Housing advocates drop banners across Boston to set the stage for landmark City Council hearing

Housing advocates drop banners across Boston to set the stage for landmark City Council hearing

Boston residents to flood City Hall hearing demanding passage of eviction protections

  
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Friday, March 3rd, 2017: From the JP/Rox redevelopment zone to the Allston/Brighton neighborhood, housing justice advocates dropped large-scale banners Friday morning, a few days in advance of Boston City Council’s hearing on the Jim Brooks Community Stabilization Act. Banners unfurled from windows and rooftops, and some were displayed at street-level to passing traffic. “Stop Displacement: Pass the Jim Brooks Act” and “Don’t Displace Boston Residents” were a few of the banners’ statements. Banners were displayed on Storrow Drive, Morrissey Boulevard, Brookside Avenue, and other sites across Boston.

  
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The banner-drops concluded a week of intense debate and fierce battle over affordable housing in Boston's quickly-gentrifying neighborhoods. At the Monday, March 6th City Council hearing on the Jim Brooks Act (formerly known as the “Just Cause” ordinance), homeowners, tenants, and community activists are expected to flood the City Council Chamber to demand the Act’s passage. The Act, named in honor of the late housing justice and disability rights organizer Jim Brooks, is an emergency protection bill sponsored by Mayor Marty Walsh.

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The Jim Brooks Community Stabilization Act is intended to protect residential tenants against arbitrary, unreasonable, and retaliatory evictions, and to ensure tenants are aware of their legal rights and the available resources to help preserve their tenancies.  

Darnell Johnson, Coordinator of the Right to Remain Coalition including over 40 local community-based organizations, said, "In a city with 67% renters, high foreign interest and outrageous speculation, Bostonians are taking back their city and City Council must act."

A final banner-display is scheduled for Friday afternoon, March 3rd, at the corner of Dorchester Avenue and Hancock Street in Dorchester from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.

WHO is the Right to Remain Coalition?

Right 2 Remain Coalition and partners: anchored by Right to the City Boston in partnership with Boston Tenant Coalition: ABDC, Action for Regional Equity, Allston Brighton CDC, Alternative for Community and Environment, Asian American Resource Workshop, Asian Community Development Corp, Black Economic Justice Institute, Boston Homeless Solidarity Coalition, Boston Jobs Coalition, Boston Workers Alliance, Brazilian Worker Center, Castle Square Tenants Organization, Chelsea Collaborative, Chinese Progressive Association, Chinatown Resident Association, City Life, Codman Square NDC, Community Labor United, Dominican Development Center, Dorchester Bay EDC, Dorchester People for Peace, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, 100% Egleston, Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston, Fairmount Indigo Line CDC Collaborative, Fenway Community Development Corp., Greater Boston Labor Council, Greater Bowdoin/Geneva Neighborhood Association, Greater Four Corners Action, Homes for Families, JP Neighborhood Council, JP Neighborhood Development Corp, Jamaica Plain Progressives, Jobs with Justice, MA CDC, Mass Vote, Matahari, Mattapan United, Neighbors United for a Better East Boston, New England United for Justice, Progressive Communicators Network, Progressive Mass, Reclaim Roxbury, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, SEIU 32BJ (District 615), Union of Minority Neighborhoods (from Right to Remain Coalition)

WHY the Jim Brooks Community Stabilization Act?

On Monday March 6, the Boston City Council will hear testimony on the Jim Brooks Community Stabilization Act: An Emergency Protection Bill sponsored by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. Now, renters in privately owned housing can be evicted for no reason when their lease expires, or any time if they have no lease. Under this new law, large landlords and banks would have to give a legitimate reason for eviction. The law would let the City track eviction notices and provide tenants with information and resources to stay in their homes.

Displacement in Boston is widespread -- from Chinatown to Dorchester, East Boston to Roxbury, and Mattapan to Jamaica Plain. Corporate, non-resident and speculator landlords are purchasing homes in these communities, evicting current residents and raising rents to attract wealthier tenants. Cuts in government spending for housing has added pressure to the private rental market. The Boston Housing Authority has a waitlist of 40,000 households for 15,000 units while budget cuts eliminated 1,500 rental subsidies last year.

