Latest news with #Tutwiler
Axios
16-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
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.
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.
