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Tag: Welfare

  • Toe photo doesn’t save motorist from parking fine

    Toe photo doesn’t save motorist from parking fine

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    NEWBURYPORT — When City Clerk Richard Jones recently received a photo of a man with a partially amputated left toe, little did he know it would open the door to a larger debate about how much the city fines motorists for illegally parking in a handicap-only spot.

    On Jan. 1, the penalty for parking in a municipal handicap spot without a placard jumped to $300, up $100 from the previous year. The change was formalized roughly nine months ago after City Council approval. 

    Jones, who also also functions as the city’s parking clerk, said he recently received an email from a motorist upset about being hit with the $300 fine after illegally parking in a Pleasant Street handicap spot. 

    The unhappy motorist also sent along photos of his semi-missing toe in, what Jones said was, an attempt to justify his parking decision.

    “It looks like he took the picture in the hospital, right after he had surgery,” Jones said. “I think he left the hospital thinking he could park in handicap spaces. But you can’t do that without a placard. The law is pretty clear.”

    The city has roughly a half-dozen handicap parking spaces located on downtown streets, according to Jones, who added there is also one for every 25 spots in municipal parking lots.

    “Parking is at such a premium in the downtown, when you put in a handicap parking space, it’s not used 24/7. So it takes a space off the grid,” Jones said. 

    The Registry of Motor Vehicles issues handicap parking placards and license plates, according to Jones, who added the state allows very little latitude when it comes to fighting violations. That left Jones in the unenviable position of having to stand his ground in terms of appeasing the annoyed motorist. 

    Ward 2 City Councilor Jennie Donahue, who also serves as the council’s liaison to the Commission on Disabilities, said she also heard about the man’s complaint and the photos. 

    According to Donahue, the motorist is arguing that he applied for a placard and should be allowed to park in a handicap spot while waiting for it.

    But just because the man expects to receive a placard that doesn’t cover a current violation, she countered. 

    “The laws apply to everybody and there’s really no wiggle room to that,” she said. “You can’t really wave a fine if someone’s going to have a placard in the future.”

    Jones added that many people try to illegally use the downtown handicap parking spaces as a pickup and drop-off location.

    “If you talk to anyone who is truly handicapped, you will hear that’s not a valid excuse,” he said. “Because, if someone’s in that space, they don’t pull up and ask them to use it. They just drive on and don’t get a space.”

    Donahue, who is blind, said there are a tremendous amount of misconceptions when it comes to handicap parking and many disabled people often don’t know if they are, or are not breaking the law.

    “People need to understand that it is never OK to take that handicap spot without a permitted placard or plate. And, if you do, you’re going to be subject to a fine,” she said.

    Jones said he has received plenty of complaints from people who have been hit with parking tickets, ever since the fine increase.

    “It would be disingenuous for me not to say the new fee has increased complaints,” he said.

    He also said he has heard rumblings from some that there may be a movement to kick the illegal handicap parking fines back down to $200. 

    “In my opinion, the $200 fine should be sufficient,” he said. “The $300 fine is shocking to some people. But, to be fair, there are a number of communities at $300 or even higher. But they tend to be near Boston.”

    Donahue said she’s in favor of the $300 fine.

    “Typically, you don’t go backwards when it comes to anything to do with the Americans with Disabilities Act,” she said.

    With handicap parking abuse so common in the state, Donahue said more communities will be adopting larger fines to combat the problem.

    “No one can really not bat an eye at $300,” she said. “But that’s the idea and people don’t pay attention to the signs. Then they feel entitled to a break.”

    Donahue also said she could see a system put in place in the future that would allow the Commission on Disabilities to hear from people who believe they were unjustly fined and make a recommendation to the city clerk’s office after that.

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    By Jim Sullivan | jsullivan@newburyportnews.com

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  • Former harbormaster says he was ‘wrongfully terminated

    Former harbormaster says he was ‘wrongfully terminated

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    Former Harbormaster Thomas “T.J.” Ciarametaro says he was “wrongfully terminated” in the wake of revelations by Mayor Greg Verga of “wrongdoing” by the harbormaster’s office regarding forged signatures on standard contracts for two grant programs from the state Division of Marine Fisheries totaling $24,000.

    “Regretfully, I have to report that I was wrongfully terminated from my position as Gloucester Harbormaster after seven years of superb service,” said Ciarametaro, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, in a prepared statement. “I have been unjustly dismissed following baseless accusations of misconduct, which have since been proven to be false.”

    “The events leading to my termination began when I discovered discrepancies in city funds and equipment within the department,” said Ciarametaro, who credited the Waterways Board and harbormaster staff for accomplishments in the office, including digitizing operations, earning recognition from Marinas.com for creating a more welcoming port and collaborating with the Army Corps of Engineers on a project to dredge the Annisquam River.

    Ciarametaro wrote he was fired by the city after catching one of his employees stealing cash from a locked drawer on camera, and turning him over to police under the city’s Whistleblower Protection Policy. He said he was broadsided by “retaliatory accusations” from this “disgruntled employee who had engaged in theft.” The allegations against him were quickly disproven, Ciarametaro said.

    Ciarametaro did not name the employee but his statement came on the same day Gloucester District Court confirmed a criminal complaint had been issued by the Police Department against former Shellfish Warden Peter Seminara, charging him with larceny from a building after being caught on camera in February stealing $71 in cash from a locked drawer in the harbormaster’s office at 19 Harbor Loop, according to a police report and Ciarametaro’s report to Human Resources Director Holly Dougwillo.

    On advice of police after a pattern of items and cash going missing from the office, Ciarametaro installed the cameras.

    “I can’t respond to anything regarding my case as I have retained legal (counsel) beyond the representation afforded me by my union representatives,” Seminara said in an email.

    No date has been scheduled for Seminara’s arraignment as the court clerk’s office said the case may be transferred to a different venue. This may be because the former shellfish warden and former harbormaster have appeared before the court in their official duties which have a law enforcement component. Seminara’s employment with the city ended last month.

    Ciarametaro in his statement urged the administration to reconsider its decision and reinstate him.

    “A claim surfaced regarding the forgery of a signature on a Department of Marine Fisheries Grant application that had already been approved by the Commonwealth,” he said. “I was not involved in such matter and denied any involvement in any such matter. Nonetheless, the mayor suspended me, unpaid, from my position.”

    The city’s deputy harbormaster admitted to the forgery during a meeting at City Hall, Ciarametaro said. Even though the deputy harbormaster made clear Ciarametaro had no knowledge or involvement in the forgery, the mayor immediately fired him, the former harbormaster said.

    In the statement, Ciarametaro does not name the deputy harbormaster, Chad Johnson, who has previously said he had been put on leave and said he had taken part in the forgery.

    “There is no question he made a mistake,” Ciarametaro said.

    The deputy harbormaster did not receive any of the money or seek to benefit personally from the grant, nor did anyone inside or outside the department, and the money went to the city’s sewage pump-out boat capabilities, Ciarametaro said of a $11,000 Clean Vessel Act grant.

    “Nonetheless, I had no idea that the forgery had occurred and therefore had no ability to prevent it, let alone recognize it,” he said.

    The harbormaster’s statement criticizes the Verga administration for the handling of his case, saying his one regret was “placing my full support behind the current mayor and his administrative staff, believing promises of transparency and accountability that have not come to fruition. I truly believed Mayor Verga would help Gloucester turn the page from the vacuum of accountability and transparency that infected the prior administration.”

    In response to Ciarametaro’s statement, the mayor’s director of communications and constituent services, Pam Tobey, wrote in an email “We cannot comment on personnel matters.”

    She said interim Harbormaster John McCarthy is preparing for the summer boating season with the harbormaster office’s staff.

    “The mayor feels confident in former police Chief and City Councilor John McCarthy’s ability to step in as interim harbormaster for the city of Gloucester,” Tobey said. “John’s extensive experience as a city department head, background in public safety, and knowledge of maritime operations is the perfect combination to keep the ship moving forward.”

