Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | October 14, 2019 | Worcester Business Journal 21 Implementing education reform will be the real challenge #buylocal is more than a hipster catchphrase V I E W P O I N T E D I T O R I A L M assachusetts appears headed in the right direction toward closing the achievement gap in its public schools, as the state Senate passed the $1.5-billion Student Opportunity Act earlier this month. The House takes up the bill next, with Gov. Charlie Baker broadly in favor. The proposed law, which will be phased in over seven years, addressed three key areas a 2015 commission found to be underfunded: special education; teaching poor students and English language learners in areas with high levels of poverty; and health insurance costs of school employees. The $1.5-billion price tag of the bill comes on top of the $5 billion the state is already contributing to its education system and does not call for new taxes. From a business standpoint, the right public investments in education can have a real ROI. One of the state's main calling cards in attracting new companies and maintaining high-growth firms is its educated workforce. Ensuring all Massachusetts residents have the best possible public education will help ensure the state can maintain its reputation well into the future. Economically disadvantaged students and English language learners should be able to increase access to many of the same opportunities available to similarly talented students from affluent districts. For special education students whose achievement ceilings might not be as high, providing them with a stronger foundation can go a long way to ensure they can contribute to the workforce in meaningful ways. Having the cost of T he phrase "Buy local" is used so oen in our society it holds little importance to us as consumers. Not unlike the marketing campaigns touting products or services claiming to be green, sustainable or regenerative. But what does it mean to truly buy local? Does this matter to you? It should. In Worcester County, we have 1,568 farms. ey grow fruits, vegetables, grains; raise chickens, cattle, sheep; produce milk, cheese and harvest fibers for clothing and blankets. ey work on Christmas morning, during hurricanes and while kids are home sick from school. ey do this to produce the highest quality for you, your family and community. ey are superheroes. Farmers markets are one of the most widely recognized opportunities to buy local, but how can you support your superhero farmers in January or in the fall when your child's soccer prac- tice takes place at the same time as your beloved Saturday morning market? Local food is everywhere; and you can be a champion supporter of your local farmers. Sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, program produce and protein farmers offer to help buying local food become a habit. In the winter months, you reserve your share of the harvest by paying for roughly 10-20 weeks of vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs and herbs. Once the program begins, usually in May or June, you visit the farm stand or designated pickup location weekly to collect your share of the harvest. Some farms will have a box packed and ready for you. Others may put out a selection of foods, and you get to pick what your family will like best. Each share is valued at a certain dollar amount, equaling in total to the amount you invested in the farm when you reserved your share. e benefit to the farmer is two-fold: ey use the early season revenue to purchase seed, equip- ment and labor before the harvest; and the sale is guaran- teed. ey are not at the whim of weather patterns if their usually busy Tuesday market is rained out. Buy in bulk. During harvest, farmers offer price dis- counts on large quantities. Green beans in August can be purchased for prices similar to, or less than, the grocery store. When combined with a few hours of your time, freez- ing, canning or drying these foods can provide a year-round supply. Similarly, protein producers will offer whole, half or quarter animals for one per pound price. Buying in this manner removes the argument that local food is expensive. It simply begs the question, how big is your freezer? Eat at restaurants your farmer sells to. Restaurants buy- ing local value their relationship with their farmers and have seasonal menu offerings. eir local purchasing does not stop when the first freeze settles in mid-October. Restau- rants are proud of this accomplishment, and will happily list on their menu, in social media or while the server is sharing the specials which farms they are supporting. Many do this because they value investing in their local economy, but also because they recognize local foods make the best ingredi- ents. And to a superior chef, this is paramount to none. Mackenzie May is the executive director of Worcester nonprofit Central Mass Grown. To learn more, visit www.CentralMassGrown.org. BY MACKENZIE MAY Special to the Worcester Business Journal school employee health create less of a hole in districts' budgets can help schools hold onto the best and brightest teachers. The bill should specifically help communities like Worcester, Fitchburg and Gardner, who have lower average household incomes and more English language learners. But, as with all well-laid plans, the real trick will be in the execution. The Senate version of the legislation includes an amendment requiring some oversight, by having school committees develop a plan every three years to show how they are using the new funding to reduce the achievement gap between students in poorer areas vs. their affluent neighbors. The version of the law Baker eventually signs should include something similar to tighten accountability. The Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center points out in its "Making Every Student Count" report while providing extra funding for low-income students is a major win, counting the actual number of children in low-income communities – particularly immigrants – is very difficult. MassBudget recommends districts follow the lead of Springfield and New Bedford, which have taken multi-faceted approaches to tracking these populations. Beyond those issues, every school district has competing priorities, and each will respond differently. Having the Student Opportunity Act monies specified for its purposes will, in theory, help close the achievement gap. However, local school committees and officials need to have their feet held to the fire to ensure these goals are achieved. The Worcester Business Journal welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Please send submissions to Brad Kane, editor, at bkane@wbjournal.com. Mackenzie May W WO R D F R O M T H E W E B Tweets of the week "Someone is going to have to explain to me who is going to stay at all of these new hotels when the ones that are already there are constantly empty." - Peter Thompson (@SaxMachine11), Oct. 4, on a WBJ story about a proposed Washington Square hotel in Worcester. "As excited as I am that President Monahan will get to enjoy his retirement in January, I will miss this man terribly!" - Jeanine B. Went (@JeanineWent), Oct. 2, on a WBJ story about MCPHS President Charles Monahan retiring in January Facebook feedback "They'll be picking up birds off the sidewalk." - Sarah Beth Cecilia Guimond, Oct. 8, on a WBJ story about the owner of the Midtown Mall in downtown Worcester proposing a glass facade "Let's hope so, Portland is a great city.." - Jason Eastty, Oct. 5, on a WBJ editorial encouraging Worcester to attract more craft breweries like Portland, Maine does W

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