Latest news with #JoshuaGarcia
Boston Globe
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Holyoke schools to exit state oversight July 1 after decade of receivership
State officials announced the official exit to the Holyoke School Committee Monday night, drawing the gratitude of leaders including mayor and board chair Joshua Garcia. Advertisement 'For a very long time, all we've been looking and waiting for is to be considered a partner in how we improve outcomes, improve our systems, in the district,' Garcia said. 'Receivership is not meant to be a permanent situation.' Related : Local officials have been petitioning the state to regain control of their district since 2023, and their path out has been clear since October, when then-acting education Commissioner Russell Johnston said he was removing the district's 'chronically underperforming' status. 'I just want to cry, but I'm happy,' School Committee member Rosalee Tensley Williams said Monday. 'Words cannot express the way I feel right now.' Advertisement The state school board voted to take over Holyoke in 2015 following years of poor academic results. The local School Committee and superintendent were stripped of their decision-making power, and a state-selected leader was installed. Under Massachusetts law, the state can take control of consistently low-performing districts and appoint a so-called receiver who is charged with executing a turnaround plan. Critics at the time opposed the removal of local control from the majority Latino, high-poverty district, but proponents said it as was necessary to give those students a quality education they deserve. At the time, the district had some of the worst academic outcomes in the state, including the lowest graduation rate, just 60 percent, and very wide achievement gaps by race, income, English learner status, and other measures. Simone Fried, a University at Buffalo education professor who has studied the Holyoke takeover and other state interventions, said there were 'systematic violation of children's rights to education' in Holyoke that required some sort of intervention, but 'it's exciting news' the takeover is ending. Related : 'Takeover was never intended, or should not be intended, to be a permanent solution,' Fried said. 'It seems to me that it's a promising sign that they're able to be at a place where they're able to resume local control.' Ultimately, improvements under state receivership have been very limited. While state officials touted increases in the district's graduation rate — 77 percent last year — and other measures, those gains have largely reflected statewide trends. Beth Schueler, a University of Virginia professor who also studies receivership, said while she has found some positive effects in Lawrence, state takeover had a 'neutral to negative' impact in Holyoke and Southbridge. Her research only analyzed data for school years prior to COVID, when schools were abruptly shuttered, but state absenteeism and test score data indicate Holyoke students were Advertisement In their news release announcing the end of receivership, state leaders also cited various operational changes that took place over the last decade. The district expanded its pre-K program to more than 500 seats, redesigned the high school, expanded career-related offerings, and built a new middle school, set to open this fall. 'While school improvement work will continue in Holyoke, it is time for local officials to take the lead,' Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said in a statement. 'Community stakeholders have consistently shared their input into the district's decision-making processes, and the School Committee partnered with a Community Advisory Team as part of the capacity-building plan. This experience is a strong foundation for the district's future.' Related : Tutwiler also serves as interim education commissioner; his successor, Stephen Zrike, the district's initial state receiver and now Salem superintendent, agreed improvements had been made in some areas even if there's more to be done. 'People automatically assume with a receivership that it's just about what happens in the classroom, but the system did need a lot of infrastructural support around operations,' he said. 'It worked in some regards.' Holyoke Teachers Association President Nick Cream cheered the end of receivership, but called for the lifting of compensated in part based on their effectiveness as educators, their professional growth, and student academic improvement. Advertisement Cream said the union does not believe it's a full exit of state control until those provisions end. 'If we don't have control over having a say in those things, we're not going to have the outcomes we believe our students deserve and students need,' he said. Christopher Huffaker can be reached at
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Threat to Holyoke High deemed hoax; juvenile suspect identified
HOLYOKE — Police have tracked down a juvenile accused of a making a threat to Holyoke High School on social media. Students first saw the threat last week and notified School Resource Officers Manuel Rivera and Juan Cruz about the post, Holyoke Police Chief Brian Keenan said. They immediately started investigating the threat, made on Instagram, and determined it was not credible. The original post was deleted but has been passed through screenshots by students and the others in the school community, Keenan said. 'Detectives spoke with the juvenile with a parent present to reinforce the seriousness of posting any type of threat online,' Keenan said. Police did not release any information about the suspect because of the accused's age or the nature of the post. 'Our department treats any threat to our community seriously and thoroughly investigates each situation to determine if any threat is credible. In this case, thankfully it was not,' Keenan said. 'The safety and well-being of our students and community is paramount. I appreciate the vigilance of the students who brought this post to our officers' attention, and in doing so, the officers were able to quickly identify the person responsible for the post.' Mayor Joshua Garcia thanked police for their quick action and reinforced that no students or staff were ever in danger. 'I want to assure our community, students, staff and teachers that there is no ongoing threat, and this post was deemed to not be credible,' he said. 'If there was a situation where we received a threat, and it was deemed credible or if it was unclear, we would alert our community immediately.' Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Holyoke police identify juvenile connected to hoax school threat
