Latest news with #WorcesterPublicSchools
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Department of Justice ends 9-year oversight of Worcester schools
The Department of Justice (DOJ) will stop monitoring how Worcester Public Schools (WPS) provides English as a Second Language, the school district announced Monday. In a notification received on April 30 by WPS, the DOJ announced it would end the monitoring of the district, citing that WPS 'substantially complied with its obligations' as outlined in a 2016 legal agreement, according to WPS. For the past nine years, WPS has been overseen by the DOJ over how the district offers English as a Second Language, according to the press release from Worcester Public Schools. In 2016, the district entered an agreement with the federal government to address the concerns about the adequacy of the WPS instruction and services for English Learner students, according to the letter from the DOJ. This agreement was an update to a previous agreement the school signed with the DOJ in 2008. English learners students are classified as students who are learning English or have limited to no proficiency in English, according to the DOJ in the 2016 agreement. WPS had to provide reports to the federal government to demonstrate its efforts to comply with the agreement. 'The Worcester Public Schools has demonstrated that it has strong systems in place to ensure we are effectively providing English as a Second Language instruction for our scholars,' said Dr. Rachel H. Monárrez, superintendent of WPS, in the press release. 'Systems have been enhanced over the past three years specifically to not only provide required instructional services but to monitor them in a systematic and timely manner. I express my deep thanks to the many educators and administrators who have worked tirelessly to ensure our scholars are getting the education for which they are entitled.' In addition to the news that the DOJ would cease its monitoring efforts, WPS announced there were increases in English Learner students who have proven mastery in the language. These students are known as 'former' English Learner students. A total of 10.9% of the student body in the 2024-25 school year are former English Learner students, according to the district — an increase from 9.4% from the 2021-22 school year. The largest increase in students who became former English Learners is those in middle school, increasing from 4.9% to 8.4% in the same period. In total, 32.2% of Worcester's student body are classified as English Learners, while 58.4% are labeled as having English not as their first language, according to the Massachusetts Department of Education. 'Speaking, reading and writing in more than one language is an asset to be celebrated,' Monárrez said. 'When children move on from English learner status, by demonstrating proficiency in English, they have access to more opportunities and courses while possessing the gift of multilingualism. This is a benefit to our scholars, community and future workforce advancement.' Worcester man who killed and burned woman on rooftop asks for parole 'She made the world better': Funeral held for Molly McGovern, Rep. McGovern's daughter When children get evicted, they lose homes, health, chance at education and a future Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mayor: Worcester schools threatened by 'heartbreaking' Trump bid to kill Education Department
WORCESTER ― Taking the floor at the end of a School Committee meeting Thursday, Mayor Joseph Petty addressed recent budget cuts and uncertainty coming from Washington and the Trump administration. "We know one thing for certain," Petty said, "we have some hurdles in education at the federal level." Petty spoke just hours after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. Trump promised during his campaign to close the department, and that has long been a goal of some conservative politicians. More: President Trump signs order aimed at dismantling the Department of Education It remains unclear how Trump's executive order will end up functioning. The Department of Education, which handles numerous tasks from providing funding to local districts to handling student loan programs, was created during the Carter administration and legally cannot be dissolved except by an act of Congress. However, the administration has already taken actions that would hamper the effectiveness of the department, with a combination of layoffs and buyouts reducing the staff of the department from approximately 4,000 employees to 2,000 since Trump took office. The White House has said that the department has failed to improve educational outcomes; it has touted the idea of ceding authority to states, while transferring some essential functions to other federal agencies. Petty said that Worcester Public Schools receive about $50 million from the federal government each year that goes into the district's annual budget. That funding is used for a wide range of different purposes across the district, including subsidizing school lunches and funding the Head Start program, which provides preschool education to hundreds of students each year. "It's a serious amount of money, not just in Worcester, but anywhere," Petty said. "What is being said at the federal level is heartbreaking, it is upsetting. You spend your time in the community trying to make people feel safe in the community. I spent my time today speaking with congressmen – listening to people and how scared, and how much fear there is." Petty said that about $180,000 has already been cut from Worcester's federal funding, as part of a reduction in an aid program that subsidized school lunches for low-income families. "We are going to have to deal with this going forward as a community," Petty said. "This is not the time to stand down. The sad thing is that people are afraid of saying something because they are going to become a target. I think I'm beyond that now – we are a target for what we do and what we say, for all these issues, whether they be immigration, economic development funding, education department funding." "(Chief Financial Officer for Worcester Public Schools) Brian Allen needs to spend every day trying to find out where the next cut is going to come from," Petty said. "We are not being proactive, we are reactive, and I think we need to become more proactive as a community." More: Vote on LGBTQ+ resolution prompts heated exchange in Worcester School Committee Petty requested a report from the School Department on the potential impacts a loss of federal funding would have on the district. Petty noted that he had a similar report done on the municipal side, which found little risk, but added that the school side is more vulnerable. "We know everyone in the schools – the teachers and the administrators – are doing a great job," Petty said. "We need to let our students know that they are going to be safe." This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Mayor Petty: 'Heartbreaking' federal moves imperil Worcester schools
