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New from CommonWealth Beacon |
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IMMIGRATION IMPACTS: Schools across Massachusetts are grappling with shrinking enrollment that they say is likely connected to President Donald Trump’s ramped up immigration enforcement push. Hallie Claflin dives into the data, which shows particularly sharp drops in Gateway Cities. |
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BALLOT BATTLES: The Senate voted Thursday to ask the Supreme Judicial Court for opinions on whether a pair of reform-the-Legislature ballot questions run afoul of the constitutional separation of powers, a rare move that could reshape debate heating into the thicket of election season. Chris Lisinski has the details. |
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OPINION: Business and employer groups are urging the Healey administration to set and enforce a rigorous, statewide high school graduation standard. The standard should be aligned with the demands of a competitive, knowledge-based economy, and the state should require that every graduate demonstrate they have truly met the standard by passing a common, uniform assessment, write Jon Bernstein, chair of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable; Sam King and Mark Lorion, co-chairs of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council; Ron O’Hanley, chair of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership; and Corey Thomas, chair of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. |
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| | | By COMMONWEALTH BEACON STAFF |
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Educational leaders in Massachusetts have, for years, warned that slowing birth rates and an affordability crisis were leaving districts facing dire student enrollment projections. Just over a year into the second Trump administration schools say their budgets and school communities are at risk from further enrollment drops related to stepped up immigration enforcement. |
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This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Jennifer Smith and Hallie Claflin discuss Claflin’s coverage of immigration action and enrollment. They zero in on the state’s Gateway Cities, which are home to a disproportionate share of Massachusetts’s immigrant population. |
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Public school enrollment data released in January “showed something really striking, which is that Massachusetts – which has obviously become a target of Trump's crackdown on immigration – lost over 15,000 students from fall 2024 to fall 2025,” Claflin said. "And so that actually brings total enrollment in the state to its lowest level in over three decades, and I think the most striking part of this is that a large part of that enrollment drop actually came from a really steep decline in English language learners.” |
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Schools in Massachusetts do not collect information on student legal status, but districts can use other data points to get a sense of which demographics are declining. By cross referencing English language learners with categories like “newcomers” or foreign-born students who have been enrolled in the state’s public schools for just a few years, some schools officials say it’s becoming more clear that immigration escalation is chipping away at their student bodies. |
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The financial impacts can be dire for already stretched school budgets. Chelsea’s 350-student drop means a $6.7 million loss. Lynn is facing a $9 million budget shortfall from its 487-student drop. |
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At state budget hearings this month, the state’s economic development secretariat said fear over immigration action could cause serious problems for Massachusetts’s economy, which has long relied on an inflow of immigrants to balance out the outflow of residents leaving our expensive state for cheaper pastures. |
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Gov. Maura Healey this week called for ICE to provide complete and accurate information on every person arrested in Massachusetts by federal immigration authorities since January 2025. The state also launched a portal for the public to submit reports of “alleged misconduct” by federal immigration agents. |
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The schools are working at the same time to reassure nervous communities and plan for financial hits. |
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The superintendent of Chelsea Public Schools told Claflin that they have been advocating with their state legislators for “a one-time soft landing payment” because of the unexpectedly high drop off and budget hit. |
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“But then, I think that district leaders are also realistic about that, because, of course, what’s gonna happen next year?” Claflin said. “It seems like, from current data, month to month enrollment is continuing to decline, and what if next year there's an even steeper decline in enrollment? We have a number of years left in the Trump presidency and in immigration enforcement.” |
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On the episode, Smith and Claflin discuss how schools try to track the enrollment impact of immigration ramp ups (6:00) and the psychological toll on school committees (16:00), and review how ongoing economic pressures were already impacting enrollment levels (22:00). |
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More from CommonWealth Beacon |
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The political hysteria about ENERGY PRICES is disappointing!
NO ONE PROPOSES: REDUCE YOUR CONSUMPTION! SLASHING MASS SAVE FUNDS WILL DEFEAT ANY SOLUTIONS!
AFFORDABILITY: Five years ago, fighting climate change had so much momentum that even half of the Legislature’s Republicans voted in favor of ambitious decarbonization requirements. But with utility bills spiking and officeholders under pressure as they seek reelection, many are treating those commitments as a burden, not a badge of honor. Chris Lisinski takes a deep dive. |
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IMMIGRATION: Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell launched an online portal Friday that lets Massachusetts residents report and share documentation of alleged misconduct by federal immigration agents. (GBH News) |
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ENERGY: Workers installed the final blades to complete Vineyard Wind, the country's first large-scale offshore wind project. It will be at least several weeks until all 62 turbines in the wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts are fully up and running. (WBUR) excerpts: A spokesperson for Vineyard Wind declined to say exactly how many turbines are generating power, but in late January, the company said in court documents that 44 turbines were operational. When fully online, the wind farm will be capable of producing 800 megawatts, enough electricity to power about 400,000 homes in the region.
As Vineyard Wind finished construction Friday evening, the wind developer Ørsted announced that some of its turbines in the Revolution Wind project near Rhode Island were sending power to the grid for the first time. That project is nearly complete as well, and will eventually be capable of powering up to 350,000 homes.
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TAXES: Gov. Healey and some business leaders aren’t seeing eye-to-eye on a ballot measure petition that would trim the state’s income tax. While the governor said “it’s a terrible thing to do” and would damage the state’s fiscal health, a constellation of business groups is pouring millions into the ballot measure they say would make them more likely to invest in the pricey state. (MassLive) |
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ENERGY: Worcester leaders are split over whether to preserve a building electrification stretch code – the latest clash over green energy policy during a federal term increasingly cool to renewable energy. (Telegram & Gazette – paywall) |
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CANNABIS: For much of the last decade, many seniors have rapidly embraced cannabis as an alternative to pharmaceuticals or over-the-counter drugs for treating pain and sleep issues. Doctors and researchers caution these trends may present health risks as product potencies rise and more seniors turn to recreational dispensaries without medical consultation. (The Boston Globe – paywall) |
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