    Verga had previously written to the City Council saying the city has been working closely with the state Division of Marine Fisheries to maintain the city’s good standing, and that he had “taken action and held the responsible parties within the Harbormaster’s Office accountable.”

    Verga has also called for a management audit of the Harbormaster’s Office.

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    By Ethan Forman | Staff Writer

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  • State to pay off $10M more in student loans

    State to pay off $10M more in student loans

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    BOSTON — Financial relief from college debt is coming for hundreds of mental health workers under a state loan repayment program aimed at easing workforce shortages.

    A taxpayer-funded program, which launched in 2022, pays off up to $300,000 in college loans for eligible health care professionals in a variety of disciplines, including dental, medical, mental health and substance abuse.

    The state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, which oversees the MA Repay program, announced a new round of disbursements earlier this week totaling $10 million. The latest round of loan repayments will specifically target more than 200 eligible mental health workers, the agency said.

    Gov. Maura Healey said the move will “offer life changing loan repayment to our dedicated state employees who continue to provide care daily to community members with serious mental illness.”

    “Massachusetts relies on our incredible behavioral health workforce to provide essential care to our residents, but far too many workers are being held back by crushing levels of student debt,” Healey said in a statement.

    The MA Repay program was approved as part of a $4 billion pandemic relief bill signed by then-Gov. Charlie Baker in December 2021. It is aimed at recruiting and retaining new workers in a sector of the state’s health care system that is traditionally among the lowest paid.

    Under the program, psychiatrists are eligible for up to $300,000 if they are employed full time, and $150,000 if they work part time. Psychologists can receive up to $150,000 in loans repaid if they are full-time workers, $75,000 if they work part time.

    Nurses, nurse practitioners, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants and social workers with master’s degrees who are employed in mental health settings can receive $25,000 to $50,000. Workers in those professions with bachelor’s degrees can get between $15,000 and $30,000.

    Those who qualify must commit to working for at least four years in the state under a “service commitment” to receive the financial relief. That employment can be with up to two employers, according to the state agency.

    In August, the state announced the first round of disbursements for nearly 3,000 health care workers totaling $140.9 million. In October, the state opened a second round of disbursements for $25 million. In January, an additional $16.5 million was made available to early education, child care, home health and other home workers.

    The move comes as President Joe Biden unveiled a new proposal this week that seeks to reduce or cancel federal student loans for 30 million Americans.

    Biden’s latest forgiveness plan calls for offering loan relief to borrowers who have large amounts of interest on their loans, have been paying for decades or who face financial hardship.

    A group of Republican states filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday challenging Biden’s SAVE Plan, arguing the move bypasses Congress and a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that rejected the president’s previous loan forgiveness program, which called for eliminating $400 billion in outstanding college debt.

    To date, $136.6 billion in federal college loans have been forgiven for more than 3.7 million Americans, according to the Biden administration.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • SENIOR LOOKOUT: Course offers strategies for savvy caregiving

    SENIOR LOOKOUT: Course offers strategies for savvy caregiving

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    The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 14% of the population, 37.1 million people, provide unpaid eldercare in the United States. These millions of individuals provide unpaid care to someone age 65 or older who needs help because of a condition related to aging. This care is provided to family and non-family members living at home, as well as those people living in skilled nursing or assisted care facilities.

    Family members who take on the caregiving role are often under a lot of stress – usually for a long time. When caregivers of a person living with dementia are compared with persons like them who are not caregivers, the potential perils of the situation are clear. These caregivers are:

    — Twice as likely to have health and mental health problems.

    — Two-and-a-half times as likely to be taking medicine for their nerves.

    — Only half as likely to seek medical help for their problems.

    — More likely to feel cut off from their family and friends.

    — More likely to be pinched financially.

    There is an evidence-based workshop available nationwide called “The Savvy Caregiver” for family and friends who are active caregivers, caring for those living with Alzheimer’s or related dementias.

    On the North Shore, the Savvy Caregiver six-week workshop is offered several times throughout the year. The next session will be held virtually, beginning April 26, 2024.

    The Savvy Caregiver program is built on the notion that the successful caregiver has three main tasks:

    Manage daily life with the person.

    Find and use help with caregiving tasks.

    Take care of yourself.

    Savvy Caregiver training will help you:

    Understand the impact of dementia on both you and the person for whom you are caring.

    Learn the skills you need to manage daily life.

    Take control and set goals.

    Communicate more effectively.

    Strengthen family resources.

    Feel better about your caregiving.

    Take care of yourself!

    The Savvy Caregiver program offers help for caregivers with two frequent problems:

    Disagreements. Sometimes family members and friends disagree with the caregiver about what’s going on. The program seeks to help all gain a better understanding of the situation and join together in helping the family member with dementia.

    Help. Sometimes, family members and friends don’t know help is needed. Often they don’t know what help to give or how to give it. Savvy Caregivers know the many different tasks involved in caregiving. They are better able to decide which parts others might play and to instruct others in how to perform those tasks.

    Being savvy about caregiving won’t stop the course of what the caregiver is dealing with or make it go away. Savvy caregiving won’t mean there will be no stress in the day-to-day or the long-term situation with which they are dealing. But, savvy caregiving can enable a person to develop a sense of control or mastery. It can help them to find ways to reduce the effects of caregiving stress and to increase their sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

    This program is designed to expand a caregiver’s knowledge and skills. The most important outcome, though, should be that the caregiver will feel more confident of their ability to carry out the role they have taken on.

    For more information about or to register for The Savvy Caregiver workshop, please contact Abbie Considine at 978-281-1750. Advance registration for the workshop is required.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

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    Senior Lookout | Tracy Arabian

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  • Texas AG sues to halt a guaranteed income program, calling it a ‘socialist experiment’

    Texas AG sues to halt a guaranteed income program, calling it a ‘socialist experiment’

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    Texas’ attorney general filed a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking to stop a guaranteed income program set to start this month for Houston-area residents.

    The program by Harris County, where Houston is located, is set to provide “no-strings-attached” $500 monthly cash payments to 1,928 county residents for 18 months. Those who qualified for the program must have a household income below 200% of the federal poverty line and need to live in one of the identified high-poverty zip codes.

    The program is funded by $20.5 million from the American Rescue Plan, the pandemic relief law signed by President Joe Biden in 2021.

    Federal pandemic funding has prompted dozens of cities and counties across the country to implement guaranteed income programs as ways to reduce poverty, lessen inequality and get people working.

    In his lawsuit filed in civil court in Houston, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton dubbed the program the “Harris Handout” and described it as a “socialist experiment” by county officials that violates the Texas Constitution and is “an illegal and illegitimate government overreach.”

    “This scheme is plainly unconstitutional,” Paxton said in a statement. “Taxpayer money must be spent lawfully and used to advance the public interest, not merely redistributed with no accountability or reasonable expectation of a general benefit.”

    State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Republican from Houston who had asked Paxton to look into the county’s program, called it an “unbelievable waste” of taxpayer dollars and “Lottery Socialism.”

    Harris County officials pushed back on Paxton’s lawsuit, which is asking for a temporary restraining order to stop the program. The first payments were set to be distributed as early as April 24.

    Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county’s top elected official, said guaranteed income is one of the oldest and most successful anti-poverty programs, and she feels “for these families whose plans and livelihoods are being caught up in political posturing by Trumpian leaders in Texas.”

    “This lawsuit from Ken Paxton reads more like a MAGA manifesto than a legal document,” said Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who spearheaded the program, known as Uplift Harris.

    Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said the program “is about helping people in a real way by giving them direct cash assistance — something governments have always done.”

    The lawsuit is the latest legal battle in recent years between Harris County, Texas’ biggest Democratic stronghold, and the GOP-dominated state government.

    Elections in the nation’s third-most populous county have been scrutinized for several years now. The Texas Legislature passed new laws in 2023 seeking more influence over Harris County elections.

    Last year, Texas took over the Houston school district, the state’s largest, after years of threats and lawsuits over student performance. Democrats assailed the move as political.

