massachusetts’ K-12 students and families  from choosing private and parochial school options through educational vouchers and tax credits. Please join us for a public forum with Former Boston Mayor and Ambassador to the Vatican Raymond Flynn and a panel of nationally recognized experts on education and religious freedom as they discuss Massachusetts’ anti-Catholic past and the legal vestiges of Know-Nothing nativism that still limit school choice.

PioneerLegal Joins Amicus Brief In Takings Case Before Sixth Circuit

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Pioneer Institute (Pioneer) has joined in an amicus brief in Brott vs. U.S., a case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit involving a claim that the federal government took plaintiffs’ land through eminent domain without compensation in violation of the Fifth Amendment’s requirement of just compensation. Pioneer identified this case through PioneerLegal, its new public-interest law initiative. The plaintiffs in Brott are twenty-two families and small-business owners in Michigan who claim that the federal government took their property in violation of the Fifth Amendment by refusing to compensate – or offer to compensate – them for their land.  The federal Tucker Act provides that Fifth Amendment claims of this type can be brought only in the […]

Study: Character Education in Mass. Charter Public Schools Improving Academic Results, Social Behavior

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Two local case studies demonstrate benefits, but many programs also fall short. BOSTON – At a time when the priorities in K-12 education have skewed towards STEM courses and academic achievement scores, two new papers from Pioneer Institute highlight how teaching character education in schools can benefit students even beyond the classroom, but can be challenging to implement effectively. In Massachusetts Charter Public Schools: Best Practices in Character Education, author and Pioneer Senior Education Fellow Cara Stillings Candal looks at two high performing Massachusetts charter public schools—Abby Kelley Foster Charter School in Worcester, MA and the Brooke Charter School Network of Boston, MA—and how they approach character education. Her study is part of a series of papers from Pioneer highlighting […]

Mobile Medication, Early Intervention, Suicide Prevention, and Opioid Addiction Programs Win 25th Annual Better Government Competition

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BOSTON – Pioneer Institute’s 25th annual Better Government Competition received nearly 100 entries from agencies and organizations across the U.S. on the topic, “Improving Care for Individuals with Mental Illness.” One winner, four runners-up and four special recognition recipients will be recognized at the Institute’s Awards Gala on June 20th at the Hyatt Regency in Boston. The Keynote Speaker is Pennsylvania Congressman Timothy Murphy, whose work as a psychologist and best-selling author has gained national acclaim. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker will meet with the Congressman and make a special appearance at the event. Rep. Murphy is the author of the Helping Families In Mental Health Crisis Act, that would reduce the barriers to psychiatric treatment for the most seriously ill […]

Study: BID-Plymouth Program Shows Promise in Battling Opioid Abuse

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Collaborative ER-based approach improves access to detox treatment, reducing relapses and saving money. BOSTON – Preliminary results suggest that a new program that gives opioid overdose patients at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth (BID-Plymouth) multiple opportunities to access detox programs, psychological counseling, anti-abuse drugs and other services is proving effective at reducing recidivism and returning opioid users to more productive lives, according to a new policy brief published by Pioneer Institute. “The Integrated Health Care and Substance Use Collaborative brings together medical personnel, substance abuse specialists and law enforcement to combat this urgent problem in an innovative way that offers a strong model for other hospitals to follow,” said Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios. In Combating Opioid Addiction in Massachusetts: A […]

Pioneer Institute Public Statement to the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board

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Earlier this week, Fox 25 News reported that Michael Mulhern, the executive director of the MBTA Retirement Fund, will be triple-dipping from taxpayer-funded pensions. A few days earlier, Mulhern announced his intention to resign from the fund in August. In addition to healthcare coverage, he is already receiving a $65,000 pension from the T as well as $86,000 in deferred compensation. The Fox 25 report revealed a further $167,000 in a retirement account set up during his time at the pension fund. Pioneer’s recent report “The Reckless Cost of Investment Mismanagement at the MBTA Retirement Fund” revealed that the MBTARF’s underperformance relative to the state pension board over 14 years has cost taxpayers and T employees $902 million. In a […]

Study Calls for Reforming Bridgewater State Hospital, Commonwealth’s Solitary Confinement Practices

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Read coverage of this report in State House New Service and The Springfield Republican. State should halt trend toward housing mentally ill in correctional facilities BOSTON – Reforming the commonwealth’s solitary confinement policies and the troubled Bridgewater State Hospital would be important steps to halt the trend in recent decades toward housing more mentally ill individuals in Massachusetts prisons and jails, according to a new policy brief published by Pioneer Institute. “The number of mentally ill prison and jail inmates in the US held steady at around 1 percent from the time when thousands of mentally ill inmates were transferred to treatment facilities in the 1880s until the 1960s,” said Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios.  “But with deinstitutionalization, the percentage of […]