Boston Globe
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Worcester comedian and elementary school janitor Jimmy Cash makes his Wilbur debut Thursday
'This is definitely my biggest show,' Cash, 41, says. 'I feel ready.' Cash has worked some two decades as a janitor for Worcester Public Schools and is now head custodian at an elementary school there. ('It's kind of like being a doctor: You put in years of doing rounds, then you become a doctor-janitor, which is what I am now,' he deadpans.) The ' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up He's also been moonlighting as a stand-up for nine years — and became a TikTok star in 2020, amassing more than 700,000 followers to date; his bits have more than 34 million likes. Advertisement Often donning an industrial brown paper towel scarf, Cash is known for his school-themed skits, including teacher's lounge sketches, lunch reviews, and his bread and butter: funny takes on janitorial life, and self-deprecating jokes. Saturday, for example, filming in front of a Dumpster, He has also found a niche gig as Worcester Public School's social media 'Storm Team 2 here,' he announced Feb. 5, wearing his signature paper towel scarf. 'We got a snow day! We don't know whether it's Pat seeing his shadow, or all the teacher manifestations, but dreams do come true.' Cash is a nickname-turned-stage name. He doesn't reveal his school for privacy reasons. We talked by phone about playing a Fenway groundskeeper, his TV pilot pitch, TikTok, and more. Q: You grew up in Worcester. Did you love comedy as a kid? Advertisement A: I always loved performing for my family — imitating musicians, doing impressions. I thought I'd maybe be a sketch actor. I ended up having a kid really young, and had to scramble to get a job. I took the test to become a custodian for the city when I was 19. My dad was a janitor so that was in my blood, too. Q: Did you start at this school? A: I actually started at my rival high school. Kids used to think I was another student. They tried to start fights with me, made fun of me for sweeping the stairs. They thought I was being a suck-up to the teachers. Q: Classic. How did working in a school influence your comedy? A: As my daughter got older, I was like, 'Man, I still really want to pursue something.' I started going to open-mics. They say talk about what you know— all I knew was being a janitor. Then my daughter told me I should get on TikTok. I started playing around with characters around 2020, just for fun. All while I was doing stand-up. Q: When did you blow up on TikTok? A: Right away in 2020. But it wasn't a complete life-changer. Then I slowly started to headline. I sold out shows at Laugh Boston last year. I do private shows for school departments. Still not steady enough for full-time. But I'm kind of married to the janitor life. Q: Would a TikTok ban affect you at all? A: I don't even care anymore about it. It's helped me out a lot. But Instagram does the job. Q: You said your dad died when you were 9. Was comedy a solace for you in childhood? Advertisement A: Absolutely. I was bounced around, kind of a rocky childhood. I think maybe that's why some of the wanting attention on stage comes from. I got sober when I was 19. Some of that's in my act, too. Q: Were you a funny kid? A: I don't think I was 'the funny one' — maybe a pain in the butt. I'd get in trouble in class, get my desk moved to the back of the classroom. My grandmother was a secretary in my elementary school. If she walked down the hall, she'd see my desk and shake her finger at me. I'd be like, 'Oh, no. She knows.' Q: You mentioned 'SNL.' What else influenced you as a kid? A: I saw 'Billy Madison' in the theater on my birthday in '94. I wanted to live in one of those movies. It was an escape. I was a big fan of Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, David Spade, The Jerky Boys. As I got older, I loved Bill Burr, Chris Rock. Q: What will strike you for a character? A: Some The first time I did that sketch, my idea was to just play one teacher. Then I thought: What if I played multiple teachers? I always feel completely insane when I'm filming it. Q: You've also got A: Yeah! So I constantly throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks. Storm Team 2 was just ridiculous. Because people always ask the custodian about the weather: 'What do you think? What do you think's gonna happen?' What do I think? I don't know. Next thing I know, I'm announcing snow cancellations for Worcester Public Schools [on social media]. So you never know what's gonna catch on. Advertisement Q: You also do school A: How could you not talk about the cuisine they serve? Today was beans and franks. I haven't been in the mood to review it. I have to have quite the hunger. Q: What are your personal favorite clips? A: I personally love the teachers lounge because I detach from myself completely when I do those. So I sometimes watch those back and I say, 'Wow, that's a masterpiece.' Q: You also play a A: For Plymouth Rock Insurance's ' Also, I've been working on a pilot to pitch for a TV show. We'll see what happens. Q: What's that about? A: It's based on my life—the early days of being a janitor, life struggles. It's more of a dramedy. Q: Anything you want to add? A: Just know I'll be coming out with a line of my own paper towel scarves soon. Interview has been edited and condensed. Lauren Daley can be reached at
