Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler to speak to Springfield students on free community college, financial aid
Springfield 2023 deadly arson suspect due in court
His visit is part of a month-long 'Road Show' organized by the Healey Administration meant to spread awareness across the state about financial aid.
Tutwiler and a number of state and local officials will be stopping on Monday at Springfield Central High School to talk to students about free community college and to encourage them to apply for federal student aid.
The visit will take place at 1:30 p.m.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
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- CBS News
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08-08-2025
- Yahoo
As EPA cut grants for solar, Gov. Healey urged they remain: ‘Affordability isn't controversial'
Editor's note: This story has been updated to state the Environmental Protection Agency moved to cancel the Solar for All program Thursday afternoon. The Healey administration and the state's U.S. senators urged the Environmental Protection Agency Thursday morning not to cancel a $7 billion grant program intended to place solar with low income households across the nation. It was for naught. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced on social media Thursday afternoon the administration was ending the program because the passage of the budget reconciliation bill in July eliminated its authority to run the program. 'The bottom line is this: EPA no longer has the statutory authority to administer the program or the appropriated funds to keep this boondoggle alive,' Zeldin wrote. 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Axios
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Amid Trump cuts, Mass. leaders pour $20M into English language learning for workers
The Eastern Bank Foundation pledged $10 million to help adult workers learn English and employers fill vacant jobs. Why it matters: The public and private sectors are both investing in immigrant workers — amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and education funding freeze — in hopes of shrinking Massachusetts' workforce gap. Driving the news: Eastern Bank board chair Bob Rivers announced the funding for its "career-focused English proficiency initiative," which will roll out over three years. Rivers' announcement comes as state leaders celebrate the $10 million for English language training included in a recent spending package. The state also plans to offer $2.7 million in workforce grant funding so employers and nonprofits can help workers access English language training and other services. The big picture: Massachusetts' unemployment rate increased to 4.8% in May, with nearly 190,000 jobless workers, and many more are underemployed. The biggest barrier for foreign-born job seekers is English proficiency, officials and business leaders said Tuesday. Eliminating that barrier helps workers fill jobs in health care, finance, manufacturing and other industries. By the numbers: One in 10 workers in Massachusetts speaks limited English, state Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said. State adult education and English language programs serve around 30,000 people. Tutwiler estimates the $10 million in state funding will help up to 5,000 more English language learners. That's in addition to the prospective beneficiaries of the Eastern Bank Foundation initiative. What they're saying: "You are helping create the opportunity to change lives," Tutwiler said of those running English language programs. Context: The announcements come months after the Trump administration cut federal funding to nonprofits that teach adults English. Massachusetts and other states are now suing the Trump administration over frozen K-12 funding, including an estimated $20.5 million for English language learning in the state's K-12 schools. Schools statewide are reviewing their budgets and making adjustments in case the funding doesn't come before September, but Tutwiler said the state will keep fighting for the appropriated funds in court. What's next: The Eastern Bank Foundation plans to open applications and launch an English language learning pilot program later this year, says Eva Milona, a longtime immigrant advocate who served in the Biden administration.
