Brewer Announces Release of Legislation to Crack Down on Education Collaboratives
(Boston) – Senator Stephen M. Brewer (D-Barre) today joined Senate President Therese Murray and Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz to announce plans to take up legislation aimed at improving accountability and oversight of education collaboratives in Massachusetts.
The bill, filed by Senator Chang-Diaz, was released from the Senate Committee on Ways and Means today. Brewer, who chairs the committee, stressed the importance of this bill to promote transparency and prevent financial mismanagement.
“This legislation increases oversight by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of these collaboratives,” said Brewer. “Some of Massachusetts’ most vulnerable students rely on services from these collaboratives and it is imperative that we protect these students by taking a close look at these institutions and mandating audits and reports to prevent fiscal abuse in the future.”
An education collaborative is comprised of two or more school committees of cities, towns and regional school districts, and boards of trustees of charter schools who have entered into a written agreement to provide shared programs and services, providing a cost-effective solution for shared needs.
The bill includes a number of provisions to increase oversight and requires an education collaborative to be managed by a board of directors consisting of one person appointed annually by each member school committee or member charter school board. It also requires the Commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to appoint one voting member. Board members are prohibited from receiving a salary and will be required to complete training conducted by DESE within 30 days of appointment.
Provisions in the bill aimed at preventing fiscal abuse include requiring audits and financial reports to be available to the public over the internet, requiring education collaboratives to adopt and maintain a financial accounting system, subject to review by DESE, and requiring collaboratives to submit an annual report to the Commissioner of DESE, each member school committee and each member charter school board.
Additionally, the law prohibits board members, executive officers, and employees of education collaboratives from working at related non-profit or for-profit organizations.
Education collaboratives currently in operation are required to reapply for approval and will undergo reevaluation at least once every 6 years. Additionally, under this legislation education collaboratives are required to establish and maintain a searchable website.
Under the new law, if the Commissioner of DESE receives information that indicates circumstances that impede a collaborative’s viability or demonstrate deficiencies in programmatic quality or significant wrong doing by a board member or employee, the Commissioner may place an education collaborative on probationary status to allow implementation of a remedial plan. If the remedial plan is not successful, the Commissioner may direct school districts and charter schools to withhold payments of public funds and, in consultation with the Secretary of Administration and Finance, may also withhold state funds.
The bill would also establish a 10-member special commission to study the role of education collaboratives in the Commonwealth. Members of the Massachusetts Senate will have until Friday, January 6, 2012 at 5:00 PM to review the proposed legislation and file amendments.
Posted: Wed, Jan 4, 2012
Updated Wed, Jan 4, 2012