"The city is in crisis,” stated Kathy Brown, coordinator of the Boston Tenants Coalition, “Currently 35,000 renters have housing costs exceeding 50% of their household income. Almost all, 92%, of these rent-burdened households are very low-income. The crisis is especially severe in immigrant neighborhoods and communities of color.”

Profit-driven development has taken place without regard to those who currently call Boston home. For example, in East Boston, the Boston Redevelopment Authority has approved over 1,000 units of luxury development. The resulting pressures cause rent increases at an average of 30 percent per year. At this rate, only one in 10 current residents in East Boston, the majority of whom are Latino, will be able to stay in this largely Latino immigrant neighborhood.

“As the crisis deepens for renters, low-income homeowners and homeless families, we’re beginning to see the resurgence of a mass movement of renters standing up to say enough is enough,” says Rachel LaForest of the Right To The City Alliance. “At every level of government, from local city councils to the president, the ability of renters and working families to thrive needs to be a central economic justice issue of our time.”  

According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, 1 in 2 renters now pay more than 30% of their income on rent and 1 in 4 pay more than 50%.  

While renters of all socioeconomic and racial backgrounds are being impacted at historic levels by this crisis, communities of color, women and families with children are being displaced and targeted at disproportionate levels. One in five Black women report being evicted at some time in their life, compared to 1 in 15 white women and 1 in 14 renters overall, according to Matthew Desmond, author of Evicted. Further according the report “Evicting Children” published by Harvard University, nationally the “probability of a household with children to receive an eviction judgment is about .17 higher” than those without children.”

Exposing the escalating rate of evictions and displacement happening in Boston’s poor and working-class neighborhoods, thousands of residents and community leaders from across the city took part in Right to Remain actions all year long to bring this to the attention of Boston City Council.

The Jim Brooks Community Stabilization Act Hearing follows a series of 3 prior hearings - 1) Corporate Landlords and Displacement, and introduction of JCE in Oct 2014, 2.) part 1 April 2015 and 3) part 2 March 2016 both of which were sponsored by Councilor Jackson and presided over by Councilor Baker (as head of the housing committee) then by Councilor Baker with Zakim presiding (new housing chair). Part I examined displacement associated with increasing corporate landlord ownership and luxury development in Boston. The Council had opportunity to explore and understand how the housing crisis has developed from one of foreclosure & blight, to one of rental speculation & gentrification. The focus was on testimony by community members directly affected by displacement as the best experts on the problem.  This hearing featured the example of a particularly egregious corporate landlord, City Reality, who has profited off the foreclosure crisis and was causing widespread displacement.  Part II progressed to examine community-generated solutions to the problem of displacement, and the response of the City to both the problems presented in Part I and the solutions presented in Part II. Grounded in the lived experiences of directly-affected residents, the people of Boston demanded that the City shift focus to concrete proposals on stopping displacement. Advocates presented, City officials testified, and a representative of the real estate industry spoke. Part III focused specifically on Just Cause Eviction and was space for both sides to present to the Council reasons for this bill.   

After a year of lobbying efforts and community meeting and assemblies, late in December 2016 Mayor Walsh stepped up and out as sole and lead sponsor filing a re-tooled and  renamed JCE "Petition for a Special Law Re: The Jim Brooks Community Stabilization Act."

In Jan 2017 Mayor Walsh was required to refile the bill due to inactivity with City Council. Advocates pushed the council and March 6, 2017 Boston City Council will finally hold a hearing on the bill presided over by Councilor Flaherty (as head of the government operations committee).

AG HEALEY REMINDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS ABOUT LAWS REQUIRING EQUAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION STATUS

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AG HEALEY REMINDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS ABOUT LAWS REQUIRING EQUAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION STATUS

AG HEALEY REMINDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS ABOUT LAWS REQUIRING EQUAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION STATUS

AG Issues Advisory to Local School Districts that will be Distributed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

BOSTON – Attorney General Maura Healey today issued an advisory reminding local public school districts of their obligation under state and federal law to provide all students with equal access to primary and secondary education, irrespective of citizenship or immigration status.

            The advisory has been posted on the AG’s website and will be distributed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to school officials this week.

“In Massachusetts and across this country, we open our schools to all children because that is how we build a productive, educated, and safe society,” said AG Healey. “In light of the current climate around matters of immigration, parents should not be afraid to send their children to school. I am glad to partner with our local schools to ensure that all children receive an education free from discrimination.”

