• Lynnfield – Friday, February 3 - Lynnfield Town Hall - 55 Summer Street - 10:00 am - 11:00 am
• Melrose – Friday, February 3 - Melrose Council on Aging - 201 West Foster Street - 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
• Malden – Friday, February 10 - Markey Malden Senior Center - 7 Washington Street - 10:00 am – 11:00 am
• Stoneham – Friday, February 10 - Stoneham Senior Center - 136 Elm Street - 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
• Wakefield – Friday, February 17 - Wakefield Council on Aging - 30 Converse Street - 9:00 am – 10:00 am
• Reading – Friday, February 17 - Reading Public Library - 64 Middlesex Avenue - 10:30 am – 11:30 am

Race to the Top: Supporting our Youngest Learners - by Katherine Clark - posted Joe Cassia 1/24/2012 - Last week I joined Governor Patrick and students and educators from around the state to celebrate the recent announcement that Massachusetts has been selected to receive a $50 million grant to expand pre-Kindergarten education.  As part of the federal Race to the Top: Early Learning Challenge program, Massachusetts was one of nine states awarded grants to develop new approaches to early learning and close the school readiness gap.
State and local officials, educators and advocates, all worked hard to develop and support this important proposal, and we all should be very proud that the state’s plan was successful.  But most importantly, we all have reason to celebrate what these funds will mean for our youngest learners as we strive to ensure that all children, particularly high-needs children, have access to quality pre-K education.   
Research from the Brookings Institution and others suggests that state pre-K programs have positive impacts on children’s school readiness and cognitive skills, including both pre-reading and pre-math skills, especially for low-income or at-risk children. In addition, we know that if we are to close persistent gaps in educational achievement, particularly related to reading, we must start early.  MCAS reading scores show that nearly 40 percent of third graders are reading at a level below proficiency; this trend persists across the state, with the most alarming statistics coming from our lowest income school districts.  
To address this challenge, I have introduced legislation that would establish the Massachusetts Early Reading Council to advise state education officials on early age language and literacy strategies and ensure that our curriculum is language rich, engaging and rigorous and that our assessment strategies are comprehensive, developmentally appropriate and used to inform practice.  I also remain dedicated to providing all school districts with equitable resources they need to serve all our students, including those in pre-Kindergarten programs.
In a statement announcing the awards to Massachusetts and eight other states, President Obama said: "Education must be our national mission . . .  And today, we're acting to strengthen early childhood education to better prepare our youngest children for success in school and in life.”
This grant is just one piece of the Commonwealth’s effort to achieve that mission.  But the truth is, we all have a role to play.  Whether we are parents, teachers, administrators, mentors, or government officials, we must work together so that every child – at every ability level and at every grade level – receives an education that unlocks the child’s full potential. 

Senator Clark Recognized with Award from Mass Mentoring Partnership - posted by Joe Cassia - Senator Katherine Clark was recognized at the State House at Youth Mentoring Day with an award for her support of mentoring in Massachusetts and encouraging continued public support for mentoring programs. “It has been a pleasure to work with Mass Mentoring to encourage mentoring around my district and the state,” said Senator Clark. “I look forward to continuing this partnership as we work to expand youth mentoring programs that create positive life changing experiences for young people.” “We were thrilled to honor Senator Clark at Youth Mentoring Day. She has been a great champion for youth mentoring in her district through support of the Mentoring Grant Line Item in the state budget and her outreach to the local community to encourage more citizens to become mentors,” said Marty Martinez, Chief Program Officer for the Mass Mentoring Partnership. 

