Bella English’s excellent story about Belmont’s Burke family and their struggle to raise three lovely daughters who were born with Sanfilippo syndrome, a very rare and fatal degenerative brain disease, put a very human face on the otherwise sterile and bureaucratic machinations on Beacon Hill, where talk of “reductions in services” and “necessary cuts” often mask a more brutal reality. Without help from the State, the caseworkers and educators who help them shoulder the load of caring for three profoundly disabled children will disappear, the lives of families like the Burkes, already hard, will get much harder.
Tag: Education
State’s fiscal freefall could jeopardize local aid
A precipitous drop in State revenues could jeopardize local aid payments and eviscerate funding for social services and education. Suddenly “Read my lips: No new taxes!” doesn’t sound so cool.
The kids are alright: new book argues for less parent supervision
A new book (and blog), Free-Range Kids, tries to explain why we’re so afraid to let our kids go unsupervised and encourages parents to set their kids free.
State approves $12.4m for Wellington
Word on the street is that, after months of back and forth, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve funding for reconstruction of the Wellington Elementary school. Next up: a vote by the town (within 120 days) on a debt exclusion to fund construction.
A shout out for volunteers
Want to be a part of the grass roots? Together for Wellington, the citizen’s group that supports the construction of a new Wellington Elementary School, is looking for volunteers to help us do some canvassing and voter identification both in Prencinct 8 and in other precincts.
Vote for Me for School Committee!
I’ve decided to run for what’s left of Diane Stafford’s three year term on School Committee.
Stand for Children: supporting Belmont’s schools from the grassroots
Going into 2009 Belmont’s schools are facing a tough budget crunch, and this is a great time for Belmont parents and supporters of the schools to get involved….Stand for Children is in the early stages of establishing a Belmont chapter, and we are looking for committed people to join the chapter and make a difference for Belmont kids.
Update: Important meetings on school budgeting start Tuesday
NOTE: The School Committee Meeting has changed locations. It will be held tonight (Tuesday) at 7:30 PM in the Wellington Elementary Music Room, not the Community Room at the Chenery, as indicated on the SC Web site. Those of you…
Opponents: Question 1 would sap $11.2m from Belmont
One of the interesting revelations…is what a vicious spiral we would find ourselves in, were Question 1 to pass. Why? Because so much of the federal aid we receive is contingent on the level of state aid…As we slash programs to try to shrink our budget, we will also watch federal dollars being sucked out of state and back to Washington D.C., leaving Massachusetts poorer and more desperate than ever.
94% of parents opt for full day kindergarten
This is somewhat old news, but given BloggingBelmont’s long running coverage of the push by parents in town for a Full Day Kinergarten program, I thought it was worth calling readers’ attention to a little noticed factoid from a recent BCH article…