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Policy Update
July 24, 2009 Three new bills have been filed (two by the Governor and his Administration, one by Mayor Menino) to reform education in the Commonwealth. Of the three bills, one seeks to increase the amount of funding districts can provide to charter schools, and two seek to reform how schools are created and administered through innovative planning and organization. Below, please find an overview of the new legislation:
June 19, 2009 The FY2010 Budget Conference Committee has completed its debate and released its budget for the approval of the House and Senate. As a result of their deliberation, the final recommendation for the ASOST Grant (line item 7061-9611) is $2 million. Although we are disappointed that this funding level is a significant cut to this critical program, we are optimistic that, as the economy turns around, the ASOST grant will be at the forefront of any supplemental funding opportunities in the coming fiscal year. Despite the funding cut, the ASOST line item was one of very few that was recommended for funding at every step in the budget process. In the House, Senate and the Governor’s office, strong, persuasive advocacy from programs and existing and developing legislative relationships have helped secure the ASOST grant’s reputation as an essential investment for the Commonwealth. Even in times of economic crisis, it is reassuring to see that the FY2010 budget continues to prioritize the needs of children, youth and families. Although they sustained cuts, this fiscal year’s budget includes funding for programs including violence prevention, teenage pregnancy prevention, gang prevention, Youth-Build, mentoring, summer jobs for at-risk youth, and child care. We are hopeful that as we emerge from this fiscal turmoil, funding for these critical opportunities will be restored for all kids, all ages, all day, all year-round. Legislators have heard our message loud and clear – AFTERSCHOOL WORKS – and we are in a strong position for continued advocacy as the economy turns around.
June 2, 2009 The FY2010 Budget Conference Committee began their deliberations today and could be finished as early as Wednesday. If you haven’t already, please take the time to contact your Senator and Representative as soon as possible and encourage them to contact the conferees in support of the House’s budget allocation of $4 million for the ASOST Grant. Please encourage staff and families to do the same! You can find your Senator and Representative’s contact information at www.wheredoivotema.com. When you talk with your legislators’ offices, be sure to tell your story and emphasize the following talking points: · The FY2009 ASOST grantees provide afterschool and out-of-school time opportunities to over 22,000 children and youth. · The ASOST grant supports community learning and working families. · The Senate appropriation of $2 million is a 63% cut from FY2009 and would result in an immediate and direct loss of opportunities to nearly 14,000 children, youth and their families. For Senators - Encourage your Senator to contact the Senate Conferees in support of funding the ASOST Grant at the House’s recommendation of $4 million:
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Sen. Steven Panagiotakos
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Sen. Stephen Brewer
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Sen. Michael Knapik For Representatives - Encourage your Representative to contact the House Conferees in support of funding the ASOST Grant at the House’s recommendation of $4 million:
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Rep. Charles Murphy
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Rep. Barbara L’Italien
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Rep. Viriato deMacedo
May 18, 2009
Now is the time for advocacy! Stay tuned to this website for updated advocacy information and amendment updates for the ASOST grant and other programs that benefit children and youth.
Amendment #360, to restore the After School and Out-of-School Time (ASOST) quality grant to the House recommendation of $4 million, has been filed by Senator McGee. The Senate will begin to debate amendments as soon as tomorrow, so now is the time to call your Senator and urge him or her to support this critical program. Please encourage your program's staff and the families you serve to do the same.
When you contact your Senator, please emphasize some of the following key points:
· The ASOST grant provides innovative out-of-school time opportunities (including after school, before school, summer, and school vacations) to over 22,000 children, and their families at 67 programs (and over 257 partnering organizations) in 48 communities across the Commonwealth. · The Senate Ways and Means number of $2 million, if finalized, would represent a 63% cut, and subsequent loss of services to approximately 13,860 school age children, leaving thousands of working families without the supports they need. · Amendment #360 will restore the ASOST grant to the House’s recommendation of $4 million. · We know that the Senate cannot restore any of the big budget cuts unless additional revenue generating measures are passed, so we urge the Senate to do this and save these crucial programs we need.