Shining a Light on Education Collaboratives - by Katherine Clark - Posted by Joe Cassia Jan 17, 2012 - Last summer, the state’s inspector general accused the director of Merrimack Special Education Collaborative of diverting $11.5 million in public funding to boost his salary and those of a few top executives.  In response, last week the State Senate passed legislation to reform the Commonwealth’s system of education collaboratives, increasing the transparency, accountability and oversight of these important institutions. Education collaboratives, established by law over 35 years ago, provide special education services and programs to students throughout our state.  The purpose of the collaboratives is to allow school districts to join together to offer educational services for students with special needs who cannot be served in a traditional public school.
Currently about 30 collaboratives in the state serve over 300 local and regional school districts, educating many students and providing other services like professional development. While most collaboratives are well run and play a key role in our educational system, the Merrimack investigation revealed that the system needed major reform and increased oversight to prevent corruption and to ensure that our students get the high-quality services and opportunities they deserve. The new law makes important changes to how education collaboratives are governed to explicitly prevent conflicts of interest.   Board members and management employees of collaboratives will be barred from working for related non-profit or for-profit organizations, and board members will not receive a salary.   In addition, collaboratives will be subject to a comprehensive review by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) at least every six years, similar to public school districts.  Board members will also be required to complete training conducted by the DESE.
These institutions will be required to adopt and maintain a financial accounting system that can be audited by the state, to produce annual financial statements that are independently audited, and to file the audit report with the state and each member school committee.  Non-profits related to the collaboratives also must file audited financial information with the state.  All this information must be made available in a searchable online database. The legislation mandates additional transparency measures to increase the public’s access to information about these institutions, including a requirement to maintain a public web site with a list of board members, board meeting minutes, and a copy of the collaborative’s founding documents.  And, the recently passed pension reform legislation also included a provision that will no longer allow a person to fraudulently boost or collect a state pension by not reporting his or her full income.
While the corruption at Merrimack may have been an anomaly, these reforms will help create a more accountable system and ensure the public’s money is going where it should be – to our neediest students.

Senator Clark Supports Employment Rights Bill for Victims of Domestic Violence - Posted by Joe Cassia January 13, 2012 – The Senate on Thursday passed legislation establishing new employment rights for victims of domestic violence that will help victims keep their jobs and increase long-term economic productivity, Senator Katherine Clark announced today. The vote was 34-0. The bill has wide support from advocacy organizations and the business community. “This legislation will allow domestic violence victims to get the critical help and services they need without risking their jobs and livelihood,” said Senator Clark. “I am proud to support this responsible bill that has the support of advocates along with members of the business community.” The bill requires employers with 50 or more employees to allow up to 15 days of leave, with or without pay, to any employee who is a victim of domestic violence or lives with a family member who is a victim of domestic violence.
Employees can use the leave to obtain medical attention, counseling, housing, protection orders and other legal assistance. Employers can require employees to provide restraining orders, police reports, medical notes or other official documentation, such as a conviction record or victim advocate statement, to certify that the employee or employee’s family member is a victim of domestic violence.
The bill requires the employer to keep all information about the employee’s leave confidential. Employees must exhaust all available leave, such as vacation and sick time, before seeking leave established under this bill; however an employer may waive this requirement. Similar legislation was passed by the Senate in the previous legislative session on May 13, 2010 but did not make it through the entire legislative process. It has the support of Jane Doe Inc., the Associated Industries of Massachusetts and the Retailers’ Association of Massachusetts. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives.

Senator Clark Takes Action Against Financial Abuses at State Education Collaboratives; Senate Passes Reform Legislation to End Mismanagement - Posted by Joe Cassia January 11, 2012 - The Senate on Tuesday took decisive action to end mismanagement and financial abuses at the Commonwealth's education collaboratives, that help teach children with special needs, Senator Clark announced. With a unanimous vote, the Senate passed legislation that establishes strict oversight and accountability of the state's 30 institutions. "This legislation is an important step as we work to increase oversight and accountability after an appalling abuse of power affecting our most vulnerable children," said Senator Clark. "I am proud that the Senate was able to act quickly to pass these significant reforms."
State officials and the public called for immediate action after investigations last year by the state auditor and inspector general uncovered a serious misuse of funding at the Merrimack Special Education Collaborative and other collaboratives around the state. The legislation will improve the governance and fiscal accountability of the Commonwealth's network of educational collaboratives by increasing transparency and setting clear standards to ensure that funding for the collaboratives will be used specifically for direct services to students.
The bill addresses the conflicts of interest surrounding collaboratives and their related nonprofit organizations, through which many of the abuses took place, creating clear requirements for board members and staff. It prohibits board members from receiving a salary and from serving in any official capacity at a related nonprofit organization.
Further establishing financial oversight and accountability, the bill requires the board of directors to appoint a treasurer who is not a member of the board or an employee of the collaborative. The bill also requires collaboratives to maintain a financial accounting system and authorizes the state education department, auditor and department of revenue to periodically audit or review the records of every education collaborative.
The boards of each education collaborative will also be required to prepare an annual financial report and conduct an independent audit, which will be made publicly available online. Each board must file its annual report and audit with the state education commissioner, auditor, and each member school committee and charter school board. Related nonprofits must also submit annual audited financial statements to the Attorney General or the state education department. And, the bill makes explicit that collaboratives are subject to the same competitive bidding requirements that school districts must follow when contracting for goods and services. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for further action.