“I am proud of our educators’ commitment to providing all students with a safe learning environment. Educating and supporting all students strengthens our communities and our Commonwealth as a whole,” said Massachusetts Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester. “I am happy to work with the Attorney General to share this guidance.”

Under state and federal law, state educational agencies and local school districts must provide all elementary and secondary students with equal access to public education—irrespective of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or immigration status. Those laws include the Massachusetts Student Anti-Discrimination Act, the Massachusetts Anti-Bullying Law, and Title IV and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Enrollment practices that single out students based on their actual or perceived citizenship or immigration status (or that of their parents or guardians) violate state and federal law. Equal access to public education means not only the right to enroll in school, but also the right to an education free from unlawful discrimination and harassment.         

In addition to the various applicable state and federal laws, in the case Plyler v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court held that public elementary and secondary schools may not deny any child residing in the applicable jurisdiction access to public education—whether the child is present in the country legally or not. This case made clear that a child’s immigration or citizenship status is not relevant to the child’s right to a public education. 

Treasurer Deborah Goldberg Announces Latest Release of Unclaimed Property Listings

Treasurer Deborah Goldberg Announces Latest Release of Unclaimed Property Listings

Over 55,000 New Properties are Owed to Individuals and Businesses

BOSTON - Massachusetts State Treasurer Deb Goldberg today announced the latest grouping of names that have been added to the state’s list of unclaimed property owners. Over 55,000 new properties worth millions of dollars are owed to individuals and businesses throughout the Commonwealth.

"Give us a call today,” said Treasurer Deb Goldberg. “We currently hold over $2 billion in unclaimed property at Treasury and it could be yours. One in ten Massachusetts residents are owed money.”

Unclaimed property includes forgotten savings and checking accounts, un-cashed checks, insurance policy proceeds, stocks, dividends, and the contents of unattended safe deposit boxes. Most accounts are considered abandoned and are turned over to the state after three years of inactivity. Last year Treasury returned over $114 million in property to its rightful owners, making the Commonwealth the state to return the most money on a per-capita basis.

This newly released list includes only individuals and businesses with unclaimed property over $100. Treasurer Goldberg urged all citizens to check the comprehensive list for all amounts at www.findmassmoney.com or to call our live call center at 888-344-MASS (6277).

The full list of the new individuals and businesses added to the unclaimed property list will be published in the Boston Globe on Sunday, March 5 and in the Boston Herald on Sunday, March 12. In addition to these two papers the list of names will be published in over 30 regional and local papers.

The Treasury releases an updated list of unclaimed property assets every six months as the new accounts are turned over to the Commonwealth. There is no time limit for a person to claim this property and, in many cases, claimants will receive interest.

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES HIRING OF ARTIST RESOURCE MANAGER TO SERVE AS CITY LIAISON TO LOCAL ARTISTS

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES HIRING OF ARTIST RESOURCE MANAGER TO SERVE AS CITY LIAISON TO LOCAL ARTISTS

