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Opportunities for city in education budget
Republican, Op-ed by Domenic Sarno & Teresa Regina, March 23, 2008

Education and public safety are the two keys to building the Springfield we want. While there are many good things to be said about individual schools and teachers and administrators, we need to revolutionize education in our city if we want to help all children reach their dreams and, thereby, collectively help Springfield reach its aspirations. We must create a culture of excellence, collaboration, and collegiality that involves and energizes all who participate in the education of our children. We aim to eliminate the achievement gap, raise graduation rates and ensure that every Springfield student be prepared for higher education or work.

To do so, Springfield will need help from everyone, and no partner is more critical than the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Last fall, Gov. Deval L. Patrick and his team pledged to work closely with Springfield through The Springfield Partnership to ensure teamwork and progress. Now, an initial review of the governor's proposed budget for fiscal 2009, filed as House Bill 2, shows a first down payment on that pledge through a major commitment to expanding overall funding for preK-12 education and through some innovative approaches that can serve as catalysts for our city to accelerate achievement. We encourage the Legislature to keep these exciting innovation components while fully funding Chapter 70. We will do our part, working with the School Committee and all others involved, being ready to jump on these opportunities for the good of Springfield.

An area of great promise is universal pre-K. Dozens of studies show that many children of low-income families arrive at our schools already well behind their more-advantaged peers and that the persistent achievement gap starts even before school begins. While other states have already plunged ahead on programs to make pre-K early education available to all, Massachusetts has moved more slowly but also quite carefully. The governor's budget triples spending on pilot programs, and this year it includes a proposal to help some communities begin the community-wide transition to universal pre-K. Springfield needs this as much or more than any place. Because of work led by the Davis Foundation, plans have begun. We support the governor's proposal and intend to make Springfield the pioneer in ensuring all children gain the academic and social skills that high-quality early education deliver. It will reduce costs and increase success for the Springfield Public Schools.

The governor's proposed budget also includes a doubling of state funding for the Expanded Learning Time Initiative (ELT). This program, launched three years ago by the Legislature and now strongly supported by the governor as well, allows schools with strong plans to add about two hours per day to the schedule of all students at qualifying schools. The state fully funds the costs for every student added to the ELT schedule. The added time allows schools to significantly improve the job they do on core academics of English, math and science and also provide a more well-rounded education with children gaining exposure to arts, music, drama and sports every day. So far, 18 schools in 8 districts across the state, including one in Chicopee and two in Greenfield, have converted, and early results are very encouraging.

Students in the ten schools that converted to expanded learning time schedules in the school year 2006-2007 showed greater gains on MCAS scores in English, in math and in science than the state as a whole did. And on average, students received more than three hours a week of new enrichment in arts, music, drama and sports. No wonder parents and teachers were delighted and every school chose to continue. Even students expressed strong appreciation for the enrichment and grudging appreciation that they were doing better in academics and getting their questions answered. There are now dozens of schools across the state in line to join the program.

The governor's budget would allow a doubling of the program so that nearly 20,000 students statewide would receive the benefits. Springfield should get to work on strong plans for at least some of our schools to try this promising new approach as soon as possible. Without support for expanded learning time, Springfield will continue to experience the reduction or elimination of enrichment programs and the ineffective delivery of all academic courses. With this support, enrichment can include collaboration with Springfield's museums, libraries, colleges, arts and cultural resources. The governor's budget also raises the annual support to $1,400 per student per year and provides an exciting new opportunity to develop summer programming that combines academics and enrichment. We support these ideas as part of the revolution needed, and pledge to work to have Springfield become a leader should the Legislature join the governor in creating these opportunities.

Finally, the governor's budget starts the Commonwealth down a path aimed at allowing more students to readily cross the bridge from high school to higher education by restoring $2 million of funding for so-called "dual enrollment" programs where qualified high school students can actually take college classes. Springfield has had past success with this approach and can partner effectively with Springfield Technical Community College, Holyoke Community College and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to allow able students to accelerate their path to college and to work to increase the percentage of students who successfully continue studies beyond high school. Other area colleges and work force readiness organizations want to partner with the Springfield Public Schools in an educational model that supports academic achievement.
All of Springfield's children can and must reach high academic skill levels and develop broadly as human beings for them to succeed in the economy and society of the 21st century. Success in meeting this challenge will serve their interests and our own as Springfield will progress exactly as far as the skills and wills of our people. We encourage the governor and the Legislature to follow through on these exciting new opportunities and to give Springfield the chance to shine.

Domenic J. Sarno is mayor of Springfield, and Teresa E. Regina is chair of the Education Committee Transition Team.

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