Saving Energy, Saving Money - by Katherine Clark - Posted by Joe Cassia January 2012 - With the cold weather upon us, it's a good time to think about making our homes more energy efficient. Energy efficiency improvements, many of which can be done easily and at relatively low cost, save money and energy and make our homes more comfortable. And with fuel costs running considerably higher than last year, these improvements can make a real difference.
A good first step is a home energy audit. These energy audits usually take 2-3 hours and are free to residents in the district served by utilities like NSTAR and National Grid.  My family and I recently participated in an audit arranged through the Melrose Energy Commission. During the audit, an energy specialist: inspected our heating and hot water systems and made recommendations for improvements, replaced incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, examined insulation, checked our windows and doors, advised us on the feasibility of solar panels, and made many valuable suggestions for improving the energy efficiency of our home. The entire process was straight-forward, easy to arrange, and very informative. If you would like to learn more about home energy audits or schedule one, please visit Mass Save at www.masssave.com or the Melrose Energy Commission at www.melroseenergy.org.
You can also download a helpful guide from the U.S. Department of Energy with numerous money-saving tips at: www.energysavers.gov/tips. For example, the Energy Department estimates that installing a programmable thermostat to keep your house comfortable could save more than $100 a year on heating and cooling bills, and that upgrading 15 of the traditional light bulbs in your home could save about $50 per year.
Other quick fixes include turning off your computers and monitors when they're not in use, plugging electronics into power strips that can be easily turned off and on, installing weather-stripping to stop energy leaks around your front door, cleaning or replacing heating and cooling filters, and lowering the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120°F.
For low-income residents, assistance may be available for weatherizing your home, including for weather-stripping, air sealing, insulation, replacement windows, and heating system maintenance. Several organizations in our district provide these services at no cost to qualified families: Tri-City Community Action Program (Tri-CAP), Community Action Programs Inter-City (CAPIC), and the Lynn Economic Opportunity, Inc (LEO). These organizations also offer fuel assistance if you and your family are struggling with heating bills this winter. If you need more information about fuel assistance, please contact my office at 617-722-1206.   Together we can improve the energy efficiency of our homes and keep everyone warm and safe this winter.

Looking ahead: Priorities for 2012 by Senator Katherine Clark - Posted by Joe Cassia January 2012 - As we begin 2012, the challenge will be to find policy solutions that work and to support innovative and efficient programs, all while being responsible and accountable stewards of taxpayer dollars. This year’s budget debate will likely be another difficult one, with the state facing a tight fiscal environment and the possibility of budget cuts. I believe that we can and will develop a budget that funds vital programs in a sensible way, and I look forward to your input as my colleagues and I move forward in that process.
In the state senate this year, my priorities will include:

• Creating jobs and growing small businesses.  While the unemployment rate in Massachusetts is considerably lower than the national rate, too many of our friends and neighbors are still struggling to find work or are underemployed.  As the Massachusetts economy continues to recover, we must find ways to support the growth of our businesses, particularly small businesses which account for nearly 48 percent of our private sector jobs in the Commonwealth, according to the Small Business Administration.  This includes helping our businesses control rising healthcare costs and ensuring access to the lines-of-credit and capital they need to grow and hire new employees.  I also will continue to support innovative job training and placement programs.
• Supporting schools and communities.  During challenging economic times, state aid to our cities and towns, particularly for education, is more important than ever.  I will continue to fight to ensure that all school districts have the resources they need to serve all our students, at all skills-levels and all grade levels of our public schools.  I believe we must support innovative learning, identify students who need extra help very early on and support their individual academic development, and ensure that our students have access to art, music and wellness. We need to empower teachers and maintain the highest standards for academic success in the 21st century.
• Protecting our most vulnerable populations. With mandatory budget cuts looming at the federal level, the state will face increased pressure to adequately fund programs that serve those among us who are struggling. Throughout the year I will maintain my focus on programs that serve our seniors – like adult day habilitation and home care – and our low-income residents – especially fuel assistance and community-based organizations that provide food and other vital services.
• Supporting our veterans and military families. As more of our troops return home from service in Iraq and Afghanistan, we must ensure that they and their families have immediate and lasting access to the support and services they need.  This includes assisting veterans in obtaining health care, mental health and counseling services, housing support, childcare, and education, job training and placement services so that they can find high-quality, 21st century jobs.      
• Keeping our communities strong and safe. I will continue to work to ensure that our criminal justice system is effective and efficient, including our parole system.  As the new year begins, the house and senate will work to iron out differences in two parole reform bills, and my focus will remain: keeping the most violent criminals behind bars while creating opportunity for meaningful rehabilitation for nonviolent drug offenders.  I will also continue to pursue several important priorities related to domestic violence: creating a criminal offense of strangulation and adding pets to restraining orders. Choking a victim and abusing pets are two indicators that a domestic violence situation is becoming lethal.  Both of these provisions would extend protections to those in dangerous situations and help prosecutors and judges effectively intervene in domestic violence cases before a death occurs.   

