jackiedoherty.org

While at the State House with other Stand for Children members advocating for resources yesterday, it occurred to me as legislators gave us their “doom and gloom” response that they must sit through dozens of these meetings, especially during budget time. Yesterday’s Boston Globe article about the corporate tax changes Stand sees as vital revenue for the state’s education needs illustrates the point further by citing pro-business groups such as the Mass. Taxpayers Foundation and the Boston Chamber of Commerce warning against these revenue initiatives. It’s no surprise these groups do not want to pay more taxes, even closing unfair corporate tax loopholes such as combined reporting and check the box without looking for a “give back” in terms of tax-rate reductions. Similarly, the tobacco industry doesn’t want more taxes on cigarettes, nor does the oil industry (which enjoys record profits as gas prices skyrocket) want to provide its fair share to government (less than one percent of the federal budget funds education). These groups spend lots of money, run scare campaigns, and hire professionals to lobby our elected leaders who must make difficult decisions regarding raising revenue and who gets limited funds—yet the needs do not go away and the costs continue to rise.

Given that context, it’s obvious why 400 Stand members speaking to 39 state senators and 48 representatives and their staff offers an important perspective. Stand’s purpose yesterday was to advocate for our legislators to make children and the future of the Commonwealth a priority by closing corporate tax loopholes without cutting corporate tax rates and investing that revenue into education, infrastructure, and reduction of the property tax burden on low-income homeowners. At the end of the day, if we do not speak up for the children and citizens of our state, who will?

Last week, the Sun reported that Lowell City Manager Bernie Lynch may eliminate the city’s recycling program because not enough people are participating to make it cost effective. The only thing more shameful than the city losing $500K a year on this important, under-utilized program is not recycling at all. If more people recycled, the city would recoup its costs and generate significant savings in trash disposal fees, not to mention doing the right thing for our environment. Every one percent of trash costs about $55K, so increasing the recycling rate will SAVE MONEY by reducing trash. Another option, of course, is to institute a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) program, such as the one they have in Worcester where recycling rates are about 50% compared to Lowell’s paltry 10%. As unpopular as increased fees are, I’d rather be charged per bag of trash—an incentive to recycle—than pay more overall disposal fees or lose recycling entirely. Recycling makes economic, environmental and moral sense. Get involved in this issue now and make sure recycling not only remains a city service, but grows to significantly reduce trash disposal.

Attend a meeting on the Lowell Recycling Crisis tomorrow night, 4/16, 8 p.m., at the Pollard Memorial Library or contact Jay Mason, a member of the city’s Green Building Commission, at 978-459-2004, for more information. Also, express your concerns to the manager and the city council, so they know recycling is important to Lowell residents. Talk it up to your neighbors and do your part to heighten public awareness: We’ve got to get more folks recycling! 

I am an activist: I actively work to promote positive change in our world. Often those efforts tend to be on a local level, but not always. Last week, I travelled to Boston to ask my state delegation to support election-day registration (see earlier post). Tomorrow, I’ll return to the State House with a busload of folks from the Lowell chapter of Stand for Children as well as members from 40 other communities to advocate for increased state funds for education.  In particular, the Stand group will ask legislators to close corporate tax loopholes without providing corporate “give backs” through phased-in tax cuts. Among other concerns, Stand’s position is to take revenue from closing tax loopholes and put an additional $108 million into education, as well as use the balance for property tax assistance for low-income residents. According to their Fact Sheet: Corporations are contributing less in state revenue (in 1960s corporate taxes accounted for 30% of state revenue—currently it’s about 12%); in 41 other states, corporations pay a greater percentage in state and local taxes (Ernst & Young study); and closing corporate tax loopholes levels playing field for small businesses. In addition, studies by the Mass. Budget and Policy Center and the Economic Institute indicate that investing in education and infrastructure is the way to promote economic growth, NOT cutting revenue desperately needed for public services.

Stand’s Day on the Hill tomorrow will include members speaking with 39 senators and 48 representatives and their staff. In addition, the group will hear from Paul Reville, chair of the board of education and education secretary; Senator Augustus, vice chair of the senate education committee; Chris Gabrieli, chair of Mass. 2020; and Senator Creem, chair o f senate revenue committee. It’s not too late to join us; we’ll register at the State House Gardner Auditorium 9:30-10:15. There’s also room on the bus from Lowell, which leaves from Showcase Cinemas, 32 Reiss Avenue, at 8:45.

