Latest news with #Tutwiler
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Massachusetts education secretary to discuss local budgets in Northampton
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – Massachusetts Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler will visit Northampton High School on Tuesday. Students and staff will talk about the challenges their communities are having in finding funding for public education. Students across Hampshire County will have the chance to ask Secretary Tutwiler about funding public schools at the state level.. and air their concerns about their districts. Trump administration cuts $106M in funding for schools in Massachusetts The event is meant to highlight young voices across western Massachusetts as they advocate for education. It comes as students and teachers have rallied across our region, fighting for more funding for schools. In some cities and towns, the issue has been put to a vote with leaders proposing tax increases to fill the gaps. Amidst the federal government's plan to slash public K-12 education funding, some districts are facing deficits of millions of dollars with no other avenues to make up the difference. Massachusetts public schools are funded through a combination of state, local, and federal sources, and Tuesday students will have the chance to ask what exactly that means for their programs here in western Massachusetts. 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 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Holyoke teachers oppose plan to end school receivership
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – Members of the Holyoke Teachers Association are standing up against the state's plan to move Holyoke Public Schools out of state receivership. Whiting Farms Laundromat in Holyoke to celebrate grand opening Members said these walk-ins are an opportunity to voice their disapproval with the release of exit assurances meant to be a pathway out of state receivership. While Secretary Tutwiler says these exit assurances are meant to support this transition from receivership to local control, Holyoke teachers are saying they feel excluded from decision making They're also saying these exit assurances will likely keep Holyoke from improving teacher retention and student performance. 'They're holding all of these things that are preventing us from bargaining including the length of our school day, our calendar, our pay, our professional development, and ultimately it just doesn't allow us as the teachers to advocate for the resources that we need to improve our student outcomes,' said Brandi Bellacicco, teacher at Holyoke Public Schools. Bellcicco adds they hope the state and Holyoke Mayor go back and reverse these exit assurances, so that they can proceed with full bargaining, and advocate for what's best for students. Holyoke Public Schools has been under receivership for 10 years now. They're set to transition out of state receivership on July 1, and these exit assurances will be in place for the next two years. 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 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mass. schools boss: Immigration chill leading to ‘extended absences'
Some Massachusetts schools have reported 'extended absences' for students as a result of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement, according to the state's top education official. On Tuesday, state Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler devoted a portion of his regular report to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to recent clashes between Massachusetts elected officials and the federal government, including on K-12 school funding. Although he did not offer specific data about a rise in students missing school, Tutwiler said some areas have seen a rise in absences amid reported concerns about immigration crackdowns. 'Federal actions around immigration are also a concern for many of our school communities, in some cases, resulting in extended absences for students,' he said. 'We are working with the attorney general's office and the state Office for Refugees and Immigrants to keep districts updated on policy changes that can impact immigrant status.' Read More: Mass. schools boss defies Trump DEI edict: State will 'continue to promote diversity' Some districts, like Lynn, reported significant increases in student absences early in President Donald Trump's second term, according to WBZ-TV in Boston. Sen. Brendan Crighton, D-3rd Essex, spoke Monday about a Lynn high school student who was detained by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement and moved to Maine in January. Though the student was released, Crighton said fear of a similar situation exists throughout the city's schools. Tutwiler also recounted the Trump administration's move to rescind $106 million in federal funding from K-12 schools in Massachusetts, which Attorney General Andrea Campbell challenged in a lawsuit alongside more than a dozen other states. Campbell joined another case last week over the U.S. Department of Education's threat to withhold dollars from state and local agencies over diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in schools. 'We continue to push back against harmful federal funding cuts and policy changes that threaten the stability of our local school districts and well-being of our students and educators and here in Massachusetts,' Tutwiler said. 'We've said this before: We'll stay true to our department's educational vision of all students being known, valued and having the support that they need to succeed,' he said. In a related matter, the majority-Democrat state House on Tuesday shot down a series of Republican-backed attempts to add significant immigration, housing and criminal justice policy changes to the fiscal year 2026 state budget. Read the original article on MassLive.
CBS News
10-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Massachusetts says it will continue DEI in schools: "A strength, not a flaw."