    Austin and San Antonio have previously offered guaranteed income programs in Texas. El Paso County is set to roll out its own program later this year. No lawsuits have been filed against those programs.

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    Juan Lozano, The Associated Press

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  • Danvers siblings raise autism awareness

    Danvers siblings raise autism awareness

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    DANVERS — Brother and sister duo Jackson and Taylor Skane, of Danvers, have been advocating for autism most of their lives. On Friday, they were at three elementary schools in Peabody and Danvers to help bring awareness to the neurological disorder and kick off April as Autism Awareness Month.

    Jackson, a high school senior studying dental assisting at Essex Tech, was diagnosed with autism at age 3. His younger sister Taylor, a junior studying culinary also at Essex Tech, has been by Jackson’s side supporting him as they spread the word about autism to communities on the North Shore. On Friday, they visited students at the Brown School in Peabody and the Great Oak and Smith schools in Danvers.

    For nearly 15 years, the siblings have been strong advocates for autism in their neighborhood, schools, and with other organizations, working to raise awareness. They started by giving out blue light bulbs to friends, neighbors, and their schools, and that grew into larger events and opportunities.

    Jackson is one of two student representatives for the Essex Tech School Committee, a member of the Student Council, DECA, an advisory board member for the school’s dental programs, a National Honor Society recipient, and an assistant at North Shore Dance Academy for a class for students with a disability. He is also a youth Board of Director to the Northeast Arc’s board where he is the youngest member, speaking to the interests and priorities of young people with disabilities and autism. He has been part of the Northeast Arc since he was a young child.

    Jackson plans to study special education in college next fall.

    Taylor is a member of the Youth Board for The Rock The Spectrum, a volunteer at The Northeast Arc and Citizens Inn/Haven from Hunger, and an assistant at North Shore Dance Academy for a class for students with a disability. She will graduate next year and also plans to study special education in college.

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    By News Staff

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  • Money flowing into jails for opioid treatment

    Money flowing into jails for opioid treatment

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    BOSTON — Money is flowing into state and county correctional facilities to help treat substance abuse disorders, putting sheriffs and jail wardens on the front lines of the state’s battle against opioid addiction.

    A first-of-its-kind report on funding for the 14 sheriffs offices across the state shows that a sizable chunk of more than $23.5 million in state and federal grants they received last year was earmarked for jail-based, medication-assisted treatment programs.

    The Essex County Sheriff’s Office received more than $2.7 million in federal and state grants for programs in the previous fiscal year, much of which was devoted to medication-assisted treatment and other substance abuse programs.

    The money was provided through grants from the U.S. Department of Justice and the state Department of Public Health, among other funding sources.

    Essex County Sheriff Kevin Coppinger said about two-thirds of the inmate population is struggling with some kind of substance use disorder, and the demand for drug treatment is increasing.

    He has an average of about 170 inmates on medication-assisted treatment and other programs at Middleton Jail and other locations.

    The efforts are crucial to prepare inmates for reentry into the community and reduce recidivism by breaking the cycle of incarceration, he said.

    “When people get released we don’t want them to end up back in the criminal justice system,” Coppinger said. “We want to get them out of here and keep them on the straight and narrow.”

    Essex County was one of the first in the state to set up a detox inside the jail, and has expanded its substance abuse treatments over the years. It has been approved for a license to administer medication-assisted treatments.

    In some cases, inmates request medication-assisted treatment to get clean while they are incarcerated. In others, people committed to the jail are already in a community-based program receiving medication and are able to continue their treatment while they do their time, Coppinger said.

    He said the Sheriff’s Office is building a new dispensary for opioid-related drug treatments at its prerelease center in Lawrence – known as the “farm” – which also will have the authority dispense treatments without transporting inmates to an outside facility.

    “Because we have a license, we can do this now, which is going to help us substantially,” he said. “Securitywise, it’s a no-brainer. We can dispense it in-house now.”

    Sheriffs see spike in need

    In Middlesex County, the Sheriff’s Office received more than $815,000 in grants in the previous fiscal year with the majority of the money devoted to opioid and other substance abuse programs, according to the report.

    The Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office received more than $3.7 million in the previous fiscal year, with more than $520,000 devoted for medication-assisted treatment and reentry services, the report noted.

    The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office reported a nearly $900,000 grant from the Department of Public Health for medication-assisted treatment programs.

    Sheriffs say while the inmate population in state and county correctional facilities has been declining for years, the demand for substance use and mental health treatment in county jails has been spiking, putting a strain on resources. The grants are intended to offset those costs, but more funding is needed, sheriffs said.

    “It’s never enough money,” Coppinger said. “But I think it’s working based on feedback I’ve received from former inmates and the community.”

    Treatment drugs, costs

    There are three types of medication-assisted treatment in use in state prisons and county jails around the state, to varying degrees.

    Methadone, which is usually dispensed to addicts who visit clinics for a daily dose, has been used for decades to treat heroin addiction. Until recently, it was one of the only options for medication-assisted therapy. Methadone, which acts to block opioid receptors in the brain, can ease withdrawal symptoms that may trigger a relapse.

    Buprenorphine, which is sold by its brand name Suboxone and typically prescribed by a doctor, has become a preferred treatment.

    There’s also naltrexone, a non-narcotic drug often known by its brand name Vivitrol, which is injected monthly.

    None of the drug treatments come cheap. While methadone treatments can cost up to $3,500 a year per patient, even the generic form of Suboxone costs two to three times as much, according to the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors. Vivitrol costs about $1,300 per shot, according to the group.

    Opioid-related overdoses killed 2,357 people in Massachusetts last year, setting a new record high fatality rate of 33.5 per 100,000 people – an increase of 2.5% from the previous year, according to public health data.

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • City halfway there when it comes to school budget request

    City halfway there when it comes to school budget request

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    Even with the city planning to kick in $3 million of a proposed $6.1 million increase to keep Gloucester schools level funded in the new school year, Superintendent Ben Lummis cited possible cuts to balance the fiscal 2025 budget.

    He outlined a proposed $55.85 million level-services budget for the School Committee on Wednesday night. That is a 12.3% increase, or $6.1 million, more than this year’s spending, given a jump in costs for out-of-district special education and transportation, health care and contractual salary increases, among other things.

    Lummis said the city plans to meet the schools halfway.

    In doing so, the schools would have to cut $3.1 million worth of services, costs and staffing to balance its budget.

    “At this point, the city has let us know they can fund $3 million of the $6.1 million the schools require for a level-funded budget,” Lummis said.

    “But to be clear,” said School Committee Vice Chair Bill Melvin, “that’s not … It’s a reduction in services.”

    Lummis said coming to a balanced budget — not the level-services one — would depend on several factors, including:

    A $1.3 million supplemental appropriation prior to the end of the fiscal year in June to make pay prepaid tuition and special education costs. This would require a City Council vote.

    Another $200,000 for one-time costs for information technology and buses this fiscal year.

    A proposed $1.5 million annual increase in the schools’ operating budget from the city.

    Another $3.1 million in reductions in costs and staffing.

    “It is very unlikely that we’re going to be able to staff levels that we’ve had for recent years because of the increase in operating expenses, and also just to wage pressures as well,” Lummis said.

    What might the reductions look like?

    The administration wants to protect Tier 1 (core) instruction and curriculum and support vulnerable learners.

    In the elementary schools, the priority would be to protect social emotional learning and mental health. At the middle school this would mean maintaining the house structure, and at the high school, the priority would be preparation for post-secondary success, Lummis said.

    However, salaries and benefits make up 86% of the Gloucester schools’ operating costs, so reducing the operating budget means reducing staffing.

    A $500,000 cut in the operating budget equals about seven full-time equivalent positions, Lummis said.

    Reduction options

    Lummis referred to two different levels of cuts. The first would mean reductions of $1 million to $1.75 million.

    At the elementary level, this would include Tier II intervention and support, special education staff based on students’ Individualized Education Plan services, a move of some services to grants, and instructional support and curriculum initiatives.