As time is of the essence, we ask that you call, not e-mail, your Senator as soon as possible and ask if he or she will be supporting Amendment #360. Find your Senator at www.wheredoivotema.com, listed as “Sen. in General Court.” Once you have called your Senator’s office, please contact Julie Albert at jalbert@massafterschool.org so we can follow up on your call. MAP will continue to keep you updated. Thank you for your advocacy efforts and continued commitment to children, youth and families.
· Senator Chang-Diaz’s amendment #659 to restore the Youth Violence Prevention Grant at DPH – 4590-1506 - to $3.5M. If this amendment does not pass, the YVP grant will not exist in FY10. · Senator Timilty’s amendment #675 to restore the Shannon Gang Prevention Grant – 8100-0111. · Senator Rosenberg’s amendment #325 to restore the Mentoring Matching Grants – 7061-9634. · Senator Chang-Diaz’s amendment #251 to restore the YouthBuild Summer Jobs Program for At-Risk Youth – 7002-0112. · Senator Hart’s amendment # 346 to restore the School to Career Connecting Activities Program – 7027-0019. May 8, 2009 The House FY2010 Budget Proposal was finalized last week. For a chart of Children and Youth-related budget line items with their House 2010 funding levels, please click here.
April 21, 2009 The House Ways and Means (HWM) FY2010 budget proposal was released last week, and contained cuts to numerous programs that benefit children, youth and families in the Commonwealth. While the ASOST grant was funded at $4 million, it did sustain a $1.5 million cut from its FY2009 level. In an effort to counteract these cuts, Representatives have filed amendments to restore funding to these line items. For the ASOST grant (line item 7061-9611), Amendment #609 has been filed to restore the grant to the post-9C funding level of $5.34 million. We ask you to contact your State Representative and ask him or her to sign-on to Amendment #609 by this Friday, April 24th, to restore critical ASOST funding. You can find your Representative’s name and contact information at www.wheredoivotema.com listed as “Rep in General Court.” The deadline to sign-on to House budget amendments is this Friday, April 24, so please contact your Representative this week. Once you have contacted your Representative, please e-mail MAP at jalbert@massafterschool.org so that we can follow up on your call. Other line items cut, and the amendments for your Representative to sign-on to include a. DPH Youth Violence Prevention Program (4590-1506) was cut from $3.5 million to 0 --Rep. Jeff Sanchez's amendment to restore the $3.5 million cut b. Shannon Anti-Gang Violence Program (8100-0111) was cut from $13 million to 0 --Rep. Stephen Canessa's amendment to restore the $13 million cut c. YouthWorks Jobs for Teens (7002-0012) cut from $9 million to 0 d. Massachusetts Mentoring program (7061-9634) was cut $500,000 --Rep. Coakley-Rivera's amendment to restore the cut
March 27, 2009 The Stimulus Package call held on March 20 reviewed recent policy and funding developments and advocacy strategies as these funding streams continue to evolve. Main topics of conversation included a discussion of funding proposals made to EEC, a draft version of an advocacy letter, policy updates and a timeline of funding allocation, and a messaging strategy. For complete meeting minutes, click here. Next Steps & Helpful Links
MAP’s second biweekly conference call on the federal stimulus package (ARRA) was held last Friday, March 6. On the call, we reviewed the main points of the stimulus package relevant to OST, national and state funding levels, discussed potential next steps, and gathered more questions and advocacy/messaging ideas from the field. For complete meeting minutes, please click here.
