A week ago last Friday the superintendent chose five of the nine superintendent's schools to undergo a process as outlined in the BTU -BPS Contract whereby a Joint Labor-Management Team (JMLT) be convened to visit the school. Under the BTU contract, the JMLT is obligated to vote on recommendation(s), if any, from the principal/headmaster to excess a teacher or a paraprofessional from the building. A decision by the JMLT must be by majority vote. All recommendations by the JMLT go to the superintendent for final approval. Excessed personnel are guaranteed positions elsewhere in the school system.The JMLT is composed of five members--two chosen by the BTU, two by management, and one by joint agreement. The JMLT also has the authority to vote on any other recommendation(s) made by staff to excess a principal, an assistant principal, or staff member. This decision, too, must be made by majority vote to be valid, and is forwarded to the superintendent for final approval.

The schools chosen by the superintendent were the Agassiz, the Lewenberg, the Marshall, the Russell, and the Trotter. Individual school administrators had input into the selection process of their school. All are elementary schools, except for the Lewenberg, which is a middle school. The BTU chose 9 superb and experienced BTU Building Reps as its representatives. Elementary Field Representative, Mike McLaughlin, also served.

The JMLT process, formerly known as the Intervention Process , is outlined in the BTU Contract (P37/#10), and has been in existence since 1989. Decisions have to be made by January 15. We will keep you posted.

The school department is currently running a deficit. This is obviously not good new and we hope it will work itself out. The deficit is, however, nothing to be treated lightly. Lest anyone disagree, consider what happened in Salem this past week when dozens of teachers and paras were terminated mid year for budgetary reasons. Of course, Boston is not Salem, but our city has had budget troubles in the past, and budget shortfalls are never out of the picture.

In 1981 a budget shortfall caused by Proposition 2 ½ caused the layoff of 710 permanent teachers, and another 595 permanent teachers the next year. While these numbers may seem incomprehensible, they were real and caused unbelievable hardship for those laid off, some for nine years, as well as for their colleagues left behind. While this is not imminent or probable in today's Boston, it is good to understand, even in simplistic terms, a little about the city's and state's budgetary picture.

By way of background, the school department does not have independent revenue-raising ability and receives most of its revenue from the city, with outside grants and so on providing the rest. The city relies on a variety of sources for its revenue:  Business and residential property tax revenues provide around 56% of the total raised; state aid (22%), excise tax (4%), fines (3%), and miscellaneous sources provide the rest. How can the city raise additional revenue?

The property tax is an unlikely candidate. It's a regressive tax, it's capped anyway by Proposition 2 ½ limits, and much of the property is Boston is tax-exempt owing to our large number of universities, museums, and so on. So it's not a terrific source of increasing revenue. Neither is the state.

The state, with a looming $1 Billion budget deficit, has its own problems, and it is unlikely source of increased revenue to cities and towns. Politically the state income tax is not likely to increase, and as it has been the constant refrain, there is little appetite for additional taxes on Beacon Hill. The governor, with initiatives promised--one such being increased aid to cities and towns--has had difficulty getting his revenue package heard on beacon Hill. As part of his plan to increase revenue, he proposed last February the Municipal Partnership Act . The plan is supported by the Mass Municipal Association, which represents the Commonwealth's 351 cities and towns, as well as by Mayor Menino. Among other ways to increase revenue, the plan would:

1) End the Telecommunications Property Tax Exemption . This exemption allows telecommunications companies to avoid paying a property tax on telephone poles and wires. It was passed in 1915 to encourage widespread use of the telephone. I think we have met this goal by now. The law if repealed would bring in an estimated $78 million each year. By the way, electric companies and wireless companies have to pay a tax on their equipment, and if a pole is jointly owned with a telecommunications company, the electric company pays for its share, while the telecommunications company does not.

2) Allow up to a 2% Surcharge on the Current Meals Tax. The governor's revenue package would also allow cities and towns to tack on up to an additional 2% to the meals tax. Even with this additional 2%, the meals tax in Boston would still be less than Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle and Denver, to mention just a few cities. Of the revenue collected, 25 cents of every dollar will directly reduce the property tax for homeowners--specifically targeting qualifying senior citizens. (Thanks to the web page Mass Municipal Association .)

None of the governor's plans to increase revenue has gotten any traction. "So far not one of the revenue options has been heard for a vote in the Legislature. Not one!" he told the crowd at Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston, as quoted in the Globe a few days ago. That's the revenue picture in a nutshell. In the short term, things are grim. Stay tuned, and please realize that what happened on Beacon Hill most definitely affects us and our school system.

Lastly, there is a persistent myth that our state overtaxes businesses. The myth persists even while research shows otherwise. At a time when many are calling for a closing of business tax loopholes, a move that would increase revenues that then could be used to increase local aid, it is instructive to see just how the Mass tax policy actually favors business. In fact, Mass is well below the national average when it comes to taxing businesses.

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        News from the Free Speech Lawsuit resulting from last winter's contract skirmish...The Superior Court last week dismissed the union's counterclaim against the individual members of the Labor Relations Commission . This was not unexpected and in effect finalizes the matter in Superior Court. We are now free to pursue the appeal in Mass Appellate courts. We needed this ruling to bring closure, and now we begin the next stage in the process.

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        At its regular monthly membership meeting last week, the membership endorsed a proposal by the Executive Board to hire at a small stipend a number of mediators who would work with BTU members to mediate a conflict. From time to time disputes between members arise. This process would allow the members to seek mediation on a voluntary basis. The BTU will pay for the mediation. The Executive Board will draft guidelines. 

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        Also at the meeting the membership endorsed a proposal by the Hyde Sq. Task Force, Campaign for Civics Education to mandate a course of study of Civics as part of the high school curriculum in the BPS. The Hyde Sq. Task Force is an influential & effective civic group that promotes a host of programs in civic engagement , peer leadership, education, neighborhood crime, and far too many to mention. We will send out letters of support to the appropriate people.

    Have a good week.