Education

As Community College Enrollment Grows, Teachers Say Pay Raises Will Resolve Understaffing

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By Sam Drysdale

As enrollment at community colleges booms under the state’s new free tuition program, the faculty that teach and support the burgeoning population are asking for their first wage equity adjustment in 25 years. “Our colleges are facing a wage and working conditions crisis that threatens board initiatives like the equity agenda and workforce development,” Joe Nardoni, vice president of the union that represents the 15 community colleges’ faculty and professional staff members, told members of the Board of Higher Education on Tuesday. Lawmakers and Gov. Maura Healey made community college free for all Massachusetts residents starting this past fall, saying the program would create opportunities for low-income Bay Staters and promote racial equity. The “free” label seems to have succeeded in attracting more students to campus: between the fall of 2023 and fall 2024, the first semester that tuition and fees were waived, the state’s 15 community colleges added 9,492 students—a 14% boost. That jump followed another annual enrollment increase, 8.7% in 2023, after lawmakers and Healey that year made community college free for students 25 and older, which reversed more than a decade of declines in community college enrollment.

Education

Haverhill Schools Pull Back New Graduation Requirements, Unveil 2025 Program of Studies

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Haverhill Public Schools administrators are rolling back certain new graduation requirements after getting feedback from the state, but forging ahead with several new course offerings. Supervisor of School Counseling Megan Arivella last week told School Committee members, the school system adopted state-recommended graduation requirements for this year’s graduating class in the aftermath of voters repealing requirements last fall. Arivella said, however, the city was unable to meet certain criteria to “make it successful.”

“You need to have a PE substitution in place, a language equivalency or placement substitution in place, you need to have certain funding which we have had to build certain (career technical education) programs, but overall, our students, we found, it was rolled out too quickly without building the capacity for it to be successful so some of our students just didn’t have enough of the credits to graduate at the time we needed them to,” she said. Arivella said that the school system is awaiting guidance from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education after voters opted to repeal the graduation requirement for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS. Committee member Mikaela Laluimere encouraged administrators to prepare an additional fourth-year mathematics requirement in the future.

Education

Haverhill School Committee Advances Feasibility Study to Decide J.G. Whittier School Future

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After years of complaints of crowding and poor conditions at Haverhill’s John Greenleaf Whittier School, School Committee members voted last week to spend $1.2 million to study whether repair or replacement is the best option

A year ago, the Massachusetts School Building Authority voted to invite the school into an eligibility period which could lead to partial state reimbursement. School Superintendent Margaret Marotta told the Committee a feasibility study is the next step. “The study essentially looks at grade allocation, the number so students the building should hold, what the specific components of the building might look like programmatically, where specifically the building might be located, that sort of thing.”

Committee member Yonnie Collins raised concerns over whether money from the school department would be used, citing a need to be “fiscally responsible.”

Committee Vice Chairman Richard J. Rosa clarified money for the study comes from the city side and not from the education budget, but, beyond that, he alluded to the need to go back to taxpayers. “We wouldn’t be able to pay for this school without a debt exclusion,” Rosa said. “If the residents were not to pass a debt exclusion, we would very likely back out of the project because we wouldn’t be able to pay for it.

Education

Haverhill School Committee Slows Budget Priority Planning as Members Debate List

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A Haverhill School Committee exercise to better align next year’s spending with educational priorities will get another review later this month after members debated details such as staffing and soliciting student opinions. The Haverhill School Committee last Thursday took a preliminary look at budget priorities for the year beginning July 1 when reviewing a proposal drafted by member Thomas Grannemann. Grannemann, as WHAV previously reported, pored over previous years’ budgets to see how the city compares to other districts. Included on the preliminary list which Superintendent Margaret Marotta would use to guide her budget request later this year include efforts to reduce absenteeism, support new reading and writing curriculum rollouts and provide for college and career exploration in and out of the classroom. However, some committee members didn’t support the working document, with Vice Chairman Paul A. Magliocchetti citing concerns over references to additional resources for freshmen orientation, action planning and partnerships with community organizations.

Education

Haverhill Reports City Schools Not Affected by Software at the Center of a National Data Breach

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Parents of Haverhill Public School students are receiving assurances they are not impacted by a data breach involving a particular PowerSchool-branded educational product. Haverhill Director of Technology Douglas Russell said in an email Thursday to staff that city schools do not use the product. “First and foremost, we want to assure you that our district does not utilize PowerSchool’s Student Information System, which was the affected product in this incident. Instead, we use PowerSchool’s application system, and PowerSchool has indicated that only their SIS was compromised,” Russell wrote. Schools across the country were notified Wednesday by the Folsom, Calif.

Education

‘Journey to FAFSA’ Jan. 14 Helps Haverhill Students Seek College Financial Help

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Haverhill school students and their families will have a chance next week to learn about help paying for college and completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA. Haverhill Supervisor of School Counseling Megan Arivella will partner with Renee McGuire, program director of MakeIT Haverhill during “Journey Into FAFSA.” They will be joined by financial aid and admissions representatives from UMass Lowell and Northern Essex Community College. “We know FAFSA can be confusing, and this is why we are offering ‘Journey to FAFSA.’ Due to the financial nature of this process, counselors will help start the application but not advise on finances,” they said in a statement. The program takes place Tuesday, Jan. 14, from 5:30 -7 p.m., at MakeIT Haverhill, 301 Washington St.

Education

State Renews, Adds Commitments for Northern Essex, UMass Lowell Early College Programs

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Northern Essex Community College and UMass Lowell Early College programs, enabling high school students to earn college credit, Tuesday were formally awarded state grants to continue operating, add capacity and plan expansions. All 55 existing Early College programs were awarded $50,000 to $125,000 to continue their work. These include such partnerships as Haverhill High School and Northern Essex Community College; Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School and Northern Essex Community College; Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School and North Shore Community College; and Lawrence High School with Merrimack College and Northern Essex Community College. “Early College programs are great for our students and great for our economy. They allow students to get college credit while they’re still in high school at no cost, making it more affordable for them to get their degree and preparing them to succeed in their careers,” said Gov. Maura Healey.

Education

HP3 Mentoring Program at Haverhill’s Whittier School Aims to Empower Students

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A new pilot mentoring program for John Greenleaf Whittier School students in grades 5 through 8 provides homework assistance, guidance achieving short and long-term goals, exploration of high school applications and help identifying students’ passions and interests. The program, in partnership with the Haverhill-Public Private Partnership, known as HP3, began in November. A dedicated team of mentors meet with students once a week, assisting students academically and fostering self-confidence and emotional well-being as they navigate, what organizers call, “the critical middle school years.”

“We believe this program will make a significant difference for our students,” said Whittier School interim Principal Kevin Higginbottom. “By offering a combination of academic guidance, emotional support and social assistance, we’re giving our students the tools they need to succeed now and in the future. This program has the potential to positively impact their academic achievements, as well as their overall well-being.”

This initiative was made possible through the partnership with HP3 and the efforts of the school’s guidance counselors, Jacquie Vlahos and Holly Deluca.