SUPPORTING OUR CITIES AND TOWNS

Local Aid Funding:

Town	Local Aid
Reading	$9.3 Million
Melrose	$7.4 Million
Andover	$7.3 Million
North Reading	$6.0 Million
North Andover	$5.4 Million
Wakefield	$4.8 Million
Saugus	$4.1 Million
Lynnfield	$4.0 Million

In terms of local aid, communities in the 9th Essex District get the short end of the stick. How do towns such as Reading and Andover receive upwards near $10 million, but more populous communities like Saugus and Wakefield receive under $5 million?

This is unfair and unjustifiable.  When our communities are cutting personnel and resources at every corner, other smaller communities are receiving in some cases more than double the amount of local aid. Fixing how Massachusetts provides local aid means more money for our schools, our libraries, our senior centers, police and fire, and many other municipal resources and allowing for much needed property tax relief. This inequity has gone unchanged for far too long. As your Representative I will make it a top priority.

Source: "http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/schfin/Chapter70/profile.aspx" http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/schfin/Chapter70/profile.aspx

Vocational School Funding:

Town	Cost Per Student
Saugus	$13,987
Wakefield	$13,661
Revere	$7,200
Chelsea	$3,616

Communities in the 9th Essex District should not be paying more than its neighbors when it comes to funding vocational schools. Every student who attends a vocational school should cost their municipality the same.

This issue should not be addressed once in a decade or only during an election season. As your representative I will be committed to ending this inequity and ensuring our communities are treated fairly.

Source: Wakefield Daily Item, January.

Unfunded Mandates

When the State creates policies and programs for cities and towns they should be funded. Forcing our communities to implement laws while not providing adequate funding for that implementation is unfair and creates resentment for what may be good policy.

For example, cities and towns must transport homeless students i.e. students whose parents currently do not have a permanent residence, back to their home school district. So if a Boston homeless family is placed in a Saugus motel on Route 1, (which happens a lot), Saugus taxpayers have to pay to transport these students to their local schools in Boston. While this is a federal mandate the State should be funding the transportation costs thereby saving communities in the 9th Essex substantial amounts of money.

Most recently, legislation was introduced that required schools to have medical-grade sterilization of their musical instruments before they pass from one student to the next. No funding mechanism was provided for this legislation that would cost music departments in the 9th Essex District thousands of dollars. Further there has never been a documented outbreak of illness associated with shared band instruments, and it is very unlikely outbreaks have gone undetected by health departments across the country. When the Wakefield School Committee contacted its legislative delegation – Rep. Mark Falzone, Rep. Katherine Clark, and Sen. Richard Tisei – about this issue, Rep. Clark and Sen. Tisei immediately responded, Rep. Clark stating her opposition and Sen. Tisei welcoming our feedback.

When elected as your Representative I will make sure that no more mandates are placed on our cities and towns without proper funding and ensure that all unfunded mandates now are either properly funded or removed. Source: "http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/news/education/x560179476/Bill-requiring-musical-instrument-sterilization-lacks-Somerville-support" http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/news/education/x560179476/Bill-requiring-musical-instrument-sterilization-lacks-Somerville-support

SCHOOL BUILDING ASSISTANCE

Saugus and Wakefield need state assistance in improving their local schools.

The Belmonte School has had three unit ventilator fires in one year due to outdated equipment.

The Galvin Middle School has classrooms with multiple leaks that occur throughout the year when it rains and snows.

And these schools are just the beginning of a long list of capital improvements needed throughout the 9th Essex District.

Meanwhile other communities have received significant amounts of money to build, improve, and renovate their schools.

Fall River received $113 million from the state for new schools.

Malden received $69 million for school building renovations.

Needham received $8.6 million for school building improvements.

Communities in the 9th Essex District deserve similar funding levels for their local schools and other local capital projects. It's unfair that other communities receive significant dollars in state aid, while our communities do not. As your Representative I will not rest until our communities are receiving the monies necessary for their capital projects.

Source: "http://www.massschoolbuildings.org/pressroom_ektid82.aspx" http://www.massschoolbuildings.org/pressroom_ektid82.aspx