    At the grade six through 12, the administration would look to trim Tier II intervention support, pause the planned medical assisting exploratory launch as a new career and vocational program at Gloucester High until September 2025, reduce special education staff based on IEP services, move related services onto grants, reduce staff in one or more academic areas which Lummis said would increase class size; and reduce increases in student support services for mental health and social emotional learning.

    At the district office, Lummis would trim IT infrastructure and delay upgrades, seek one-time funding for a one-to-one Chromebook initiative, and reduce administration and transportation costs.

    Lummis said the reductions would still mean smaller class sizes in the elementary schools and a range of class sizes at the middle and high schools. This level of reductions would allow for diverse academic offerings and a broad range of programming at Gloucester High, improvements at O’Maley Innovation Middle School and high-qualify art, music, and performing arts programs.

    However, those areas would be in jeopardy with reductions of $2 million to $3 million.

    The schools’ operating budget is not benefiting fully from the state funding increases that have come since fiscal 2023 as a result of the state Student Opportunity Act, Lummis said.

    For instance, in fiscal 2023, state Chapter 70 education aid to the city increased by $2.77 million and by $1.67 million last year, with the governor proposing $318,000 on top of that for this coming school year.

    Lummis said the state has determined the cost of educating students has increased $2.3 million for the upcoming school year, and that the local contribution should increase by $1.9 million, plus another $318,000 for Chapter 70 aid.

    Cumulative state aid for education increases since fiscal 2022 has totaled nearly $12 million.

    However, during that time, the city has increased the schools’ operating budget by a total of $1.85 million above the typical baseline increase to the schools each year which is typically $1.25 million, he said.

    Increased funding applied to the schools outside the operating budget since fiscal 2022 includes $2 million for DPW school facilities, $3.3 million for borrowing for school capital projects, and $4.2 million for one-time projects such as the Annisquam River flood barrier, demolition of East Gloucester Elementary School, grease traps, Gloucester High lockers, and American Rescue Plan Act funding for new playgrounds.

    Finding dollars

    There are opportunities to increase school funding, including the city funding the operating budget with the $2.3 million increase determined by the state, Lummis said.

    The city could put American Rescue Plan Act funding it received toward special education tuition, transportation and wage stabilization, which Lummis said are all eligible to be funded this way. The city could also reduce the facilities budget for such things as flooring projects and allocate those dollars to the schools, he said.

    Mayor Greg Verga, a member of the School Committee, said the city administration would continue to work with the school administration “to see what kind of rabbits we can pull out of our hats.”

    Verga said he shared with Lummis a spreadsheet showing the city spends $22.1 million outside the schools’ operating budget on the schools, an increase of $6 million from 2022 to 2024.

    “The kicker” is the city’s increase this year in new growth under Proposition 2 1/2 is 2.6% or $3.5 million. With a $130 million budget, total school spending represents about $72 million, he said.

    With another $1 million going toward the city’s pension liability, and the proposed increase to the schools of $1.5 million, Verga said he has $1 million in new growth funding to spread around to the rest of the city’s budget.

    One solution may be to lobby state lawmakers to pass the governor’s Municipal Empowerment Act to provide more opportunities for local option tax increases, he said.

    The School Committee’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee plans to take up the fiscal 2025 school budget April 8.

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    By Ethan Forman | Staff Writer

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  • State eyes simplification of college aid process

    State eyes simplification of college aid process

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    With an array of more than 50 state financial aid programs available to college students, public higher education officials are embarking on an effort to simplify those offerings by 2026.

    The Department of Higher Education plans to evaluate gaps in financial support as officials consider redesigning the mix of tuition reimbursement, grant, loan forgiveness and tax programs. The overhaul is meant to expand education access, improve affordability, and ensure that aid delivery is reliable and predictable, Deputy Commissioner of Policy Michael Dannenberg said.

    “So part of our analysis will look at the ultimate unmet need or need of students, whether they are in state or out of state, whether they’re receiving financial aid programs from the state or not from the state,” he said during a virtual Board of Higher Education meeting Tuesday. ”We’ll try and simplify, and highlight, (and) prioritize those for needy families and socioeconomic mobility.”

    Developing a “more coherent financial aid system” would also focus on ensuring students complete their degrees and certificates, Dannenberg said.

    Earlier this year, DHE launched its Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid (MASFA), a portal that’s meant to mimic the federal FAFSA form and allow undocumented students to unlock the millions of dollars available in state aid programs.

    Nearly 400 MASFA applications have been submitted or are in progress for the 2023-2024 academic year, with another 230 applications in the pipeline so far for the next academic year, a DHE spokesperson said Monday.

    At least 34 state financial aid programs serve less than 10,000 students, and more than 20 programs reach less than 2,000 recipients. At least two dozen state financial aid programs are not based on economic need, and at least 16 programs have a median award value under $200, Dannenberg said.

    Officials do not want to harm current financial aid recipients, and some programs may need to be adjusted with a grandfather clause to protect them, he said.

    The deputy commissioner showed board members a list of the programs, with some serving categories of students, including athletes, children of Sept. 11 victims, foster and adopted children, and aspiring educators, paraprofessionals and nurses. Also on the list were recent major expansions of financial aid, including making community college free for adults ages 25 and older and covering tuition costs and fees for Pell-Grant eligible students.

    “So we’ve got a lot of programs, a lot of very small small programs, and a lot of programs that are not linked to economic need,” he said.

    As the redesign continues, the plan is to conduct analyses this spring and summer, and review redesign options with the board in the fall. Officials would then seek input from advocates, experts and others at the start of 2025, share recommendations by spring 2025, and prepare to implement the changes for the fall 2026, Dannenberg said.

    Beyond the state’s financial aid portfolio, higher education officials are grappling with the ripple effects of the severely delayed launch of the updated Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

    The form only became available in January, compared to its typical fall rollout, after the system experienced multiple glitches with new funding formulas. During Tuesday’s board meeting, state officials urged students, including those frustrated by the FAFSA’s challenges this year, to still complete the form.

    Students need to submit the FASFA by May 1 for “priority consideration,” though officials are considering extending that deadline due to the form’s delay, said Clantha McCurdy, senior deputy commissioner of access and student financial assistance.

    The DHE is spending $1 million on “strategies” to boost FAFSA completion rates, said Robert Dais, director of GEAR UP, or Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. Dais did not offer examples, and said the department has partnered with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on ideas to “excite and incentivize students.” The funding, outlined in the fiscal 2024 budget, can be used on public awareness campaigns and FAFSA “completion clinics.”

    “We are targeting Gateway Cities and students from historically underserved populations,” Dais said. “There’s more to come soon, but essentially we just wanted folks to know know that the Department of Higher Education is clearly focused on improving FAFSA and MASFA completion rates, and doing everything that we can to ensure that the neediest students are doing so.”

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    By Alison Kuznitz | State House News Service

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  • Ride-hailing fight returns to Beacon Hill

    Ride-hailing fight returns to Beacon Hill

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    BOSTON — The battle over unionizing Uber and Lyft drivers returns Tuesday to Beacon Hill with a legislative committee set to take up several proposed ballot questions.

    A special legislative committee is scheduled to hear testimony on the proposals that reshape the employment status of ride-hailing drivers in Massachusetts during a hearing at the Statehouse, where supporters and opponents will make their cases to lawmakers to put the questions on the November ballot.

    Several proposed ballot questions, filed in August by Flexibility and Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers 2024, a group whose contributors include Uber, Lyft and DoorDash, would ask voters to allow the companies to classify drivers as independent contractors rather than employees who are entitled to benefits.

    The ride-hailing companies argue that their drivers prefer the flexibility of working as independent contractors, not employees. They cite surveys of drivers saying they prefer the flexibility of contractual work.

    The plan, if approved, would set an earnings floor equal to 120% of the state’s minimum wage for the drivers — $18 an hour in 2023 before tips. Drivers would be eligible for health care stipends, injury insurance and paid sick time, the companies say.

    But labor unions argue that the ballot question is a veiled attempt by the companies to skirt state taxes, labor laws, better wages and benefits.

