(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)
Dear Editor,
As many parents will know, affordable childcare is difficult to find in Massachusetts. Middlesex County is the third most expensive county in the U.S. for childcare. Governor Maura Healey herself stated that childcare was a crisis in her inaugural speech early this year. But on Wednesday, August 9, Governor Healey slashed funds in the FY24 budget that would provide higher wages to our early childcare educators, undermining her very own goal of making childcare more accessible. Governor Healey vetoed $1 million funding for Head Start State Supplemental Grants and slashed $35 million salary rate funding for center-based early educators in programs that work with low-income and at-risk children. These unconscionable cuts undermine the value and respect for educators serving our youngest learners and would directly hit the wallets of those who are most deserving of more.
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By Maile Blume
When concrete fell from the ceiling of the Winter Hill Community Innovation School this past June, the city closed the facility to conduct a building assessment, and made plans to relocate students for the fall with students in grades one through eight moving to the Edgerly Education Center, and students in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten moving to the Capuano Early Childhood Center. However, ongoing construction at the Edgerly building and the discovery of asbestos in window caulking in the building is raising concerns among parents about if the elementary and middle school students will have a safe place to learn by the start of the school year.
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(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)
By Will Mbah
Candidate for Somerville City Councilor at Large
In the business press recently, I have seen several articles discussing the problem of shrinking retail activity. Then, with the news about the bankruptcy of the Christmas Tree Shop at Assembly Row, I thought it important to consider what may be the impacts of the trends of change in retail trade for Somerville?
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By Ana Celerie
On August 10, 2023, the Somerville Traffic Commission held a meeting to discuss requests for accessible parking, requests for establishments of fire lanes, and finally, requests for curb use changes and a few other changes to make school arrival and dismissal safer and more effective for the Healey and Edgerly schools. First on the agenda were two requests for accessible parking spaces, one at 303 Washington St. and another at 23 Melvin St. Adrienne Pomeroy, a coordinator with the city of Somerville, was in attendance to speak on the matter.
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Somerville’s got a lot of great history. That we all know. Going all the way back to the Pre-Revolutionary War days and then some.
Thanks to the fine folks at the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission and the Somerville Museum, we can all join in on seeking out and exploring some of the incredible historical sites that exist within our immediate environs.
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