It is difficult for the city government to come to the understanding that many new families are moving into Everett because of its proximity to Boston and the North Shore and because its public schools offer so much and are so accommodating.
This is a fact of reality.
So many new people are moving in that the school population is jumping higher by almost 500-600 new students in a year, every year.
This new reality forces the school department to create seats for every new addition to the public schools.
The Everett city government can’t tell the State Board of Education that it doesn’t want to spend more money for more students. It can’t say that to the Federal government either.
By law, every school-age child living in this city – and some not living in this city but who used to live here – has the right to a seat in a public school.
The problem arises when there aren’t enough seats in all the public schools to accommodate the crush of new students entering the system.
The city government’s response: let’s stop the school department from overspending its budget.
The reality: We better create seats or we are not in compliance and the school department and the city will be punitively punished by the state and federal government.
Now comes another city government idea.
Let’s not build anymore housing in Everett and that will solve the problem of the overpopulation in the public schools.
But how do you do that?
How do stop the free market place from operating in Everett?
If Everett bans development, the Everett city treasury is going to dry up.
The reality: people with children have a right to live in Everett. Development can’t be stopped reasonably to stop population growth in the public schools.
What to do?
The city needs to build another school right away. This is what must be done.
And let’s say a new school housing 600 children is built – what happens next year when another 600 need seats?
This is the dilemma Everett faces. It is a costly one and it is a problem filled with complexities.
The reality: Everett needs to confront its growing public school population with more than lip service.
The children all need seats. The law guarantees this.
Everett must follow the law.
There is no way of skirting around it.
View Comments (2)
It's because of the illegal brazilian population here in Everett. Why are people afraid to approach those facts? Stop illegals from population our city and the problem is solved.
How do you stop the free market from operating in Everett?
Free markets exist when supply and demand are allowed regulate themselves. If more people move to Everett prices go up and less people can afford to live, so some people move out and less people move in.
But in Everett (really anywhere in MA), it doesn't work this way. When more people move to Everett, prices go up and more people use Section 8 to help pay rent, they use food stamps to pay for food, their children get free lunch at school (amoung other things I am sure, I am not a parent so I have no idea what else) and the low income people don't pay very much in State taxes so tax revenue doesn't increase either.
So, you want a brand new school in Everett, which is probably $30 million +, yet many of the newcomers pay little in taxes to fund the project.. The city is already burdened with paying for many free lunches and other things. Mathematically, without taking on too much debt, how do you propose to pay for a new school.
Here is my idea. Cut section 8 in Everett, cut EBT. Monitor houses that are overfilled with people (e.g. a two bedroom apartment should only have 1-2 children). Many people will move to cheaper places like NH or ME. (this is how free markets actually work) Now the actual people who can afford Everett will stay or move in and they will be able to pay market rates, meaning they make average or better money. Tax receipts go up, school lunch isn't subsidized and you can afford a new school and a higher level of education probably too.
Pretty simple actually.
Thoughts?