These are just some of the priorities I will pursue this year.  As always, I look forward to your thoughtful advice and your help in strengthening our communities and our schools and creating jobs and lasting economic growth in the Commonwealth.

Senator Katherine Clark's 2011 Year-in-Review - Posted by Joe Cassia December 2011 - This past year, as the state continued to confront economic challenges, I focused on ways to build our schools and our communities, support our businesses, and maintain a strong fiscal position for the Commonwealth.  The Fiscal Year 2012 budget was a difficult one, with the legislature facing a projected $1.9 billion budget gap.  While we struggled with cuts, I was proud to work to preserve – or in some cases increase – funding for priority programs, all without raising taxes.
Highlights included:

• Maintained and increased funding for elder services like adult day habilitation, home care and elder protective services.
• Additional support for special education and early intervention programs.  The Special Education Circuit Breaker provides funds to reimburse cities and towns for special education costs, and this funding will go directly to help some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in our Commonwealth.  In addition, over 30,000 children and families are currently served through 58 early intervention programs statewide, and the final budget reflected an approximately $6 million increase for these effective programs.
• Maintaining support for the METCO program. The METCO program provides valuable educational opportunities to more than 3,000 students, many of whom attend schools in our district.
• More funding for veterans services. Massachusetts will see more returning veterans than we have since the end of World War II, and we need to be able to provide them with the services they deserve.  An innovative new program was also funded that will train veterans to offer peer-to-peer mental health services.  

Other important priorities this year included:

• Supporting Small Business. Through a series of small business forums on topics like access to capital and health care pools, I have worked to help local businesses get access to tools and information that can help them succeed.
• Controlling Healthcare Costs.  As the Senate Chair of the Public Service Committee, I was pleased to play a central role in drafting the municipal health insurance section of the FY2012 budget, that resulted in a set of comprehensive reforms that could save municipalities as much as $100 million.
• Anti-Human Trafficking.  Anti-human trafficking legislation was approved this year, establishing human trafficking for sexual servitude or labor as a crime in Massachusetts and giving law enforcement the necessary tools to enforce it and protect victims.
• Redistricting.  The House and Senate also voted on new legislative districts proposed by the joint committee on redistricting. Redistricting is a constitutionally required process that occurs every 10 years after the release of the U.S. census data. The process has been lauded as fair, balanced and transparent.
• Reforming our Pension System.  This year I chaired the pension reform effort in the Senate.  The resulting bill will save more than $5 billion over the next 30 years while maintaining a strong, fair public pension system.  
• Expanded Gaming in the Commonwealth.  A new law will allow up to three casinos in Massachusetts and is projected to create over 12,000 jobs and produce much needed revenue for the state.  I will continue to monitor its implementation and work for school funding fairness through the new revenues.

These are just some of the important areas of action on Beacon Hill this year.  In 2012, I look forward to building on these successes and pursue a legislative agenda that creates jobs, grows our businesses, and strengthens our schools and communities.  I wish you and your family a healthy and happy New Year and look forward to working with you in 2012.

