MORE ARTICLES
Massachusetts Affordability and Competitiveness Ranking is in FreefallJuly 26, 2024 - 10:19 am
Average Weekly Wage Change for two Massachusetts Counties with Differing Densities.July 25, 2024 - 11:54 am
Suffolk County Residential and Commercial Taxation Changes Since 2018July 25, 2024 - 9:54 am
Stanford’s Arnold Rampersad on Jackie RobinsonJuly 24, 2024 - 11:29 am
Registering Republican Realignment: GOP Convention Showcases Conservatism’s New DirectionJuly 23, 2024 - 11:02 am
An Evaluation of 340B in MassachusettsJuly 23, 2024 - 10:41 am
Migration to Massachusetts in 2022: Where Are People Going?July 18, 2024 - 3:00 pm
The Economic Development Bill Starting to Take Shape; It Makes Big Bets on Life Sciences, Clean Technology and Applied AIJuly 18, 2024 - 2:11 pm
Disparities in LIHTC Data Illuminate Difficulties in Housing ProductionJuly 18, 2024 - 12:13 pm
Examining the New Massachusetts Estate TaxJuly 18, 2024 - 9:43 am
A lack of imagination
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Blog, News /by Liam DayAs Dennis Miller used to say, I don’t want to go on a rant here, but it beggars the imagination how glib some public officials can be when it comes to talk of budgets. This from Holland Selectman James E. Wettlaufer, in an article in the Springfield Republican about the town’s rejection of two Prop 2 1/2 overrides in yesterday’s election: “This means we will have to sit down and craft a budget that fits within the levy limit, which means reduced services.” Crafting municipal budgets within the levy limit is what the law intended. Under the law, it is what town selectmen are supposed to do. It’s not supposed to be a last resort. Then, of course, Mr. Wettlaufer […]
Change or Die
/0 Comments/in Blog, Related Education Blogs /byVermont Technical College President Ty J. Handy, in the Winter 2008 New England Journal of Higher Education, writes an interesting article (Differentiate or Die”) about the future of New England higher education. His argument is that, given the significant decrease in the number of students coming out of the K-12 “pipeline” in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, the smaller decline in Rhode Island, and the static population in Massachusetts, New England colleges and universities will have to differentiate their brands to appeal to people farther and wider. The numbers are pretty depressing for ME, NH and VT. They are not great for the other New England states (see below). But what leapt off the page was what the demographic trends […]
Tough fight but they are right
/0 Comments/in Blog, Economic Opportunity, Housing, News /byLenore and Skip Schloming of the Small Property Owners Association play in rough waters, where landlords are seen as the Grand Exploiters. SPOA represents folks who own 5, 10, maybe 50 units and don’t get the big state support enjoyed by big developers. They’re essentially small business owners, many of whom buy in urban areas because they can build up equity and grow. In addition to fighting back on ever-more ingenious attempts to reinstate rent control, SPOA is pushing some ideas that make eminent sense–and could actually do something for the low-income market and the homeless. First, from a recent newsletter: Officials and nonprofit leaders keep pursuing the same old housing strategy for the poor–try to get more tax money […]
3 trillion and counting
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Blog, News /by Liam DayOf note today, a milestone somewhat akin to watching your car’s odometer hit 100,000 miles: President Bush will submit to Congress his 2009 budget proposal for the federal government, the first ever to exceed $3 trillion. I don’t think you need to be fiscally conservative to blanch at that figure.
The 100,000 student mark
/0 Comments/in Blog, Related Education Blogs /byA number of states have now reached or are approaching the 100,000 student mark in terms of enrollment at charter schools. Arizona with its 500 charter schools Texas with its almost 300 charter schools California has over 200,000 students with its 600-plus charter schools Florida with its 350 charter schools Michigan with its 250 charter schools Ohio is approaching 100,000 students with its 300-plus charters With the number of charter schools in places like LA, DC, Detroit, and New Orleans growing fast, they are increasingly a key part of the urban education landscape. Consider that almost two-thirds of New Orleans’ students are now in charters, and that they constitute the following percentage of students in other cities: Dayton, OH: 28% […]