Dear Neighbors,
What have we learned?
Before the news, a question: What lessons have we learned during the pandemic? What should we change in a "new normal?" The Senate listening sessions, along with many other people are asking these questions. I'd like to hear your answers. What changes in education, health care, work.... that have happened during COVID should we keep or adapt? Are there other changes based on our experiences? The answers aren't all obvious. Let me know yours.
What if they gave MCAS and no one came?
This week, Citizens for Public Schools with other organizations presented this forum, "What if they gave MCAS and no one came?" The very engaging speakers:
Nora Dyer-Murphy, high school student activist from Belchertown High School
Jennifer Debin, parent of four students who are opting out
Roberto Jiménez Rivera, Chelsea School Committee member
Ricardo Rosa of New Bedford Coalition to Save Our Schools
Louis Kruger, CPS board member and Northeastern University professor emeritus
Cambridge Rally: Opt out of MCAS
On April 9, Cambridge teachers and parents held a rally letting people know that they can opt their children out of taking the MCAS in May. Many people believe it is not a good use of students' and teachers' limited time together, will cause unnecessary stress, and not produce any meaningful useful results. I wrote about this issue in a previous newsletter.
Pooled testing in Medford
April 14 Rep. Katherine Clark visited the McGlynn Elementary School to watch students do pooled testing for COVID and talk about education funding in the American Rescue Plan. Mayor Lungo-Koehn, Superintendent Edouard-Vincent, Representative Christine Barber, Councilors Bears and Morell, School Committee member McLaughlin and I were happy to get together and learn about how the reopening was going.
Kensington Connector meeting
On Monday, May 3, at 5 pm there will be a community meeting to discuss renovations to the Kensington Underpass, now known as the Kensington Connector, which connects East Somerville to Assembly Row. This was the site of another tragic car fatality last year.
Redistricting
The redistricting process has begun, even though final census numbers are not available yet. The first hearing is on Tuesday May 4 at 5 pm and will focus on the 5th Congressional District. That's the seat currently held by Katherine Clark.
Sen. Will Brownsberger, Senate Redistricting Chair, has shared a relatively sophisticated free online redistricting resource you may find interesting: https://davesredistricting.org/. You can start with the existing district map, which is pretty interesting in itself, and modify the current districts or start from a blank map. You'll need to create an account if you want to draw maps but you can also view the 2019 data without creating an account.
There's a lot more to share, soon, but I'm trying to keep these short.
Stay safe, and stay in touch,