Search for The Westfield News
WEATHER TONIGHT Mostly cloudy. Low of 32.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
SEN. DON HUMASON
REP. JOHN VELIS
DR. SUZANNE SCALLION
Bill seeks universal pre-kindergarten
Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional Schools Superintendent John Barry, center, speaks to the school committee as Business Manager Stephen Presnal, at left, and committee member William Stevenson, right, listen. (Photo by Hope E. Tremblay)
STATE BUDGET
Officials meet to consider tax revenues By PETER FRANCIS Staff Writer BOSTON — Even as they grapple with a shortfall in the state’s current $36 billion budget, lawmakers and state officials are set to begin preliminary work on a spending plan for the next fiscal year. The first order of business is reaching agreement on how much tax revenue the state can expect to collect in the 12-month period beginning July 1. That, in turn, helps determine how much money can be spent. Such projections can be tricky. Revenue has fallen short of benchmarks in the current year, contributing to what Republican Gov. Charlie Baker says is a $765 million budget deficit. Baker administration officials are expected to attend Thursday’s revenue hearing, along with House Ways and
75 cents
THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2015
Southwick students to get later start in fall By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – The SouthwickTolland-Granville Regional School Committee approved the 2015-2016 school calendar this week. The calendar includes the usual December, February and April breaks and holidays, as well as professional development days. What’s new is the start date. “We wanted to give construction as wide a berth as possible with this calendar, so we’re avoiding what we had to do last summer with our start date,” said Superintendent John Barry. Last year, the start date was pushed back just a few weeks before the start of school because construction was behind schedule. “The first day for grades 1-12 is Sept. 8, after Labor Day,” Barry said. Work at Powder Mill should be substantially complete by Aug. 17. “So that will give us a few extra weeks,” Barry said. The high school will be less of an issue, he added. “They’re not supposed to have the auxiliary gym done until the second week of September, and two other classrooms should be done around the same time,” Barry said. The last day of school is set for June 17, however, Barry said if there are more than five snow days, the last day would be pushed into the last week of June.
— JOSEPH JOUBERT
www.thewestfieldnews.com
VOL. 84 NO. 019
“Children need models rather than critics.”
REP. JOHN SEN. DON VELIS HUMASON Means Committee chairman Brian Dempsey and newly-appointed Senate Ways and Means chairwoman Karen Spilka. The revenue hearing is the legislature’s first under Gov. Charlie Baker and comes at a good time, as the Commonwealth is currently facing a $765 million budget deficit.
Also attending will be Sen. Don Humason, Jr. of the 2nd HampdenHampshire District, who said organizations such as the Massachusetts Taxpayers Association have been invited to attend, as well, and to give their budget projections. “We set the amount of revenue we expect to take in the fiscal year 2016. We have to do that while coming up with ways to tackle the current deficit in the current fiscal year, which we’re halfway through,” said Humason. The Westfield Republican also cited a radio interview Baker gave yesterday morning during which he said the state may need to take a chunk out of it’s rainy day fund to help offset the budget. “Spending cuts and rainy day fund See Taxes, Page 3
ISO-NE gives briefing on state of power grid HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — New England’s power system is increasingly shifting from aging oil- and coal-fired plants and to natural gas that relies on pipelines experiencing bottlenecks that drive up prices, the region’s electric grid operator said yesterday. ISO-New England officials said wind and solar resources are a small but growing part of the region’s energy mix, though they are not always available when needed by the region’s 14 million residents — peak demand for power in winter typically occurs after the sun has set. System Engineering Electrical Supervisor at Entergy In contrast to last winter’s extended cold weather that pushed Vermont Yankee nuclear plant Daniel Jeffries explains up energy demand and prices, a mild winter and falling oil the power-down process at the Vermont Yankee Training prices this year have helped keep prices down. But winter has Center in Brattleboro, Vt., as the nuclear power plant began the power-down process, Monday, Dec. 29, 2014. See ISO-NE, Page 3 (AP Photo/The Brattleboro Reformer, Kayla Rice)
By PETER FRANCIS Staff Writer BOSTON — Backers of a proposal to make pre-kindergarten programs available to all 3- and 4-years olds in the state regardless of family income said it would help narrow the academic achievement gap that exists among students from varying socio-economic backgrounds. The bill, unveiled Tuesday, would allow school districts to develop universal pre-kindergarten programs and submit them for funding under the state’s Chapter 70 educational formula. The programs would be phased in over five years, with priority given to school districts with the most children in need of access to early education. Supporters of the measure pointed to statistics that show 39 percent of third-graders in Massachusetts are not reading at grade level but those with access to early education programs are far more likely to succeed in public school. They also said students from low-income families who participate in early education are 40 percent less likely to require special education services, 30 percent more likely to graduate from high school and twice as likely to go to college. Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, D-Boston, of the 2nd Suffolk District, is the lead sponsor of the bill, one she believes would help tens of thousands of preschoolers if approved, including about 6,000 now on a waiting list for early education programs that are subsidized by the state. Chang-Diaz said she could not provide an estimate of what the measure would cost or how it would be paid for but said studies have shown every dollar spent on pre-kindergarten programs “delivers a return that reaches from $7 to $17.” The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center estimated last year it would cost about $1.5 billion to cover the annual cost of expanding public schools to offer universal pre-kindergarten for See Pre-k, Page 3
Rosenberg names leadership team By BOB SALSBERG Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — State Sen. Karen Spilka was named yesterday to chair the powerful Senate Ways and Means Committee, a position that will give the Ashland Democrat significant influence in state budget negotiations with the House and Republican Gov. Charlie Baker in the weeks and months ahead. Senate President Stanley Rosenberg also BENJAMIN named Worcester Democrat Harriette Chandler to serve as Senate Majority Leader, DOWNING the position Rosenberg held before he was unanimously elected by Democrats earlier this month to succeed former Senate President Therese Murray. Spilka is beginning her sixth term in the Senate after previously serving in the House. She is a graduate of Cornell University and Northeastern University School of Law. “She’s a strong negotiator, a good listener,” Rosenberg said of Spilka after a private meeting with Democrats. “You’ve got to have a lot of stamina and patience and she has both in abundance.” The Ways and Means Committee is responsible for drafting the Senate version of the more than $36 billion state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. As chairwoman, Spilka would participate in negotiations leading to the final version of the spending plan. More immediately, Spilka will be a key player in discussions about how to close what Baker said Tuesday was a $765 million deficit in the budget for the current fiscal year. Baker has blamed the shortfall on a “spending problem” in state government. Spilka succeeds former Ways and Means chairman Stephen Brewer, who also retired from the Senate. In a statement, Spilka said she is grateful to Rosenberg for putting his faith in her and promised not to take the assignment lightly. “I will work hard every day with my colleagues to assist our See Downing, Page 3