Study: T Pensions Would Be Worth $902M More Had Assets Been Managed by State Pension Fund After 2000

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MBTA would have saved $676 million, T pensions would have been fully funded BOSTON – Had MBTA Retirement Fund (MBTARF) assets been placed in the state pension fund at the end of 2000, their value would have been an estimated $902 million greater by 2014 and T pensions would have been about fully funded, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. The MBTARF’s net pension assets were about $1.6 billion at the end of 2014. If managed by the state pension fund, they would have been almost $2.5 billion. The cash-strapped MBTA has to make up $676 million of the lost value under a pension agreement that holds it responsible for three quarters of the money needed to […]

Survey: Majority of MA Independent Schools Offer Academically Oriented Summer Programs

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Report is first in series on summer enrichment programs that can prevent summer learning loss, narrow achievement gap Contact Jamie Gass, 617-723-2277 ext. 210 or jgass@pioneerinstitute.org BOSTON – A survey of more than 70 Massachusetts private and parochial schools found that most offer academically-oriented summer programs, which have been found to prevent summer learning loss and can help close the achievement gap among student groups. The survey is the first of a three-part study from Pioneer Institute that will yield a comprehensive guide to summer enrichment programs in the commonwealth. Summer learning loss has been described by the U.S. Department of Education as “devastating” among students, especially those from low-income backgrounds. Many low-income students lose two-to-three months of reading skills […]

With UMass Tuition Hikes on Horizon, Key Issues for Legislators to Consider

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Pioneer Institute Public Statement Later this month, the University of Massachusetts’ Board of Trustees will again vote on tuition and fee increases. In the fall of 2015, UMass charged the 13th highest tuition of 172 public universities in the U.S., higher even than UC-Berkeley and UCLA, the two top-ranked public universities according to US News and World Report Rankings of Public Colleges. Longer term, the system’s manner of financing a multi-billion-dollar burst in facility capital expansion has come at the expense of attention to its deferred maintenance backlog, and places UMass in a precarious financial position.  The UMass Board, the governor and the legislature will need to begin asking hard questions in order to effectively discharge their fiduciary responsibilities to […]

Honoring the Service and Sacrifice of Our Veterans

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Memorial Day is a time to reflect on the men and women who have courageously defended the ideals and freedoms that Americans hold so dear. We also view it as a poignant reminder that we must ensure our children are learning about the important events and principles that have shaped our nation. For many years, we have been calling on our policy leaders to ensure that our future generations receive more instruction in Civics and U.S. History. In late 2012, a state commission recommended making passage of a U.S. History MCAS test a high school graduation requirement for Massachusetts public school students. The commission’s report cited a Pioneer Institute poll that found that the commonwealth’s parents, teachers, and legislators all support restoring the U.S. History MCAS graduation […]

Pioneer Forming Transparency Working Group to Help Curb Healthcare Costs

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Contact Josh Archambault (617) 645-7679 (josh@pioneerinstitute.org) or Barbara Anthony (857) 998-0273 (banthony@pioneerinstitute.org) BOSTON – With state government officials seeking alternatives to an initiative petition that would implement healthcare price controls, Pioneer Institute will help form a new working group on healthcare price transparency to explore opportunities to improve patients’ access to crucial information about the cost of their medical procedures, engage them in health care decision-making, and improve healthcare value. Years of research from the Office of the Attorney General, CHIA (Center for Health Information and Analysis) and the Health Policy Commission have made it clear that unwarranted price variations in the Massachusetts healthcare market present significant barriers to cost containment. More recent Pioneer research has shown that even with […]

Are UMass’ Aggressive Capital Expansion & Out-of-State Recruitment Good for Mass. Students?

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Read media coverage of this series:  The Boston Globe, The Boston Business Journal, the Associated Press, The Springfield Republican, The Lowell Sun, State House News Service, WAMC Studies Find Improved UMass Academic Standing and Student Quality May Come at Expense of Commitment to Massachusetts Students Campuses have seen dramatic rise in enrollment from outside Massachusetts; aggressive capital program drives rising debt and growing maintenance backlog BOSTON – In recent years the five University of Massachusetts campuses have dramatically increased enrollment and capital spending, improved academic standing and the quality of the students they attract, but a new Pioneer Institute series questions whether the gains have come at the expense of the university’s primary mission to serve in-state students and raises questions […]

Charter Funding Study Calls For Money To More Closely Follow Students

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State should fund “target aid,” increase funding that follows special needs students, and reduce district reimbursements BOSTON – Massachusetts’ charter school funding formula should maintain the shared responsibility of state and local governments to fund education, but improvements could address a number of weaknesses and allow money to more easily follow students, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. “Given that the impact of the current charter school funding formula on school districts varies dramatically based on the characteristics of each district, the fairest approach is to have money follow the student as closely as possible,” said Salem State Professor Ken Ardon, who co-authored “Assessing Charter School Funding in 2016” with Pioneer Senior Fellow Cara Candal. Ardon and […]

Join Us May 4th: “Best Practices from Urban Charter Public Schools”

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As the charter public school debate heats up, it’s important to remember that urban charter schools are Massachusetts’ best option for closing achievement gaps. On May 4th, we’ll hear from a national charter school leader, a noted researcher, as well as charter opponents and advocates about the controversy and its lessons for urban schools.