Lowell City Manager Bernie Lynch has an op-ed in today’s Sun regarding the efforts of the advisory board formed to combat youth violence, particularly issues involving gangs. In the article, Lynch points out that the multi-disciplinary board has expanded its scope to look at a broader set of issues around youth development. This expanded focus is not because the gang issue has been solved: ironically, last week’s shooting occurred almost simultaneously to the board’s community forum on combating youth violence. What the board’s expanded focus demonstrates, rather, is an understanding of the complexity of the problem.  As a member of the advisory board, I concur with Lynch that although discussions have centered on police presence, court convictions, use of inspectional services to close gang houses, and weapons removal—all key factors in gang suppression—the board has also increased strategic planning and efforts around preventing youngsters from gang involvement in the first place. The prevention piece requires more, earlier, and better youth service programs and interventions, increased educational and job opportunities, expanded partnerships between all stakeholders, and buy-in from the community—all factors focusing on youth development. Clearly, there is much work to be done.

Last week’s forum on preventing youth violence, which brought together a substantial number of concerned people, was another step on that path. I was encouraged to see residents from neighborhood groups, church affiliates, and business owners join in the discussion as well as the usual players of nonprofit youth providers and the schools. Many people who live, work and recreate in Lowell—with or without children in our schools—must become part of the solution. As the board continues to develop strategies to improve opportunities for our youth, we will look for community input and partnership. Youth violence in our city is a reflection of societal, economic and cultural pressures; it will not be resolved in one quick fix, but only through sustained focus and community support.

I was at a Credit Union conference last week where the economic news was gloom and doom, which I thought I’d pass along (misery loves company and all). According to a senior economist from the Credit Union National Association, most economists are calling the government’s tax rebate plan, “a questionable stimulus package.” Why? Because, for one thing, it probably will not stimulate the economy. Most American consumers currently have record amounts of debt and little savings. The other bad news: rising unemployment (in March, up to 5.1% from 4.8%), recession (economic growth predicated to slow to .9% this year—well below the long-term sustainable trend growth rate of 3.5%), and inflation (now up to 4.1%). Inflation was under 2% last August, so what’s happening? Our dollars are buying less, the sub-prime mess has crept into other facets of the economy, and housing wealth is disappearing as values sink, so naturally people are going to save and pay down debt with their rebates, which is apparently part of the necessary pain we have to undergo to pay for our free-spending ways. The rebate is actually going to cost about $150 billion because the U.S. Government is doing what consumers are doing—spending more than is earned, much of it borrowed from China. As this economist pointed out, the only economy that will be stimulated by these rebates is China’s. Clearly this package is for political, not economic stimulus. In the meantime, the letter we all got from the IRS informing us that the check is (almost) in the mail, cost taxpayers $42 million!

Whatever your plans are this weekend, try to make time Friday or Saturday night to enjoy musical theatre complements of the Lowell High Fine Arts Department, which presents Grease at 8 p.m., in the Cyrus Irish Auditorium. Tickets are $10 for general admission, and $5 for students and seniors—an absolute bargain for an enjoyable evening of family entertainment. These kids are talented, enthusiastic, and fun, and their performances never fail to entertain. (No, I’m not biologically connected to any of the performers, yet—I happen to live with an arts-oriented sixth grader who wouldn’t think of missing an LHS show.) If you’ve never been to a show at the high school, you should give it a try: You know how athletically and academically gifted our kids are? Well, they can also dance, sing, and act, and Grease just happens to be an all-time classic for showcasing those talents. I got chills just thinking about it! 

All I only know about it is what’s in today’s Boston Globe, but it sure seems like a great business, government, and nonprofit partnership ripe with winners for the City of Lawrence. (How can we do it in Lowell?) The article, entitled “Employer eases path to citizenship” explains a partnership where a businessman—Salvatore Lupoli of Lupoli’s chain of pizzerias—earmarked company funds to pay attorney and application fees for his employees to apply for citizenship while area nonprofits provide English and citizenship classes. Also sponsored by the City of Lawrence, the plan helps legal immigrants prevail over a citizenship process that can often be mired in bureaucracy and expensive fees. This pilot initiative is expected to impact 10 immigrants to start, but the plan is that as more businesses that rely heavily on immigrant employees see the impact in terms of turnover and staffing, it will grow. Can’t you just imagine such a partnership here in Lowell between employers, our Adult Education program, which is the largest and most respected in the state, and the many nonprofit groups in the area? This model would provide yet another way to build on already successful citizenship programs.