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – Holyoke police have identified a juvenile in connection with a hoax school threat made on social media. According to Holyoke Police Chief Brian Keenan, the threat was reported on Instagram and was related to Holyoke High School. Students brought the post to the attention of multiple school resource officers. Multi-car crash in Holyoke damages traffic light, parked cars While the original post was deleted, screenshots of the post are still being shared. Holyoke Police quickly assessed the threat and deemed it non-credible. After identifying the juvenile, officers spoke with them along with their parent about the seriousness of posting any type of threat online. 'I'd like to thank Officers Cruz, Rivera, and our Detectives for their prompt handling of this situation,' said Chief Keenan. 'Our department treats any threat to our community seriously and thoroughly investigates each situation to determine if any threat is credible. In this case, thankfully, it was not. The safety and well-being of our students and community is paramount. I appreciate the vigilance of the students who brought this post to our officers' attention, and in doing so, the officers were able to quickly identify the person responsible for the post.' 'I have full faith in Chief Keenan and his officers to investigate these types of incidents, and I thank them for identifying the source of this post with urgency,' said Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia. 'While it can be uneasy, I want to assure our community, students, staff, and teachers that there is no ongoing threat, and this post was deemed to not be credible. If there was a situation where we received a threat and it was deemed credible or if it was unclear, we would alert our community immediately.' The Holyoke Police Department stated that there was never a credible threat to the community. Officers urge anyone who sees an online threat mentioning a school in the area to contact the police immediately. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New project to separate Holyoke sewage overflow into Connecticut River
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia will announce a new project to separate the city's sewage system. It would fix an issue that several cities and towns in our area have, the overflow of untreated sewage water into the Connecticut River when it rains. City leaders will hold a news conference Monday morning to discuss the project. Over 6 million gallons of Holyoke wastewater discharged into Connecticut River They say it's being funded by millions of dollars in both state and federal environmental grants. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Holyoke mayor calls for reform in city's financial management
HOLYOKE — Holyoke Mayor Joshua A. Garcia says he wants to make the city's operations smoother and keep a closer eye on spending. To achieve that, Garcia last week offered two budget plans. One, at $180 million, shows the cost of running the city as it is. The other could realize savings by 2027 if the city passes what is being called the Holyoke Municipal Finance Modernization Act. 'If we're going to be honest, we know that this is exactly what this city has been needing for a very long time,' Garcia said at his State of the City address Tuesday. However, union representatives are concerned about potential job losses and the broader impact on municipal employees. Chris Adams, a leader with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1459, said the union is upset because two of its members will have to apply for new city jobs if the change is approved. The local represents about 4,000 members in Western Massachusetts and in parts of Vermont. Public hearings will be held Monday, May 28 and June 9. The City Council will vote on the spending plan June 17. City Council President Tessa Murphy-Romboletti said nine votes are needed to adopt the financial reform. Garcia called on the City Council to pass the reform before the end of this fiscal year, so that it can be in place by July 1. On other fronts, Garcia this week urged elected leaders to join him in thinking creatively about development and planning. Garcia has proposed projects like locally controlled broadband, forming a committee for Ingleside development, creating a sports complex and leveraging a quantum computing facility for continued economic growth. The proposed reform seeks to fix old auditing problems, make the city's financial departments work better and ensure they are more accountable, Garcia said. The reform will create new finance jobs, like a chief administration financial officer and a comptroller, merge the treasurer and tax collector roles and cut jobs in other departments. Garcia said the reform will help the city collect money better and predict its financial condition more accurately. The state has suggested creating the chief administration financial officer position for almost 20 years. In an interview, Murphy-Romboletti said having both plans to review helped her to compare finance department savings. In 2026, the Holyoke budget will balance out, and by 2027, the city could save up to $100,000 if the City Council agrees to this plan, she said. The main goal is to get the money needed in the budget to hire for the new jobs if the act is approved, she said. Garcia hired Timothy J. Plante, Springfield's former chief administrative and financial officer, to help create the new job in Holyoke, she said. Past problems in municipal finance stemmed from a lack of proper systems and checks, an issue since the 1970s, Murphy-Romboletti said. The new chief financial officer would be independent and oversee the finance department. The mayor would choose this officer, and the City Council will approve the appointment, she said. 'It feels like checks and balances,' she said. 