Senator Clark Awarded Legislator of the Year by Mass School Committees - Posted by Joe Cassia Dec 2011 – Senator Katherine Clark received the award for Legislator of the Year from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. The award was presented at the Melrose School Committee meeting with school committee members from cities in towns throughout the district in attendance. The award was presented to the Senator by MASC President and Lynnfield School Committee member Dorothy Presser for her work on behalf of the children of the Commonwealth including her work on the Achievement Gap bill to increase the oversight of charter schools, and her advocacy to address problems with Chapter 70 school funding.
“The school children of Melrose, her senatorial district and throughout the Commonwealth are fortunate to have such an articulate advocate,” said MASC President Dorothy Presser. “It is a pleasure for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) to present Senator Clark with its Legislator of the Year Award for 2011 as unanimously voted by the MASC Board of Directors.”
“I am honored to receive this award from an organization that does so much for public schools across Massachusetts,” said Senator Clark. “Strong public schools are critical as we work to improve our economy and prepare our children for future success and I am grateful to have such wonderful partners in the school committees across the district.” Senator Clark serves as a member of the Joint Committee on Education and as a member of the Advisory Council for the Department of Early Education and Care.

Support Our Local Retailers by Katherine Clark - Posted by Joe Cassia Dec 13, 2011 - Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Hunt’s Photo & Video in Melrose to present Hunt’s leadership team with a citation in recognition of their recent award as the 2011 Massachusetts Retailer of the Year.  Hunt’s Photo & Video received this honor from the Retailers Association of Massachusetts for its excellent customer service, highly trained and experienced sales staff, and competitive pricing.  
Since 1952, the Farber family has built Hunt’s into a powerhouse in the field of photography, video and digital imaging. Growing from its original drugstore in Malden, today the company, run by Scott and Gary Farber, operates in four states and is the largest digital imaging equipment retailer in New England.  Over these decades, in good economic times and challenging ones, Hunt’s has proven that outstanding customer service, superior product knowledge, and a strong commitment to community are the best recipe for business success – even in the face of stiff competition from large, multinational chains.
Hunt’s story is just one of the many success stories of small businesses in our communities. According to the most recent data available from the Small Business Administration, small businesses in Massachusetts account for nearly 48 percent of our private sector jobs. During this holiday season, when we consider how to spend our shopping dollars, I encourage you to visit these businesses and see how much they have to offer. And when you do, you’ll find that these small businesses have tremendous experience, knowledgeable staff and product insight. They also offer very competitive pricing and most give back directly to our communities by hiring our friends and neighbors and donating to local causes and charitable organizations.
It is also true that our local retailers are facing direct competition from national chain stores and virtual outlets.  For example, online retailers like Amazon are aggressively targeting retail stores of all sizes with promotions that give customers discounts if they use smart-phone apps to compare prices while inside a physical store.
We want all businesses to succeed, whether they are online or brick-and-mortar. But we also should think about what our spending decisions might mean for the retailers in our communities. As Vice Chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Community Development, I will continue to work on state programs and policies that best support our local businesses. And I know you will join me in considering the great value of shopping locally this holiday season.

Opening the State’s Checkbook - Katherine Clark - Posted by Joe Cassia Dec 5, 2011 - One of the best ways to ensure transparent and open government is to clearly communicate how the state is spending your tax dollars. To do this, the state must make information readily available and easily accessible, and last year I was proud to co-sponsor new transparency and accountability reforms as part of the state's FY2011 Budget.   To carry out these new provisions, the state’s Open Checkbook Project was developed and went live this week at: www.mass.gov/OpenCheckbook.
Open Checkbook offers a window into state government by providing the public with a searchable online database of state spending information.  Among other things, you can find information about state agencies and the current salaries, titles and departments of state employees.  While much information is now available online, certain protections have been implemented, including measures to shield private information like social security numbers.  In addition, victims of domestic violence or other crimes may be exempt from disclosure when publicly displaying this type of information could compromise their personal safety.
In 2010, Massachusetts received a failing grade for transparency in Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group’s (MASSPIRG) “Follow the Money” report.  In 2011, Massachusetts was awarded a B+ as the new transparency law began to be implemented. The Executive Office of Administration and Finance launched a new transparency website, Massachusetts Transparency, bringing the state's spending information under one roof at: www.mass.gov/transparency.  MASSPIRG now ranks Massachusetts 6th among the leading states with the most open spending information.   
Massachusetts has made real progress as it implements the transparency law.  But we must continue to open the books, and especially, to make information on tax credits available. Massachusetts spends millions of dollars every year on economic development, and we must be able to easily track the money to ensure that it is being used to create jobs here in the Commonwealth.
Ensuring a government that works effectively and efficiently also requires an active citizenry.  I encourage you to take advantage of these new information sources to learn about what our state agencies are doing and how our government functions.  The launch of Open Checkbook is true progress as the Commonwealth moves toward a transparent, accountable system that will allow us all to invest in our financial health and future.

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