If you’re like me, you probably know several women who have battled breast cancer. I have seen up close how this disease has wreaked havoc in the lives of dear friends and family members, from young mothers in their thirties to women in their seventies and all ages in between. Yet today, thousands of Massachusetts women are not getting the breast screening services they need because of access and funding gaps in our healthcare system. This Friday, April 11, starting at 11 a.m. in the Great Hall of the State House, the Massachusetts Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure invites you to attend a legislative luncheon and policy forum on closing the gap in care, featuring former State Treasurer Shannon O’Brien, Senator Dianne Wilkerson, and Dr. Jane Mendez, as well as breast cancer survivors, advocates, community leaders, and healthcare providers.

While Massachusetts has made strides in ensuring healthcare for all, important work remains. You can get involved and add your voice to others in support of making sure all women have an equal chance at beating breast cancer: Attend the luncheon (ok, perhaps not feasible for most of us), but you can easily send an email to state legislative leaders as a show of support…and even connect to your Congressional representatives with information provided here. (Hey, we’re not asking you to walk 20 miles or write a check, although that could be arranged!)

No doubt you were as horrified as I was to learn two teens allegedly traded a gun for money in a bathroom at Lowell High School last week. The question is, what are you going to do about it? Like reacting to the weather, it may seem there is nothing you can do, or perhaps you’ve convinced yourself it’s someone else’s problem—the police, the schools, or the parents of the gang-involved children. The reality is more hopeful and more challenging: Gangs and youth violence are our problem. It is a problem that belongs to the people who work, visit and live in Lowell, and whose children, like mine, attend its educational, recreational and cultural offerings. Regardless of the neighborhood you live in, the size of your paycheck, or the sheltered existence of your own family: youth violence in our city impacts us all. We need the entire community, we need you, coming together to discuss the issue and help us develop solutions.

So join us tomorrow night, Thursday, April 10, 5-7 p.m., at the Boys & Girls Club, 657 Middlesex Street, and find out what the City Manager’s Gang Advisory Board has been doing, learn about programs to support young people, and more importantly, help us prioritize the city’s actions going forward and express your concerns and ideas. Please join the City of Lowell, the Lowell Public Schools, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, MCC, UML, UTEC, and many other youth programs for this important community discussion. 

Last night’s CPC meeting in collaboration with Stand for Children, One Lowell and the Mary Bacigalupo Educational Program showed the great value of partnerships and reinforced why we must try to communicate and work together.  We learned about the CPC model of parent engagement and their mission to inform and empower parents; about Stand for Children’s advocacy at the state and local level, mainly around increased funding for education; and One Lowell’s work with marginalized refugee and immigrant children and families.  Phala Chea, director of Lowell’s Parent Information Center, gave an overview of their work, often as the first point-of-contact between a family and the school system as well as between a family and the city.  Sheila Kirschbaum, who joined the CPC 18 years ago when her son was in kindergarden, shared with others the influence of Mary Bacigalupo in encouraging parents to get engaged with the schools and believe in themselves as leaders.  Many of us continue to be involved simply because of Mary’s example and inspiration. The Mary Bacigalupo Educational Program, formed by her friends as a living tribute in her memory, has had two successful forums thusfar and is planning another for the fall.  An action group created at the forum studied data that showed a correlation between attendance in middle school and success at the high school, other action groups continue to partner with schools and the community to help students succeed.

After the more formal presentations, which will be broadcast on LET Channel 22, the conversation began.   It was great to have people whose children had already graduated from the high school share experiences with younger parents newly-involved in the schools.  Many people were interested in joining Stand for Children members on April 15 for a ‘Day on the Hill’ to talk to legislators about funding concerns and the outlook for this year’s Chapter 70 funds.  (There is a bus leaving from the Lowell Showcase Cinemas at 8:45 am, register online today!).  Other issues of concern besides funding included the need to improve technology, more sharing of reports and data with the public, more and better parent conferences with an emphasis on positive contact between parents and teachers, and a way for parents to learn about different levels of involvement and to network with other parents across the city. Concerns about attendance and Lowell’s drop-out rate were raised as possible focus issues.  Finally, the meeting had to end at 9:00 pm, but many lingered in the hallway and parking lot to continue the conversation, a conversation that we hope has just begun.