JOHN VELIS
Good morning Westfield! It’s been a busy week around the city. It was great to see so many of you taking advantage of early voting here in Westfield! There was a great turn out over a city hall and it was wonderful to see so many people engaged.
For those who have not made it out to the polls yet, I encourage you to exercise your right to vote this Tuesday. I believe in the importance and significance of this right and hope that you all do as well. Please take the time to make yourself heard!
This past week we welcomed Governor Baker back to Westfield. On Tuesday morning the Governor visited to present a MassWorks grant. This grant will be used to install a new traffic light on Springfield Road by the Shortstop Bar & Grill. The MassWorks grant application process was extremely competitive, but the positive impact that this will have on our community was clear to those at the state level. This grant will allow for further development, job creation, and economic growth in our city. In addition, it will ensure the safety of those traveling along that stretch of Springfield Road.
Tuesday night, I hosted a phone bank encouraging Westfield voters to vote No on Question 2 on November 8th. Question 2 proposes a lift on the current cap on charter schools. I, along with Mayor Sullivan, City Councilor Dondley, and other volunteers, spent the evening making phone calls to Westfield voters explaining why we believe Question 2 should get a No vote.
I think it is important to establish that those who are against question 2 are not anti-charter school. Rather, many simply believe it is necessary to establish a separate funding mechanism. Charter schools should not receive funding to the detriment of public schools. Currently, $450 million of public school funding is diverted to charter schools, $163,092 in Westfield alone. With 96% of Massachusetts students attending public schools, I believe it is important that public schools receive their proper funding.
One of the most common arguments made by those in favor of lifting the cap is that it would help alleviate the current backlog of students who would like to attend a charter school. While I agree that school choice is important and I sympathize with the 30,000 students on charter school waiting lists, I believe it is necessary to consider broader effects of lifting the cap. We cannot afford to take away public school funding when the vast majority of Massachusetts students attend public schools.
To finish off this busy week Thursday and Friday I headed off to drill for the army. That’s all I have for this week Westfield. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns at [email protected] or 413-572-3920.