    Meanwhile, another referendum — which is also inching toward the November ballot — would authorize ride-hailing drivers to unionize, which supporters say will allow them to bargain collectively for better wages and benefits from the companies.

    Gov. Maura Healey hasn’t said what she would do with the bills if any reach her desk for consideration. As attorney general, Healey filed a lawsuit in 2021 asking a judge to recognize ride-hailing drivers as employees under the state’s wage and hour laws.

    The proposals face legal challenges that are being considered by the state Supreme Judicial Court. Labor unions have sued to block the industry-backed referendum, while the conservative pro-business group Fiscal Alliance has sued to block the unionization ballot question.

    This isn’t the first time the state’s highest court has considered legal challenges over the state’s employment rights for ride-hailing drivers.

    In 2022, a coalition backed by California-based tech giants Uber, Lyft and DoorDash filed a similar proposal for the November ballot asking voters to decide whether drivers for ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft should continue to be classified as independent contractors.

    But the SJC rejected the move, siding with opponents of the proposal. They filed a lawsuit arguing that it would violate a requirement in the state Constitution that initiative petitions must contain only “related or mutually dependent” subjects.

    Massachusetts has seen the number of ride-hailing trips soar from 39.7 million in 2021 to 60.6 million in 2022 — a more than 52% increase, according to state data.

    There are more than 200,000 approved ride-hailing drivers in the state but it’s not clear if all of those authorized to drive are on the roadways.

    The ride-hailing proposal is one of 10 proposed referenda inching toward the November ballot, a record number that includes competing versions of the same questions.

    Under the state constitution, the Legislature is required to consider the initiative petitions before backers of the referendums must conduct another round of signature gathering. Lawmakers have until April 30 to vote on the proposals.

    Other ballot questions would ask voters to authorize an audit of the state Legislature; update the state’s voter laws to require photo IDs to cast ballots in elections; and legalize psychedelic mushrooms for adults 21 and older for “therapeutic” purposes.

    If lawmakers don’t take up the measures, backers of the referendums must gather another 12,429 signatures by a July 3 deadline to make the ballot.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • Healey unveils new workforce agenda

    Healey unveils new workforce agenda

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    BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey is renewing a push to ease the state’s post-pandemic workforce crunch with a new plan to attract and retain workers for health care, education and other key industries struggling to fill vacancies.

    On Monday, Healey unveiled a new five-year workforce development plan – which her administration has submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor and Department of Education for approval – that will serve as a “roadmap” for boosting the beleaguered workforce and improving the state’s economy.

    “Our goal is to have the most competitive economy in the world – one that solves the world’s greatest challenges and problems while providing opportunities for all of our residents,” Healey said in remarks Monday. “We must also set the goal of having the best workforce. We have the people, the leaders and the talent.”

    To do that, Healey said the plan focuses on tapping the state’s “under-served” workforce, including low-skilled workers, minorities and new immigrants with work authorization, with expanded recruitment, training and retention programs.

    “By helping them, we can also meet the needs of employers large and small in industries statewide,” she said. “And in everything we do, we’re going to measure the results – to make sure this work has a real impact in our state.”

    A key plank of the plan calls for a new “stipend initiative” for low-income workers to “incentivize enrollment, completion and employment and reduce barriers to training and employment.” It wasn’t clear how much the plan would cost.

    Lauren Jones, the state’s  labor and workforce development secretary, said the plan includes strategies to close the skills gap “and bring discouraged and disconnected people far too often left on the sidelines back into the labor market to build a robust talent pool for employers.”

    A recent survey of private employers by the National Federation of Independent Businesses found that 37% of small-business owners in Massachusetts had job openings they could not fill in February, while 35% have raised pay to lure workers back into the labor force and fill open positions.

    Business leaders say the reasons behind the worker shortage are complicated, but it has long-term implications in hard-hit industries such as health care and early education.

    Many suggest the dynamic is more of a churn in the labor force as the pool of available workers looks for advancement and higher-paying jobs.

    Some workers are permanently leaving the labor force, and others are moving between positions to receive better pay, benefits and other hiring perks.

    For employers, the hiring crunch means having to provide more incentives such as signing bonuses and competitive pay to attract new candidates.

    In Massachusetts, the rising wages come as Beacon Hill lawmakers weigh a controversial proposal to increase the state’s minimum wage from $15 to $20 per hour, which business leaders strongly oppose.

    Massachusetts has one of the highest state minimum wages in the nation, which rose to $15 per hour in January under a 2018 “grand bargain” agreement between lawmakers, worker advocates and the business community. The wage has increased nearly every year since 2014, when it was $8 an hour.

    Backers of higher wages say workers are still struggling to make ends meet in Massachusetts, where the overall cost of living remains higher than many other states in the Northeast.

    But the state’s business community says additional wage increases will put the squeeze on employers, prompting belt-tightening, layoffs and ultimately higher prices for consumers.

    A recent NFIB report estimated that raising the state’s wage floor to $20 per hour would cost 23,000 jobs – or 0.5% of the state’s employment base – many of them among small businesses.

    “Labor, health care, and energy costs all continue to rise for small businesses, so lawmakers on Beacon Hill must do no harm and not exacerbate the state’s affordability problem by making it even more expensive to operate a Main Street business,” said Chris Carlozzi, NFIB’s Massachusetts state director.

    “Unfortunately, Massachusetts lawmakers continue to offer proposals that would raise costs for small businesses and working families and impose burdensome mandates.”

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • Senate approves bill to expand early education

    Senate approves bill to expand early education

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    BOSTON — The state Senate has approved a plan aimed at expanding access to child care and early education for parents while attracting and retaining new workers to ease persistent labor shortages in the industry.

    The measure, which was unanimously approved on Thursday, calls for boosting financial assistance for families seeking child care, establishing new funding for child care providers and higher pay and benefits for early educators.

    Backers of the plan said the changes are needed to help lower the cost of child care and early education programs with parents paying as much as 20% to 40% of their household incomes on child care, often making it their second-highest expense after housing costs.

    “Besides the high costs, families also face other barriers including a lack of available slots at their preferred providers, the hours of available care, transportation challenges and more,” Jason Lewis, D-Winchester, a primary sponsor of the bill, said in remarks on Thursday. “All this hurts families’ economic well-being.”

    It’s not clear how much the changes, if implemented, would cost and the bill doesn’t include additional funds.

    Senate leaders note that $1.5 billion is already earmarked for early education and care in the current state budget, but that new funding will be dependent on future budgets.

    Lewis said the “substantial” price tag for the plan is “justified” given the money that many families, businesses and the state are losing as a result of the spiraling early education costs.

    “The status quo is already costing us a lot of money,” he said. “We have already demonstrated that we can indeed prioritize investments in early education and child care and follow through on those commitments.”

    Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, said it’s critical that the state take steps to improve the affordability of early education and child care in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the rising cost of early education has major implications for the state’s post-pandemic economy.

    “It is an essential part of the fabric of our state,” Tarr said in remarks. “If we do not act, it will continue to be in serious jeopardy. We cannot allow that to happen.”

    A key plank of the proposal calls for expanding eligibility for subsidized child care by raising the income level to qualify for state-backed programs.

    The current threshold is 50% of state median income for a family of four — which is about $73,000. The plan calls for “gradually” increasing that level to 85% of state median income, or $124,000 for a four-member family.

    “That means we will be opening up access to assistance to not just low-income families, but middle income families,” Lewis said in remarks.

    It would also make state funding for the Commonwealth Cares for Children program, which has provided grants to nearly 7,500 child care providers since 2021, a permanent line item in the annual state budget. Other policy changes include setting new patient-staff ratios.

    During Thursday’s debate, Tarr sought to add safeguards on spending to the bill after raising concerns about the costs and how the state will pay for it going forward.

    “Lest we make a promise that can’t be fulfilled,” Tarr said. “My concern is that making sure that … we can say with confidence that the initiatives that are proposed here are things we can afford and sustain.”

    Many child care centers are financially strained and advocates say low compensation and the rising costs of caring for children are putting some providers out of business.

