BOSTON – Senate President Stanley Rosenberg touched a nerve on Monday when he painted a bleak picture of the prospect of advancing a bill to increase the number of charter schools through the Senate this year, but his read of fellow senators jibes with what supporters of expansion are hearing from sympathetic Senate members.
Rosenberg described the possibility of the Senate acting on charter school legislation as "very much an uphill battle," and asserted that in his home district constituents oppose adding new charter schools. He would not say whether that means he would vote against a bill.
BOSTON – With Gov. Charlie Baker considering where and how deep to cut spending from the current fiscal 2016 budget, December tax collections could help crystallize some the decisions the governor is expected to finalize "shortly."
The Department of Revenue is expected to release a revenue report for the month of December on Wednesday, figures that Baker said Monday he and Legislative leaders were waiting on before moving forward with mid-year budget corrections. This is the second year in a row Baker has had to tinker with the state budget while also preparing his own budget proposal for next year, but so far has resisted placing any blame on lawmakers who overrode tens of millions of dollars in spending vetoes.