BOSTON - Thursday, March 2, 2017 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the hiring of Julia Ryan as the Artist Resource Manager in the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture. The position, included as one of the action items in Boston Creates, is newly created and will act as a single point of entry to City Hall for creative people and businesses looking to find information about a wide range of issues, from permitting and licensing processes to affordable housing, and financial literacy to small business support. "I am thrilled that we are opening up an important channel of communication between local artists and their city government by creating an Artist Resource Manager," said Mayor Walsh. "Responding to the needs of artists is a crucial part of the cultural plan, and I am confident that Julia will do an exceptional job in serving as a liaison to our creative community." The Artist Resource Manager position was first proposed during one of the Mayor's many conversations with members of the artist community, and envisioned during the cultural planning process as a liaison specifically for artists, modeled after the coordinators in the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services. The City heard from the community that artists have some specialized needs and would be best served by someone who understands artists and arts organizations, as well as City systems. In 2015, Mayor Walsh launched Boston Creates, a cultural planning process designed to create a long-term plan for arts and culture. When the plan was unveiled in 2016, it detailed five goals designed to create a cultural shift in the city: building a sustainable arts ecosystem, supporting Boston artists, promoting cultural equity, integrating arts and culture into all aspects of civic life and engaging both likely and unlikely partners, uniting them in the goal of ensuring Boston becomes a leading city for the arts. "I am so excited to have Julia join our team," said Julie Burros, Chief of Arts and Culture for the City of Boston. "She has many years of experience of working directly with artists and we know that she will bring that experience to bear as she enters this new role at City Hall." The goal of this position is to help creative people find the resources and assistance they need to do creative projects. Not only will Julia help artists and arts navigate City Hall, she will also serve as an aggregator of information and resources, focused on artists and creative practice. Ms. Ryan will be located at the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture in Rm. 802 at City Hall and can be reached at 617-635-ARTS (2787). Julia formerly served as an Arts in Education Council Consultant at Harvard Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, where she worked to advance developmental goals for the school's arts department initiatives. Prior to that, Julia worked as an Education and Development Coordinator at the Urbano Project and a volunteer curator at Unbound Visual Artists. She graduated with a Master of Education degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and lives in Jamaica Plain. Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture (MOAC) The Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture's mission is to support artists, the cultural sector, and to promote access to the arts for all. The office houses the Boston Cultural Council, the Boston Art Commission, and the Poet Laureate program. Responsibilities include implementing the City's cultural plan, Boston Creates; managing the Boston Artist-in-Residence program; curating exhibitions in City Hall; and operating the historic Strand Theater in Dorchester. For more information, look here.

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF BUSINESS CAPITAL AND FINANCE UNIT

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF BUSINESS CAPITAL AND FINANCE UNIT Refocused small business lending will increase economic mobility and prioritize historically underserved neighborhoods and demographics

BOSTON - Thursday, March 2, 2017 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced yesterday the formation of the Business Capital and Finance Unit in his speech at the Boston Municipal Research Bureau's annual meeting. Housed within the Mayor's Office of Economic Development, the Business Capital and Finance Unit will prioritize small business lending in historically underserved neighborhoods and demographics to support job creation in low-to-moderate income households and the revitalization of neighborhood commercial districts. "Supporting Boston's small business economy is one of my administration's top priorities, and I am proud to add a financial tool to our small business resource toolkit," Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "By repurposing our small business loans to target strategic industries and neighborhoods, we will ensure that struggling small businesses and entrepreneurs have the opportunity to benefit, grow, and thrive in areas where we see the greatest economic development potential." Led by John FitzGerald, the Business Capital and Finance Unit will utilize the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to distribute flexible gap financing and micro loans to restaurants, immigrant-owned businesses, women and minority-owned businesses, and industrial small businesses within the City of Boston. These flexible loans will assist businesses in rehabbing existing buildings, new construction and expansion, purchasing equipment, and startup costs. "With Mayor Walsh's leadership we were able to reexamine and refocus our current lending strategy to support the growing sectors of business that have the potential to create jobs and revitalize neighborhoods in the most need," said John FitzGerald. "By providing a flexible financing option, we will be able to support more small businesses and entrepreneurs and promote economic mobility across the City of Boston." Released in March 2016, the city's first-ever Small Business Plan identified approximately 400 capital providers in or serving Boston. However, the lack of availability and access to capital resources was found to be a prominent gap in Boston's small business ecosystem. To provide solutions to traditional lending challenges and introduce innovative capital resources, this new, flexible product from the City of Boston builds off of successful ongoing progress to connect small businesses and provide guidance on Boston's 250 business support organizations. About the Mayor's Office of Economic Development The Economic Development Cabinet's mission is to make Boston an appealing and accessible place for working families, entrepreneurs, businesses, and investors to innovate, grow, and thrive in a way that fosters inclusion, broadens opportunity, and shares prosperity, thereby enhancing the quality of life for all Bostonians and the experience for all visitors. Learn more on their website.

麻州民主黨要求立即解聘總檢察長Sessions

MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRATIC PARTY CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION OF ATTORNEY GENERAL SESSIONS

BOSTON – Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Gus Bickford released the following statement today calling on the resignation of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions:

“We stand with the entire Massachusetts congressional delegation in calling for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign immediately.

“Our nation’s top law enforcement official lied under oath about meeting with the Russians not once but twice during a time he was one of the Trump campaign’s top advisors and surrogates. This latest revelation about the ongoing relationship between Trump and the Russians is a blow to our national security and the American people deserve answers.