Study: State Ridesharing Regs Should Focus More on Consumer Preferences, Less on Protecting Cab Companies

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BOSTON – Legislation recently approved by the Massachusetts House to create a new Ride for Hire Division within the state Department of Public Utilities to regulate Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) like Uber, Lyft and Fasten includes a number of fair and sensible protections for TNC customers, but goes too far to protect the outdated system of taxi medallions controlled by government regulators, according to a new Pioneer Institute policy brief. “Massachusetts should reform the medallion system to authorize a class of cab permits that would provide new market entrants with flexibility and low start-up costs,” said Pioneer Research and Operations Associate Matt Blackbourn, who co-authored “Important Considerations for Regulating Ridesharing in Massachusetts” with Research and Outreach Intern Brendon Murphy.  New […]

2016 Hewitt Healthcare Lecture: “Facing Down the Opioid Crisis”

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On April 20, 2016, Pioneer welcomed medical professionals, researchers, policy experts, and many others to our annual Hewitt Healthcare Lecture. This year’s topic, “Facing Down the Opioid Crisis” addressed a timely issue here in Massachusetts. Watch the video below: Our Keynote speaker was Marylou Sudders, Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, a leader in the Baker administration’s efforts to reduce the rate of opioid addiction in the Commonwealth. Her address was followed by a panel discussion featuring experts in behavioral health, medicine, and criminal justice, moderated by WBUR‘s Deb Becker: Cheryl Bartlett, CEO, Alosa Health Vicker V. DiGravio III, President/CEO, Association of Behavioral Healthcare Dr. Dennis Dimitri, President, Massachusetts Medical Society Joseph D. McDonald, Jr., Sheriff, Plymouth County

Remembering Barbara Anderson

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Barbara Anderson’s passing marks the loss of a good friend of the taxpayers of Massachusetts.  Like revolutionary patriot Sam Adams, she had the ability to organize ordinary citizens in revolt against powerful interests, and to win enduring victory on their behalf. It has been noted in the days following her death from leukemia that Barbara was a mainstay of the radio program “The Governors.”  Barbara’s accomplishments earned her that title—and more.  Her work with Citizens for Limited Taxation (CLT) to cap the annual growth of municipal property taxes in 1980 may have had the greatest impact on the economic well-being of Massachusetts residents of any statutory change made during the past 50 years.  By this single accomplishment, she left a […]

Study: Are Drug Prices Driving Healthcare Cost Growth?

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Study: Requiring Drug Companies to Disclose Price Methodologies, Other Proprietary Information Would Discourage Drug Development, Lead to Higher Long-Term Healthcare Costs Promoting competition, looking more closely at healthcare price opacity would be more effective ways to limit cost inflation Read coverage of this report in The Boston Globe, MarketWatch and State House News Service. BOSTON – State policy and legislative recommendations requiring pharmaceutical companies to disclose proprietary information would discourage the development of new innovative medicines, lead to higher healthcare costs over the long term, and potentially damage a big driver of Massachusetts’ business economy, according to a new report by Pioneer Institute. The report comes on the heels of recommendations from the state Health Policy Commission (HPC) and prior to an […]

Pulitzer Prize Winners To Be Featured At Event On Teaching Jacksonian Democracy In Schools

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Student Essay Contest Winners Announced Contact Jamie Gass, 617-723-2277 ext. 210 or jgass@pioneerinstitute.org BOSTON – Two Pulitzer Prize-winning historians will be among the speakers at “The Age of Jacksonian Democracy: Teaching Antebellum America in Schools,” a Pioneer Institute forum to be held at the 46th Northeast Regional Conference on the Social Studies on Wednesday, April 6th, 8:00-11:00 a.m. at the Sturbridge Host Hotel & Conference Center in Sturbridge, MA. Update: Watch the Livestream video: Daniel Walker Howe and David & Jeanne Heidler will deliver keynote addresses at the event.  The Heidlers are co-authors or editors of 12 books, including Old Hickory’s War: Andrew Jackson and the Quest for Empire and Henry Clay: The Essential American. They are currently working on […]