    Meanwhile, care providers are struggling to retain workers in an industry where the pay is traditionally low and the risk of getting sick is now elevated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, advocates say.

    The average cost of child care is more than $20,000 a year in Massachusetts, the most expensive state in the nation, only behind Washington, D.C., and well above the national average of $15,888, according to a recent report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

    Working families are losing an estimated $1.7 billion a year in wages from not being able to show up for work because they can’t find or afford child care services, the report noted.

    Meanwhile, employers are losing an estimated $812 million a year in productivity and worker turnover because of the shortage of child care options, according to the report, while the state government is missing out on $188 million a year in tax revenue.

    Compounding the lack of options are changes in the workforce and other factors that have seen fewer people looking to work in the child care industry.

    Gov. Maura Healey has made expanding child care options for parents a key plank of her agenda in her first term, tying the issue to a broader effort to make the state more affordable.

    Earlier this year, the state Board of Early Education and Care recently approved a plan to tap into $65 million from this year’s budget to reimburse child care providers that serve families receiving financial assistance, including a 5.5% cost of living adjustment for providers to help offset increased operating costs.

    The Senate bill must be approved by the House of Representative before heading to Healey’s desk for consideration.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • Senate approves bill to expand early education

    Senate approves bill to expand early education

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    BOSTON — The state Senate has approved a plan aimed at expanding access to child care and early education for parents while attracting and retaining new workers to ease persistent labor shortages in the industry.

    The measure, which was unanimously approved Thursday, calls for boosting financial assistance for families seeking child care, establishing new funding for child care providers, and higher pay and benefits for early educators.

    Backers of the plan said the changes are needed to help lower the cost of child care and early education programs with parents paying as much as 20% to 40% of their household incomes on child care, often making it their second-highest expense after housing costs.

    “Besides the high costs, families also face other barriers, including a lack of available slots at their preferred providers, the hours of available care, transportation challenges and more,” Jason Lewis, D-Winchester, a primary sponsor of the bill, said in remarks Thursday. “All this hurts families’ economic well-being.”

    It’s not clear how much the changes, if implemented, would cost and the bill does not include additional funding.

    Senate leaders note that $1.5 billion is already earmarked for early education and care in the current state budget, but that new funding will be dependent on future budgets.

    Lewis said the “substantial” price tag for the plan is “justified” given the money that many families, businesses and the state are losing as a result of the spiraling early education costs.

    “The status quo is already costing us a lot of money,” he said. “We have already demonstrated that we can indeed prioritize investments in early education and child care and follow through on those commitments.”

    Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, said it’s critical that the state take steps to improve the affordability of early education and child care in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the rising cost of early education has major implications for the state’s post-pandemic economy.

    “It is an essential part of the fabric of our state,” Tarr said in remarks. “If we do not act, it will continue to be in serious jeopardy. We cannot allow that to happen.”

    A key plank of the proposal calls for expanding eligibility for subsidized child care by raising the income level to qualify for state-backed programs.

    The current threshold is 50% of state median income for a family of four – which is about $73,000. The plan calls for “gradually” increasing that level to 85% of state median income, or $124,000 for a four-member family.

    “That means we will be opening up access to assistance to not just low-income families, but middle-income families,” Lewis said in remarks.

    It would also make state funding for the Commonwealth Cares for Children program, which has provided grants to nearly 7,500 child care providers since 2021, a permanent line item in the annual state budget. Other policy changes include setting new patient-staff ratios.

    During the debate Thursday, Tarr sought to add safeguards on spending to the bill after raising concerns about the costs and how the state would pay for it going forward.

    “Lest we make a promise that can’t be fulfilled,” Tarr said. “My concern is that making sure that … we can say with confidence that the initiatives that are proposed here are things we can afford and sustain.”

    Many child care centers are financially strained and advocates say low compensation and the rising costs of caring for children are putting some providers out of business.

    Meanwhile, care providers are struggling to retain workers in an industry where the pay is traditionally low and the risk of getting sick is now elevated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, advocates say.

    The average cost of child care is more than $20,000 a year in Massachusetts, the most expensive state in the nation, only behind Washington, D.C., and well above the national average of $15,888, according to a recent report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

    Working families are losing an estimated $1.7 billion a year in wages from not being able to show up for work because they cannot find or afford child care services, the report noted.

    Meanwhile, employers are losing an estimated $812 million a year in productivity and worker turnover because of the shortage of child care options, according to the report, while the state government is missing out on $188 million a year in tax revenue.

    Compounding the lack of options are changes in the workforce and other factors that have seen fewer people looking to work in the child care industry.

    Gov. Maura Healey has made expanding child care options for parents a key plank of her agenda in her first term, tying the issue to a broader effort to make the state more affordable.

    Earlier this year, the state Board of Early Education and Care recently approved a plan to tap into $65 million from this year’s budget to reimburse child care providers that serve families receiving financial assistance, including a 5.5% cost-of-living adjustment for providers to help offset increased operating costs.

    The Senate bill must be approved by the House of Representative before heading to Healey’s desk for consideration.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • SENIOR LOOKOUT: Meals on Wheels delivers more than food

    SENIOR LOOKOUT: Meals on Wheels delivers more than food

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    Hunger is a very real problem in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported in October that 12.8% of all U.S. households — 17 million — were “food insecure” in 2022. Food insecure is defined as uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of all the members of a household because of insufficient money or other resources for food.

    In 2023, The Open Door food pantry, serving Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester, Essex, Ipswich, Rowley, Topsfield, Boxford, Hamilton, and Wenham, provided more than 1.98 million pounds of food to 9,836 individuals. Beverly Bootstraps food pantry distributed more than 613 thousand pounds of food to nearly 4,884 individuals. These numbers do not include smaller food pantries throughout the towns of the North Shore or the other many food assistance programs in action. In the past few years, the need for food pantry services has increased significantly.

    One very successful program for food assistance is the Meals on Wheels home-delivered meals program for home-bound elders. In 2023, SeniorCare delivered 192,000 meals via our Meals on Wheels home-delivered meals program and our community dining rooms.

    Meals on Wheels began in the United Kingdom during the World War II “Blitz.” As the number of homeless people grew due to bombing, the Women’s Volunteer Service for Civil Defense began preparing and delivering meals — sometimes using old baby carriages to transport the food. This idea was adapted after the war to help elderly people who were having difficulties preparing their own food.

    The first home-delivered meal program in the United States began in January 1954 in Philadelphia. Since then, Meals on Wheels has grown to be a nationwide program, feeding approximately 2.4 million elders annually.

    Meals on Wheels is not just a nutrition program. In addition to lunch, the Meals on Wheels driver brings companionship and a watchful eye on the health and safety of our seniors. Some lunch recipients tell us that their driver is the only person they see on most days.

    In a survey of Meals on Wheels participants and their caregivers, SeniorCare received the following remarks.

    “By having Meals on Wheels, I have more money to pay for my medications.”

    “This is my only home-cooked meal.”

    “Helps me stretch my food stamps each month.”

    “It’s nice to have someone visit daily.”

    “It’s always nice to see a friendly face.”

    “As a caregiver, it gives me peace of mind while I’m working.”

    “Sometimes the driver is the only one I talk to all day.”

    “As a caregiver, it helps to know someone stops by every day to check.”

    “I always look forward to a visit and a meal.”

    “Gives me at least one meal per day.”

    “Seeing another person breaks up the monotony of a long, lonely day.”

    The Meals on Wheels nationwide program is being recognized with #savelunch awareness campaign during March.

    Local government officials and business and community leaders are invited to ride along with a Meals on Wheels driver to learn more about this important program.

    Yesterday, Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga joined with a volunteer Meals on Wheels driver to deliver meals to local seniors and hear their stories. Representative Kristin Kassner is scheduled to deliver meals in Ipswich next week and other members of our legislative team are likely to participate.