“Donald Trump and his advisors have lied repeatedly about their connections to Russia. Until a thorough, independent investigation is conducted, the security of our democracy and the integrity of our elections hang in the balance.”

麻州府撥款200萬元培訓STEM人才

Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates $2 Million in Workforce and STEM Grants to Educational Institutions in Greater Boston

Massachusetts Life Sciences Center capital grants will grow the innovation economy and prepare a trained workforce

Boston – March 2, 2017 - Today Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash joined Education Secretary Jim Peyser, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President and CEO Travis McCready, Boston Chief of Education Rahn Dorsey, local elected officials, and officials from Greater Boston educational institutions, to celebrate over $2 million in capital grant funding for regional workforce development and STEM education projects. The grants, from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC), advance the Baker-Polito Administration’s commitment to build a highly trained workforce and seed job creation in regions across Massachusetts.

Secretary Ash celebrated the regional grant awards at a ceremony at the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. The O’Bryant is receiving more than $185,000 in MLSC grant funding, enabling the school to purchase advanced equipment to support its technology and science program, and assist students in earning internships in high-tech, engineering and life sciences.

The awards are part of a statewide grant round that is delivering a total of $39 million in MLSC capital grants to 14 research and educational institutions, and 49 middle and high schools, across Massachusetts.

“Investments in the vitality of the Massachusetts workforce are critical to ensuring long-term growth in our economy,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Our ongoing efforts to deliver a high-quality STEM education to middle- and high-school students, and our focus on delivering impactful workforce training opportunities at community colleges and other institutions of higher education, will allow Massachusetts residents to access quality careers in growing fields, including robotics, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and biotechnology.”

“These capital grants from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center deepen our administration’s efforts to build vibrant regions, from Cape Ann to the Berkshires,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “By training middle school and high school students on state-of-the-art STEM equipment, and creating new pipelines for workforce development and scientific breakthroughs, these awards will create new economic opportunities in Greater Boston, and help build a stronger Commonwealth.”

“Boston’s students deserve the best resources to match their potential, and these investments will go a long way towards equipping them with the tools and training needed to excel in STEM and high-tech careers,” said Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “I thank Governor Baker and his Administration for investing in Boston’s educational institutions, which in turn will increase access to high quality careers and strengthen our city’s competitive workforce.”

“One of our capital investment plan priorities is to make strategic investments in the future workforce of the Commonwealth, including STEM programs for our students,” said Administration and Finance Secretary Kristen Lepore. “By awarding these capital grants today, the administration is once again leveraging our resources to invest in the Commonwealth’s growing biotech industry.”

“Massachusetts is building the nation’s most competitive economy by investing in workforce development, and in the infrastructure of innovation,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash. “By updating equipment in labs, offering professional development for our teachers, and improving the quality of STEM education for students in Boston, Chelsea, Cambridge, Everett, Malden and Medford, these awards will keep our schools competitive, and they will equip local residents with the skills needed to retain our title as the most innovative state in the nation.”

“Creating high quality career pathways for young people is vital to their future success, and economic vitality of the Commonwealth,” said Education Secretary James Peyser. “The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center capital grants help a broad array of educational institutions advance life sciences curriculum, which will enable more of our students to be prepared for careers in growing industries now and in the future.”

“The MLSC continues to make major capital investments to support education and training at academic institutions across the entire Commonwealth in order to meet the workforce needs of our state’s fastest-growing industry,” said Travis McCready, President and CEO of the MLSC. “Our capital grant will enable Biobuilder, a key partner in the MLSC’s High School Apprenticeship Challenge, to significantly enhance their capacity for workforce training, so that our students will be better prepared for career opportunities in the life sciences. Through our STEM equipment and supply grants, area high schools and middle schools will be better positioned to connect students with jobs in the fast-growing Massachusetts life sciences ecosystem. In both cases, we are excited to play a role in supporting economic growth and workforce preparedness in Greater Boston.”

Funding for the awards is drawn from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s Competitive Capital Program, and the Center’s competitive STEM Equipment and Supplies Grant Program.

