Up on the Hill

I was at the State House today getting sworn in as a member of the Governor's Local Advisory Council. I get to participate because I'm vice president of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.

It all started about 1 p.m. in the governor's office. We were jammed in a small room, surrounded by portraits of previous governors (I had no idea that Gov. Weld had his portrait painted while dressed in jeans) and an enormous chandelier. There were a ton of local officials, all anxious to hear what the new governor plans to do with his first budget and beyond that.

Former Cambridge student school committee member Leslie Kirwan, now Gov. Patrick's secretary of administration and finance, was there. I also got to meet Daniel O'Connell, secretary of housing and economic development, who told me he went to Cambridge High and Latin in the sixties. Of course, former Cambridge school committee member and MASC executive director Glenn Koocher was there. A real Cambridge fest!

I always think these things are going to be too chaotic to cover any real substance. But I have to say that not only was it pretty exciting, but I learned some things.

Patrick spoke a lot about partnership and problem-solving with the group, which will meet monthly. Revitalizing the economy will help with many of the state's problems, he said, and that appears to be No. 1 on his mind. He spoke about the need to think more regionally and how he will be asking local officials to help with this. Kirwan said Patrick was working so hard, that he sent her an e-mail at midnight last night about the budget.

As for schools, MASC president Joe Santos (Ludlow) and our past president Mo Hancock (Brockton) spoke about some of our main priorities: increasing Chapter 70 aid, decreasing the number of redundant and bureaucratic accountability systems now operating in the state (14 and counting), fair charter school funding and reconstitution of the Massachusetts Board of Education.

Mo spoke eloquently about MASC's recent meeting with Sen. Kennedy and their conversation about the need to have a Board of Education in Massachusetts that is willing to work constructively with local officials to improve public schools instead of seeking more and more ways to punish them. Mo noted that Massachusetts students consistently outscore students in other states on national tests, yet we have more schools identified for improvements.

Patrick simply said: "I get your message loud and clear."

I can't wait to see what comes next.