    For more information about SeniorCare’s Meals on Wheels or Community Dining nutrition programs, please visit our website at www.seniorcareinc.org or call 978-281-1750 and ask to speak with the Nutrition Department.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

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    Senior Lookout | Tracy Arabian

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  • Russia divestment promises largely unfulfilled

    Russia divestment promises largely unfulfilled

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    BOSTON — Nearly two years after Massachusetts moved to strip the state’s retirement fund of Russian-tied stocks and other holdings in response to its war in Ukraine, that pledge remains largely unfulfilled.

    Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, state lawmakers approved a $1.6 billion bipartisan supplemental spending bill that called for divesting the state’s pension fund of an estimated $140 million in investments tied to the country. Then-Gov. Charlie Baker signed the bill, as well as an executive order directing executive branch agencies to conduct a review of state contracts to determine if there are any ties to Russian businesses that could be severed.

    Baker’s directive also called on independent agencies, public colleges and universities, and other constitutional offices to adopt similar policies.

    At the time, state leaders touted the move to pull out those investments was a small, but meaningful, way of expressing outrage over the unprovoked war, and showing solidarity with the Ukrainian people’s fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    But nearly two years after the much publicized move, little has changed. The state’s pension fund still has an estimated $140 million in investments tied to Russia, according to Treasurer Deb Goldberg, whose office oversees the retirement system.

    In a recent report to House and Senate clerks, the Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management said the pension fund still has millions of shares tied to Russian entities in its investment portfolio.

    “With markets at PRIM’s investment managers’ disposal being suspended from trading in the Russian securities and markets, our investment managers have been unable to liquidate out of the majority of positions,” PRIM’s executive director and chief investment officer Michael G. Trotsky wrote in the report. “They continue to monitor the situation.”

    The data shows retirement fund managers have been able to divest more than 1 million shares in Russian investments since July 2022, including shares in Sberbank PJSC, Russia’s largest bank, and retail giant Magnit.

    State pension officials said the remaining shares tied to restricted Russian assets are essentially worthless as of Dec. 31, with a market value of zero.

    The PRIM reports also said investment managers with indirect holdings of restricted securities “have not removed restricted companies from their funds nor have these managers created similar actively managed funds which exclude these restricted securities.”

    But Massachusetts isn’t alone. Other states that took steps in 2022 to have their public employee pension funds divest their holdings from Russian stocks or cease any new investments into those entities have also made little progress to fulfill those pledges, according to pension fund groups.

    Pension fund experts say the global reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago cut off much of its economy from the rest of the world.

    But that has made it nearly impossible to move ahead with pledges of divestment by state retirement systems, university endowments and other public-sector holdings — as well as private investments like those in 401(k) accounts.

    Alex Brown, research manager at the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, said while many pension funds want to get out of Russian investments, it’s just not realistic to sell in the current environment.

    “The point wasn’t to engage in a fire sale of these assets, but rather to systematically identify opportunities to sell their Russian holdings in the most prudent manner,” he said. “It has to be a practical time to sell, but you also want to do it prudently.”

    Brown noted that collectively Russian investments account for only a “tiny fraction” of the more than $5 trillion value of state and local retirement funds. Much of the money was invested in Russian government bonds, oil and coal companies as part of emerging-markets index funds, experts say.

    Political observers also note that many investments in Russia purchased before the war are now almost worthless or substantially depreciated in value. That’s raised questions about whether divesting those funds is even necessary.

    Meanwhile, the Kremlin has also rewritten rules governing foreign ownership of Russian company shares in response to U.S. sanctions, which analysts say has triggered confusion among investors and increased their risks of heavy losses from holdings now stranded in the country.

    The Biden administration imposed a fresh slate of sanctions on more than 500 targets on Friday — the largest to date — in response to the death of opposition figure Alexey Navalny and on the eve of Russia’s two-year war in Ukraine.

    The United States and its allies have imposed sanctions on thousands of Russian targets in the past two years.

    “Two years ago, he tried to wipe Ukraine off the map,” Biden said in a statement. “If Putin does not pay the price for his death and destruction, he will keep going.”

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • Wellspring celebrates Black History Month with open house

    Wellspring celebrates Black History Month with open house

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    GLOUCESTER — Long before the abolishment of slavery in the United States, a Black man bought himself freedom and his son would buy the home and land on Essex Avenue that is now home to Wellspring, a nonprofit that seeks to prevent homelessness, provide job training and adult education.

    In honor of Black History Month, Wellspring will open its doors at 302 Essex Ave. for free tours on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon when visitors can learn more about the generations of the Freeman family in the “History Lives Here” exhibit. Docent-led tours of the exhibit will run every 15 minutes. The event also features family activities.

    The exhibit tells the story of the Freemans, a prominent West Gloucester family who for more than 100 years owned and lived in the historic home that is Wellspring’s headquarters. It was created from historical research, made possible through grants from Wellspring’s funding partners, Mass Humanities, Essex Heritage and Gloucester 400+.

    Melissa Dimond, president and executive director of Wellspring House, said the organization is honored to share these stories with the community through the exhibit.

    “Through meticulous research of public archives, the Wellspring team and our partners unveiled the remarkable journey of Robert Freeman, son of the once-enslaved Robin Freeman, who came to own the historic residence at 302 Essex Avenue in 1826,” she said. “These stories, though not widely known, reside within accessible public records, underscoring that history is not concealed but waiting to be discovered.”

    Robin Freeman, born in 1731, was enslaved to Capt. Charles Byles, a mariner whose property was located in Gloucester, near the current Wellspring House, according to the history uncovered by the Wellspring team.

    “By 1769, Robin Freeman paid Byles to free himself from slavery. Robin’s son, Robert, followed in his father’s footsteps, successfully farming and becoming the largest landowner in Kettle Cove, Magnolia, a section of Gloucester, when he purchased 100 acres in 1803 to create Robbin’s Farm.

    By 1826, Robert was able to purchase the house and land where Wellspring’s headquarters stands today. He and his wife, Rhoda, raised four children in the house which remained in the family for three generations. It is a remarkable story of Black American accomplishment on Cape Ann which was recently celebrated as part of the Gloucester 400+ anniversary celebration,” according to the research statement compiled by the Wellspring team.

    Wellspring House, founded in 1981, opened the exhibit in June.

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    gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com

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  • Plan to unionize for-hire drivers challenged

    Plan to unionize for-hire drivers challenged

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    BOSTON — A conservative pro-business group is challenging the constitutionality of a proposed ballot question that would authorize drivers for Uber, Lyft and other for-hire drivers to unionize and bargain collectively for higher wages and benefits.

    The Fiscal Alliance Foundation filed the legal challenge with the Supreme Judicial Court last week, arguing that Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office erred when it certified the referendum for the Nov. 5 elections after a legal review.

    “If allowed to move forward in its current form, this question would eliminate the ability for many independent contractors to be their own boss, raise prices for riders, and would likely result in a lengthy legal battle for years to come due to the proposal’s poorly worded provision that preempts federal and state labor law,” Fiscal Alliance spokesman Paul Craney said in a statement.

    The group, which is affiliated with the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, argues that the ballot question violates a requirement in the state constitution that initiative petitions must contain only “related or mutually dependent” subjects, among other claims.

    The ballot initiative would ask voters to require drivers to be paid minimum wage, receive paid sick time, unemployment insurance, discrimination protection and collective bargaining rights.

    Meanwhile, the SJC is also weighing a challenge from labor union leaders over the constitutionality of ballot questions that would enshrine Uber, Lyft and other for-hire drivers and delivery people as independent contractors in the state.

    That referendum, filed in August by a group whose contributors include Uber, Lyft and DoorDash, would ask voters to allow the companies to classify drivers as independent contractors rather than employees entitled to benefits.

    Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other ride-hailing companies argue that their drivers prefer the flexibility of working as independent contractors, not employees. They cite surveys of drivers saying they prefer the flexibility of contractual work.

    The plan, if approved, would set an earnings floor equal to 120% of the state’s minimum wage for the drivers — $18 an hour in 2023 before tips. Drivers would also be eligible for health care stipends, injury insurance and paid sick time, the companies say.

    But labor unions argue that the ballot question is a veiled attempt by the companies to skirt state taxes, labor laws, better wages and benefits.

