Woburn is one of several communities to receive help for its participation in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
The city of Woburn will receive state funding for transporting and educating homeless students, according to the commonwealth's fiscal 2013 budget.
Gov. Deval Patrick signed the budget July 8, which includes $11.3 million for communities that participate in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Woburn is one of many cities that house homeless students in local hotels acting as shelters. According to a recent Boston Globe report, the new funding will ease the burden facing school departments for transportation of the extra students.
In the Globe article, Woburn schools business manager Joseph Elia said the city's numbers have "skyrocketed" over the years and he welcomes the extra state funding.
According to the state budget, the money is:
For reimbursements to cities, towns, and regional school districts for the cost of transportation of nonresident pupils as required by the federal McKinney-Vento act; provided, that the board of elementary and secondary education shall promulgate regulations for the determination of said reimbursements; and provided further, that the commonwealth's obligation shall not exceed the amount appropriated in this item.
Woburn is slated to receive $12.4 million in state funding over the fiscal 2013 year; $6.8 million of that is earmarked for education spending.
William
8:53 am on Thursday, July 19, 2012
What about the cost to Woburn students? I have witnessed the impact ill behaved non-resident students have had on our schools. Every second a teacher needs to discipline any student is time taken from those ready to learn. A disproportionate amount of "non-resident" students are disruptive and/or require extra services. Non-residents contribute no funding, have no stake in the community and yet Woburn Tax payers and their children are expected to take on this burden?
How about funding to pay for extra staff in the class-room? If we can't obtain such funding; How about our city officials enforce the laws, we do have on the books, that prevent hotels from being turned into apartment complexes? The state can NOT force a community to transform hotels into free public housing. It must be agreed to by the city government and the hotel.
The reasons not to have this program in our community are numerous. Unfortunately, the money provided to have "hotel housing" has our our city officials ignoring all such reasons and instead has them only looking at the financial bottom line.
Earnhardt
6:35 pm on Thursday, July 19, 2012
Well Said William... we foot the bill for the non- contributors.... we get the sharp end of the stick every time! I love how the article tries to make it sound like its the best thing since sliced bread!
tand4gs
12:38 am on Friday, August 17, 2012
I understand it's tough economy. That's why the city is allowing this. There are empty hotels that would probably go out of business otherwise. By allowing these hotels to take in these people the city is not only degenerating our school system but they have the extra obligation to transport students to whichever school they were once attending, no matter what city it is in. I could sympathize if they were Woburn families who have fallen on hard times but the state can place whomever from wherever in the hotels. This needs to stop. Things like this drag down the overall value.