The MLSC’s Competitive Capital Program provides grants for capital projects that support the life sciences ecosystem in Massachusetts by enabling and supporting life sciences workforce development and training, research and development, commercialization and manufacturing in the Commonwealth. The program funds high-potential economic development projects by nonprofit entities that make significant contributions to the state’s life sciences ecosystem. To date, the MLSC has awarded or committed more than $405 million to support capital projects across the state.

The MLSC’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Equipment and Supplies Grant Program funds the purchase of equipment and supplies for high schools and middle schools in the Commonwealth. The program helps schools train students for life sciences careers, increase student achievement and student interest in STEM fields, and support the implementation of the state's STEM standards. The competitive program is open to vocational-technical high schools, public high schools and middle schools located in Gateway Cities, and public high schools and middle schools with economically disadvantaged student populations. To date, the STEM Equipment and Supplies Grant Program has awarded more than $16.3 million to 149 different schools and organizations throughout Massachusetts, and leveraged more than $1 million in matching funds from industry partners.

Greater Boston Regional 2017 MLSC Competitive Capital and STEM Equipment Awards:

BioBuilder Learning Lab, Cambridge - $500,000

The BioBuilder Learning Lab will expand its curricular offerings, expanding innovative, hands-on STEM programming to roughly 1,000 new students, as well as hundreds of secondary and post-secondary teachers and community participants.

Boston Educational Development Foundation, Inc., Boston - $222,415

The Boston Educational Development Foundation will use MLSC funding to develop and implement the Boston STEM Week collaboration between i2 Learning and the Boston Public Schools. This program will allow over 30 Boston public middle schools to take part in STEM Week, featuring hands-on curricula developed by MIT and other leading STEM organizations, while giving teachers tools to use year-round.

Brooke Charter High School, Boston - $100,000

MLSC funding will enable the Brooke Charter High School, which opened in 2016, to purchase start-up instructional equipment and supplies for courses in biology and chemistry.

Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, Cambridge - $105,000

Cambridge Rindge and Latin School will establish a bio-manufacturing training program within the biotechnology program at the Ridge School of Technical Arts. Ridge’s new bio-manufacturing training program will prepare students to enter workforce readiness programs at local community colleges.

Chelsea High School, Chelsea - $108,029

Chelsea High School will boost its science department through new equipment and professional development to promote science and engineering practicing and help students develop deep proficiency in the school’s STEM curriculum.

East Boston High School, Boston - $110,000

MLSC funding will allow East Boston High School to expand its current biotechnology program, integrate engineering practices into its biology curriculum, support existing AP programming, advance school-wide science initiatives, and fund professional development for teachers. Funds will also allow collaboration with partners in higher education and industry to support student achievement and increase student summer internships and employment through the Boston Private Industry Council.

George Keverian Middle School, Everett - $59,629

MLSC funding will support George Keverian Middle School’s initiative to increase partnerships with local colleges, universities and businesses to create enriching experiences for students. Additionally, the school will use funds to support STEM curriculum that prioritizes hands-on activities and inquiry based learning.

Jeremiah E. Burke High School, Boston - $105,700

Jeremiah E. Burke High School will develop STEM career training pathways to area post-secondary institutions, including UMass Boston and Roxbury Community College.

John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, Boston - $186,420

MLSC funding will allow the O’Bryant school to modernize its technology and science program through state-of-the-art equipment and additional tools to support an advanced curriculum. Students will also gain additional exposure to high-tech engineering and life sciences internships through rigorous cross-curricular STEM programming.

Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, Boston - $110,000

MLSC funding will support Madison Park’s effort to increase student enrollment in three technology pathways: programming and web development, medical technology, and information systems service networking. Madison Park aims to triple enrollment in the three pathways by the 2019-2020 school year.

Malden High School, Malden - $26,000

Malden High School will purchase three thermocyclers, two incubators and consumables to enhance curriculum and programming in Biology classrooms, and the school’s pathology elective.

Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, Cambridge - $95,000

MLSC grant funding will help MassBioEd seed two grant programs at participating schools across the Commonwealth. MassBioEd’s SPOT program will give at least nine high-need schools the ability to purchase new equipment to implement its biotech curricula, while its TOTE lending program will assist in the purchase of equipment to establish biotechnology programming at four schools.