    This isn’t the first time the state’s highest court has considered a legal challenge over employment rights for ride-hailing drivers.

    In 2022, a coalition backed by California-based tech giants Uber, Lyft and DoorDash filed a proposal for the November ballot asking voters to decide whether drivers for ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft should continue to be classified as independent contractors.

    But the Supreme Judicial Court rejected the move, siding with opponents of the proposal. They filed a lawsuit arguing that it would violate a requirement in the state Constitution that initiative petitions must contain only “related or mutually dependent” subjects.

    Massachusetts has seen the number of ride-hailing trips soar from 39.7 million in 2021 to 60.6 million in 2022 — a more than 52% increase, according to state data.

    There are more than 200,000 approved ride-hailing drivers in the state but it’s not clear if all of those authorized to drive are on the roadways.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • AgeSpan to serve more communities

    AgeSpan to serve more communities

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    LAWRENCE — AgeSpan, formerly Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley, has been awarded contracts by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs to provide supportive services at Old and New Farrell Court in Marblehead and Trestle Way in Georgetown. The three properties have a combined 238 units.

    Supportive Housing offers adults age 60 and older and people with disabilities a range of services so they can remain independent. Each location will have a dedicated AgeSpan Resident Service Coordinator, along with 24/7 emergency coverage through a contracted vendor.

    “These supportive services are vital to enhancing the quality of life for residents and providing access to programs and benefits that empower them to remain as independent and self-sufficient in their homes for as long as possible, “ said AgeSpan CEO Joan Hatem-Roy.

    Resident service coordinators are available on-site to help residents access community resources such as home care or personal care homemakers and Medicare counseling; plan social, health and wellness activities for residents; and arrange congregate meals.

    They also help to foster stability and a sense of community at each property and serve a vital link between the tenants and the housing authority.

    There is no cost to residents for these services. AgeSpan has Resident Service Coordinators at 13 other senior housing sites across the Merrimack Valley and North Shore.

    To learn more visit agespan.org/solutions/housing-support/ or call 800-892-0890.

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    By News Staff

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  • Plan to expand child care subsidies advances

    Plan to expand child care subsidies advances

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    BOSTON — State lawmakers are making another push to approve a plan expanding access to child care options for parents while attracting and retaining new workers to ease chronic staffing shortages in the industry.

    The proposal, approved by the Legislature’s Education Committee last week, would expand financial assistance for families seeking child care, establish new funding for child care providers, and boost pay and benefits for early educators.

    Senate President Karen Spilka, who has made early education and care a top priority for her two-year term as the chamber’s leader, said passage of the bill would expand access to affordable child care for parents across the state “by supporting families, providers and educators.”

    “Our state’s families face child care bills that are higher than the cost of in-state college tuition, and that are often so high that they force one parent to drop out of the workforce,” the Ashland Democrat said in a statement. “If we are serious about solving our labor shortage, supporting families, and getting new parents back into the workforce, we must act to lower the cost of child care.”

    A key plank of the proposal calls for expanding eligibility for subsidized child care by raising the income level to qualify for state-backed programs.

    The current threshold is 50% of state median income for a family of four – which is about $55,000 annually for a family of four. The plan calls for “gradually” increasing that level to 85% of state median income, or $93,662 for a four-member family.

    The Common Start coalition, which includes labor unions, business and advocacy groups, praised the bill’s progress and said its final passage would make the state “significantly more affordable, greatly improve our economic competitiveness, and dramatically increase racial and gender equity.”

    “This comprehensive early education and child care legislation would provide the specific structure that is needed to deliver affordable care options for families; significantly better pay and benefits for early educators; a permanent, stable source of funding for providers; high-quality programs and services for children; and substantial relief for businesses and our economy,” the group said in a statement.

    Many child care centers are financially strained and advocates say low compensation and the rising costs of caring for children are putting some providers out of business.

    Meanwhile, care providers are struggling to retain workers in an industry where the pay is traditionally low and the risk of becoming sick is now elevated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, advocates say.

    The lack of child care options in Massachusetts is costing families, some of whom are spending 20% to 40% of their annual income on programs.

    The average cost of child care is more than $20,000 a year in Massachusetts, the most expensive state in the nation, only behind Washington, D.C., and well above the national average of $15,888, according to a recent report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

    Working families are losing an estimated $1.7 million a year in lost wages from not being able to show up for work because they cannot find or afford child care services, the report noted.

    Meanwhile, employers are losing an estimated $812 million a year in productivity and worker turnover because of the shortage of child care options, according to the report, while the state government is missing out on $188 million a year in tax revenue.

    Compounding the lack of options are changes in the workforce and other factors that have seen fewer people looking to work in the child care industry.

    Gov. Maura Healey has made expanding child care options for parents a key plank of her agenda in her first term, tying the issue to a broader effort to make the state more affordable.

    Healey’s preliminary budget for the next fiscal year calls for $93 million in new child care spending, as well as an additional $475 million in state grants to continue supporting early education providers

    The state Board of Early Education and Care recently approved a plan to tap into $65 million from this year’s budget to reimburse child care providers that serve families receiving financial assistance, including a 5.5% cost-of-living adjustment for providers to help offset increased operating costs.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • SENIOR LOOKOUT: Consumer Directed Care puts control in elder’s hands

    SENIOR LOOKOUT: Consumer Directed Care puts control in elder’s hands

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    I have an older friend, Fran, who needs assistance in order to continue living in her home. She broke her hip a few years ago and now has difficulty with bathing, housework, and grocery shopping, to name a few of the tasks that we all need to do on a daily basis. Fran’s situation was reviewed by SeniorCare and it was determined that she was eligible for assistive services. Due to the ongoing worker shortage, Fran was put on a waiting list for some of the services for which she was eligible.

    Knowing that Fran needed assistance now, Fran’s care manager at SeniorCare suggested the “Consumer Directed Care” program. Using Consumer Directed Care, Fran chose and hired her own helper — a friend of the family, who was immediately able to start providing Fran with the assistance she needed. In addition, Fran immediately began receiving Meals on Wheels home-delivered meals, received a medical alert device and a care coach virtual companion device, which helps in a myriad of ways, not the least of which is helping Fran feel less isolated from the world. (Learn more about care.coach at www.seniorcareinc.org/care-coach.)

    Consumer Directed Care is available to people who have been assessed and found eligible for a state-funded home care service. The consumer becomes the employer, is allowed to choose his or her home care worker (or workers), set the worker’s schedule, and assign tasks that fit specific needs that may not be allowed with a traditional home care agency, such as assisting with pets, certain cleaning tasks, and assistance with unique medical care as the consumer trains the worker him- or herself in carrying out these tasks.

    A “Fiscal Intermediary” (FI) agency takes care of the payroll, tax withholding, and other accounting tasks that are required of a legal employer. The FI agency is contracted and paid by SeniorCare. The rate of pay for the worker, who submits a weekly timesheet, is determined by state mandates. The consumer is responsible for the hiring, training, scheduling, and — if needed —the termination of the home care worker.

    Consumer Directed Care can be used to cover a portion of or all of the services for which a person is eligible.

    The consumer chooses the own worker, but must follow some basic rules. The worker may be a family member, but may not be the consumer’s spouse. The worker must be:

    Legally authorized to work in the United States and have a social security number.

    Able to pass a CORI screening.

    Able to understand and carry out directions from the consumer.

    Willing to receive training and supervision for all designated tasks.

    Consumer Directed Care is an excellent option for elders wishing to take more control of their care. If the consumer needs assistance with managing the responsibilities of being an employer, a surrogate may be brought into the picture. A surrogate may manage the entire program for the consumer or may assist with specific tasks. The surrogate can be a spouse, friend, neighbor, or family member. The surrogate cannot be the worker.

    For more information about Consumer Directed Care, please call SeniorCare at 978-281-1750 and ask to speak with an Information & Referral Specialist or with your Care Manager if you are already a SeniorCare consumer.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

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    Senior Lookout | Tracy Arabian

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