A legislative year that began with the near-unanimous re-election of a soon-to-be-indicted Speaker of the House and ended with state finances still in disarray despite a 25 percent hike in the state sales tax is an embarrassment.
When both State House chambers decided to adjourn for the holiday recess last week (we should all get so much vacation time, right?) with plenty of unfinished business on the table, they couldn't even be bothered to do away with the notorious "hack holidays" — Evacuation Day (aka St. Patrick's Day) and Bunker Hill Day (June 17) — as recommended by Gov. Deval Patrick.
For all the unfinished business, however, none may prove more critical than the House's failure to act on a critical education reform bill — a shameful walkoff that could very well cost Massachusetts some $250 million in federal education assistance.
Among other things, the education reform measure could give some clout to the state Department of Education to step in and unilaterally make changes — regardless of contract "requirements" — within chronically underperforming districts. It would better open the door to innovative charter schools — in part because, under President Obama's federal "Race to the Top" initiative, it could provide more money for independent charter schools such as the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School that has received state OK and is on track to open next year.
The education reform bill has cleared the Senate, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo, who replaced the disgraced Salvatore DiMasi earlier this year, promises it will be the first item on the agenda when his chamber returns to work in January. But that, no doubt, will only be if teacher union lobbyists aren't able to use the holidays to convince legislators to gut the bill. And it will require DeLeo and company to set some a record for speedy deliberations when they return.
Applications for the federal "Race to the Top Aid," which will go to states demonstrating a genuine commitment to innovative practices, must be received in Washington by mid-January. And that federal money would go a long way toward solving the primary concern communities face through the granting of independent school charters, such as the one for the Gloucester program.
By shutting down without resolving the education reform issue, the Legislature has once again sent a grim message to Massachusetts residents.
It has reminded all of us that it's more than willing to pass the buck — in this case, passing up millions of bucks for positive school reforms — rather than rock the boat. That is, indeed, embarrassing.