Medford Vocational Technical High School, Medford - $99,516

Medford Vocational Technical High School will purchase materials and equipment necessary to establish a new automation laboratory, with a focus on automation applications and broader STEM skills in the life sciences industries.

Prospect Hill Academy Charter School, Cambridge - $21,000

Prospect Hill Academy Charter School will expand its science laboratory space and provide teachers with additional training to develop project-based curricula, enhancing students’ experience in STEM courses.

Snowden International School, Boston - $101,600

MLSC funds will allow the Snowden International School to implement significant equipment and infrastructure upgrades in their lab spaces, which have not been updated in over 20 years. Improvements will allow for enhanced focus on data comprehension and lab experiences for students in STEM courses.

TechBoston Academy High School, Boston - $105,970

TechBoston Academy High School will create a MakerSpace, allowing for cross-curriculum collaboration and career-focused academic experiences. Students will have the opportunity to learn across the fields of graphic design, biology and engineering, to develop a career-applicable skill-set.

About the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is an investment agency that supports life sciences innovation, education, research and development and commercialization. The MLSC is charged with implementing a $1-billion, state-funded investment initiative. These investments create jobs and support advances that improve health and well-being. The MLSC offers the nation’s most comprehensive set of incentives and collaborative programs targeted to the life sciences ecosystem. These programs propel the growth that has made Massachusetts the global leader in life sciences. The MLSC creates new models for collaboration and partners with organizations, both public and private, around the world to promote innovation in the life sciences. Learn more at http://www.masslifesciences.com/

波市長設新職位 聘Julia Ryan為藝術家資源經理

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES HIRING OF ARTIST RESOURCE MANAGER TO SERVE AS CITY LIAISON TO LOCAL ARTISTS

BOSTON - Thursday, March 2, 2017 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the hiring of Julia Ryan as the Artist Resource Manager in the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture. The position, included as one of the action items in Boston Creates, is newly created and will act as a single point of entry to City Hall for creative people and businesses looking to find information about a wide range of issues, from permitting and licensing processes to affordable housing, and financial literacy to small business support. "I am thrilled that we are opening up an important channel of communication between local artists and their city government by creating an Artist Resource Manager," said Mayor Walsh. "Responding to the needs of artists is a crucial part of the cultural plan, and I am confident that Julia will do an exceptional job in serving as a liaison to our creative community." The Artist Resource Manager position was first proposed during one of the Mayor's many conversations with members of the artist community, and envisioned during the cultural planning process as a liaison specifically for artists, modeled after the coordinators in the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services. The City heard from the community that artists have some specialized needs and would be best served by someone who understands artists and arts organizations, as well as City systems. In 2015, Mayor Walsh launched Boston Creates, a cultural planning process designed to create a long-term plan for arts and culture. When the plan was unveiled in 2016, it detailed five goals designed to create a cultural shift in the city: building a sustainable arts ecosystem, supporting Boston artists, promoting cultural equity, integrating arts and culture into all aspects of civic life and engaging both likely and unlikely partners, uniting them in the goal of ensuring Boston becomes a leading city for the arts. "I am so excited to have Julia join our team," said Julie Burros, Chief of Arts and Culture for the City of Boston. "She has many years of experience of working directly with artists and we know that she will bring that experience to bear as she enters this new role at City Hall." The goal of this position is to help creative people find the resources and assistance they need to do creative projects. Not only will Julia help artists and arts navigate City Hall, she will also serve as an aggregator of information and resources, focused on artists and creative practice. Ms. Ryan will be located at the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture in Rm. 802 at City Hall and can be reached at 617-635-ARTS (2787). Julia formerly served as an Arts in Education Council Consultant at Harvard Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, where she worked to advance developmental goals for the school's arts department initiatives. Prior to that, Julia worked as an Education and Development Coordinator at the Urbano Project and a volunteer curator at Unbound Visual Artists. She graduated with a Master of Education degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and lives in Jamaica Plain. Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture (MOAC) The Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture's mission is to support artists, the cultural sector, and to promote access to the arts for all. The office houses the Boston Cultural Council, the Boston Art Commission, and the Poet Laureate program. Responsibilities include implementing the City's cultural plan, Boston Creates; managing the Boston Artist-in-Residence program; curating exhibitions in City Hall; and operating the historic Strand Theater in Dorchester. For more information, look here.