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has reached out to the Trump administration and said the state will continue to adhere to diversity, equity and inclusion in its schools, despite threats to cut federal funding. "Consistent with longstanding federal law, Massachusetts will continue to promote diversity in our schools because we know it improves outcomes for all of our kids, and we have more work to do," Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said in a letter sent to the U.S. Department of Education. In the letter, Tutwiler highlighted the accomplishments of Massachusetts schools, saying the state has the best K-12 schools in the country. He said that DEI is why Massachusetts schools are so strong, calling diversity "a strength, not a flaw." "It is a reason for our success, not a barrier to it," Tutwiler said in the letter. Tutwiler said Massachusetts is already in compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Supreme Court cases that interpret it. The U.S. Department of Education warned state education commissioners last week that federal funding for their K-12 schools may be at risk unless they confirm they're complying with "antidiscrimination obligations," including getting rid of DEI programs. The Trump administration has been cracking down on DEI since taking office, calling the practice discriminatory. "Federal financial assistance is a privilege, not a right," Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement. "When state education commissioners accept federal funds, they agree to abide by federal antidiscrimination requirements." Several other states, including New York , have already said they will not comply with the order. Like Massachusetts, New York's education department said they are already in compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Federal funds are already on the chopping block as the Trump administration plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, leaving educators in Massachusetts concerned. Programs at risk include support for special education and low-income students and Pell Grants.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State ed. officials visit New Bedford High to talk free and more affordable college
NEW BEDFORD – State education officials stopped by New Bedford High School Monday to spread the word about free and affordable college in Massachusetts and 'historic' financial aid opportunities. It's part of a month-long itinerary of visits to high schools, dubbed the 'Higher Education Financial Aid Road Show.' But the presentation by Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler and Higher Education Commissioner Noe Ortega to a roomful of mostly juniors and some seniors seemed a bit like an economics class. Zero, the total money in tuition and fees needed to attend a Massachusetts community college. $400 million, the amount of financial aid available in Massachusetts, up from $179 million over the last two years. $1 million, the higher earning potential over a lifetime for a person with a bachelor's degree vs. someone without one. $2,400, the total available in funds for other needs like books to community college students that includes $1,200 if they qualify for a Pell Grant. Tutwiler noted that attendance at the state's nine state universities – including Bridgewater State University – and the four UMass schools – including UMass Dartmouth – can also be tuition-and-fee free for eligible students. Ortega said if the students have Pell Grant eligibility, they can go tuition-and-fee free and qualify for a $1,200 stipend. If they don't qualify, but parents make less than $100,000 per year, the student could get half off tuition and fees and could also qualify for other financial aid programs. One number they provided Monday was problematic, though: 51%. That's the number of Massachusetts high school graduates who filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid last year. It needs to be completed for a student to tap into the financial aid available. And there was a number that went with that: over 90%. That's the percentage of students who completed their FAFSAs who then went onto college. Ortega handed out one homework assignment to the students at the end of the hour-long program: 'Tell one other person about what you heard today.' Students can learn more about state financial aid by visiting Following the presentation, Tutwiler and Ortega said there were concerns with what's happening at the federal level with education while talking with reporters. Tutwiler said, 'Generally speaking, yes. We remain deeply concerned about all the uncertainty that's been sown with recent decisions, messages, dear colleague letters, executive orders, and so we're absolutely concerned. And we can't quite tell what the future holds. We know in Massachusetts we're doing incredible work to ensure pathways to higher education and we are concerned about the impact if the federal government decides to make a decision that's anti.' Asked if President Trump's promise to dismantle the federal Dept. of Education could affect financial aid in Massachusetts, Tutwiler said, 'Absolutely. Massachusetts receives about $2 billion from the federal government to support a lot of different education initiatives, many of which are designed to support some of our most vulnerable populations. If the federal Dept. of Education is dismantled, we worry deeply about that, and we also worry – really about the top line for the federal Dept. of Education – which is protecting the rights of our most vulnerable populations, students with disabilities, multi-lingual learners.' Ortega added what gave them confidence was 'we continue to remain committed to equity and access and affordability and that commitment is shared by a number of folks. That gives us great confidence of renewed investment, at least at the state level, as we wait to hear more from the federal level.' This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: State education officials laud financial aid, but wary of Trump plans