'It is long overdue.' Murphy-Romboletti believes the shifts will save money in the long run. 'It's a huge game changer for the long-term financial health of the city,' she said. Rory Casey, the city treasurer, said the reform would not only enhance efficiencies and save money, but has the potential to generate revenue. For instance, Casey said the chief administrative and financial officer would pursue grants and reimbursement funding, enabling the city to accrue interest. Now, approximately $100,000 in interest earnings is being forfeited due to the city's inability to promptly recover owed funds, a consequence of the previously dysfunctional finance department, Casey said. About 18 full-time jobs will be cut in several departments. Thirteen of these jobs have been empty for a while, but five are filled. This includes positions in the departments of assessor, City Clerk and Office of Planning and Economic Development. Others will be cut in the building, fire, and veterans services departments, with three positions eliminated in the Police Department and several more in the Department of Public Works. The cuts are driven in part by budgetary constraints — but more importantly by a wish to improve government efficiency, Garcia said. Adams, of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1459, said this is the first time in his eight years working with the DPW unions they have faced cuts. Adams, also a union representative for Springfield, and Chicopee, said there are no layoffs in other cities. Holyoke is the only city with layoffs, he said. The restructuring includes job changes as well as cuts. A maintenance worker at the Holyoke Police Department and another who works at different city buildings will have to take new jobs, Adams said, including one in the parks department. Those workers have been in their roles for 12 and 13 years, he said. The union plans to file a complaint against the city with the state Department of Labor for the wrongful elimination of union-protected jobs, he said. Adams said Garcia initially told him the reforms would only cut unfilled positions. Adams said he later learned that two members of the local would need to apply for new jobs without the union having any input, he said. The majority of the cuts were in the DPW. Adams questions the wisdom of that. Holyoke is the second largest city in Western Massachusetts and already operates with half the staff of cities of similar size, he said. 'Reducing positions will increase the workload for the remaining staff, making it more challenging to manage the needs of such a large city,' he said. The proposed job cuts aim to reduce expenses. Several factors are driving expenses up for Holyoke, such as rising health care costs, pension obligations and infrastructure maintenance. Garcia said the school district expects another year of increases in school aid due to the Student Opportunity Act, with aid going up by 5.87%, making the total local contribution of about $13.96 million. The Student Opportunity Act makes sure schools with more low-income students and kids learning English get more money to help them succeed. Schools must contribute a certain amount of money each year to help pay for education, based on the community's ability to fund it. Transportation costs are also rising, with a 10.32% increase, totaling $12.78 million. The city had to go out to bid for a new transportation contract, seeing a 15% increase while other communities saw 17%-25% increases since 2022, the mayor told The Republican. 'We were able to mitigate increases post-pandemic by extending the old contract for another two years, we got the lowest possible rate and locked in a rate with increases for five years in a new five-year contract. Unfortunately, transportation inflation post pandemic is consistent across the country,' he said. Garcia also highlighted Holyoke schools regaining local control and a new middle school opening in August. 'The School Committee regained decision-making power,' he said. 'Our superintendent will be accountable to only the elected School Committee and the members of the Holyoke Teachers Association will have their right to collective bargain.' However, Nick Cream, president of the Holyoke Teachers Association, said the union still does not have collective bargaining rights by law. The budget is complicated, and the teachers' union understands there are real-world constraints. However, since the Student Opportunity Act passed, which educators fought for and won, Holyoke Public Schools have received and continue to receive increases in state funding, Cream said. 'We know that Holyoke Public Schools can afford to pay its teachers, counselors, and other school-based staff the wages we deserve. There are a lot of high-paying salaries at the top of the district's hierarchy, which are a substantial drain on budget resources,' he said in an interview. One position includes the Chief of Strategy and Turnaround, who Cream says lives in Illinois and was the second-highest paid person in Holyoke Public Schools in 2024, with a yearly salary of $174,000. Garcia said he expects local Holyoke revenues to grow a bit in the coming fiscal year, but said Proposition 2½ limits tax increases. The $180 million budget keeps core services running without using reserves or free cash. Garcia said the city stopped using American Rescue Plan Act funds and is now covering expenses with its yearly budget. The city holds $1.5 million in interest earned from ARPA funds, which the treasurer is looking to invest. Despite financial challenges, Holyoke has made significant investments in government, infrastructure, including upgrades to city buildings, sidewalks, and roads, Garcia said. In remarks to the City Council, Garcia highlighted the police department's reduction in the overtime budget by 47%, achieved through the introduction of an online scheduling and employee benefits management system. In February, the city lost two federal grants totaling $20 million due to actions by the Trump administration. Despite this setback, Holyoke has earned an A+ bond rating and high marks for its financial management policies from Standard & Poor's. Although federal grants were taken away, the city's budget for the coming year is balanced, and its bond rating is good, Garcia said. Read the original article on MassLive.