Next Steps
Helpful Links
With your help, MAP will continue to work with the administration, state agencies, the legislature, and local school districts to ensure that the voice of the out-of-school time field is represented in the allocation of stimulus package funding. Thank you for your continued interest and support & I look forward to your comments/feedback and speaking with you on our next call! March 4, 2009 The next MAP Stimulus Package Conference Call will be Friday, March 6 at 1:00PM. For more information, or to participate in the call, contact Julie Albert at jalbert@massafterschool.org February 20, 2009 Update on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Federal Stimulus Package) Congress worked into Friday evening, February 13, to pass the revised American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The House passed the Conference Report by a vote of 246-183 and the Senate by 60-38, and the bill was signed on February 17 by President Obama in Denver. The legislation provides a total of $789 billion in spending and tax cuts. Of this total, the following provisions have both direct and indirect benefits for afterschool:
· $2 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grants (CCDBG) Overview: The Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is one of the largest funding streams that help subsidize child care costs for children who are under the age of 13. Details: The full $2 billion is available upon enactment. Of the $2 billion: § $255 million for quality improvement à $93 million towards improvement of infant and toddler care Massachusetts: The state will receive a total of $23,966,940 in CCDBG economic recovery funds: § $20,838,175 in non-targeted CCDBG funds § $1,981,321 in non-targeted quality improvement funds § $1,147,444 in targeted quality improvement funds for infants/toddlers · $13 billion for Title I Overview: Title I funds are used to help disadvantaged students reach high academic standards—a portion of these funds can be used to support afterschool programs. Details: $13 billion for distribution through state and local education agency grants under subpart Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Of the $13 billion: § $3 billion for subgrants to local schools for school improvement § $10 billion for formula grants to local education agencies (LEAs) Massachusetts: The state will receive a total of $208.3 million in Title I economic recovery funds. · $1.2 billion for summer jobs for youth through the Workforce Investment Act Overview: Of the $3.95 billion provided for Workforce Investment Act state formula grants for adult, dislocated worker, and youth job training programs, $1.2 billion is designated for youth services, and the bill specifically mentions creating summer employment opportunities for youth. Massachusetts: The state will receive a total of $25.1 million in economic recovery funds for summer jobs for youth. · $50 million for YouthBuild Overview: Of the $3.95 billion for Workforce Investment Act state formula grants for adult, dislocated worker and youth job training programs, $50 million will go toward the YouthBuild program to expand this program to give at-risk youth the opportunity to gain education and occupational credentials while constructing or rehabilitating affordable housing. · $160 million for AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA programs Overview: $89 million to make additional awards to existing AmeriCorps State and national grantees and to provide adjustments to awards made prior to September 30, 2010. In addition, not less than $65 million will be made available for the AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program. AmeriCorps members currently help staff many afterschool programs, and additional members could be a great resource for struggling afterschool programs. · $53.6 billion for a State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Details: The US Department of Education will have oversight of $5 billion total for: § State Incentive Grants § $650 million for an Innovation Fund States (via their Governors) will receive $48.3 billion to support education. Of the $48.3 billion: § $40.1 billion to be spent on education § $8.2 billion for public safety and other government services, which may include education and school modernization, renovation and repair. Massachusetts: The state will receive a total of $813.3 million in state fiscal stabilization funds.
Next Steps: MAP and our partners are working with the administration, state agencies and the legislature to ensure that the voice of the out-of-school time field is represented in the allocation of federal stimulus funding. We will keep you informed as more information becomes available.
September 2008 - Vote NO on Question 1
Question 1 on this year’s ballot, a proposal to eliminate the state income tax, will have severe and immediate consequences for all of us. This binding referendum takes more than $12 billion (nearly 40%) out of the state budget, driving up property taxes and leading to sweeping education cuts, steep reductions in public personnel, further deterioration in roads and bridges, and other drastic cuts in services. With this in mind, MAP strongly encourages you to vote NO on Question 1, and encourage your friends and colleagues to do the same. To learn more about the implications of this ballot question and how to take action, please visit http://www.votenoquestion1.org.
July 2008 - The Budget is In!
Recent Policy Initiatives · Achieved New Afterschool Funding. MAP has successfully impacted statewide policy through the state budget, including working with the Legislature to establish and expand the After School and Out-of-School Time (ASOST) Grant. As a result of an ever-growing grassroots movement, the House of Representatives and the Senate have both proposed significant increases in this grant in the FY2009 state budget proposals. The allocation of $5.55 million represents more than a 150% increase from the $2 million FY2008 allocation and demonstrates Massachusetts’ continuing commitment to improving quality, increasing program capacity, and supporting community-school partnerships benefiting children and youth after school. · Supported the After School and Out-of-School Time Commission. Created by the Massachusetts Legislature, the After School and Out-of-School Time Commission completed a thorough study and analysis of out-of-school time programming in 2007 and made various recommendations for the field. The Commission’s recommendations addressed five categories: increasing public awareness, providing information and increasing access, promoting quality programs and a quality workforce, fostering partnerships and collaborations, and sustaining the effort. Additionally, the Commission recommended the establishment of a statewide Afterschool and Out-of-School Time Public/Private Coordinating Council. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
