Westwood School Officials Attend Advocacy Event at State House

Westwood Superintendent John Antonucci and School Committee Member John J. O'Brien discussed the current economic climate and its affect on state-wide school systems during a school advocacy event this week at the Massachusetts State House in Boston.

The 26th annual event, dubbed "Day on the Hill," was sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC). There, school officials and legislators from all across the state met to discuss the current economy and its impact on school systems state-wide.

"The bottom line, it's really a way for School Committee members and Superintendents to ensure they have a voice on Beacon Hill," Anconucci told Westwood Patch Wednesday afternoon. "We do like to be a presence there when at all possible."

Antonucci and O'Brien met with State Rep. Paul McMurtry (D-Dedham) and members of State Senator Mike Rush's staff, including Chief of Staff John Regan and Matt Fitzgerald, Director of Legislative Affairs.

The group discussed a number of issues related to the Westwood Public School system, specifically the need for adequate Chapter 70 funding, as well as full funding of the state's Special Education Circuit Breaker law.

"I wanted to remind our legislatures that the Westwoods of the world need assistance and support as much as anybody in the Commonwealth," Antonucci said. "And a lot of the funding and a lot of the attention by the State is generally placed on more urban and more needy districts. I think it's my responsibility to convey to them that Westwood shouldn't have to do it alone. We have unique challenges in the suburbs, but they are challenges nonetheless."

The event's keynote speakers included such legislators and education leaders as House Majority Leader Ronald Mariano; Senate Ways & Means Chair Stephen Brewer; Senator Katherine Clark, Chair of the Committee on Public Service; and Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz and Representative Alice Peisch, co-Chairs of the Committee on Education.

"We heard from a lot of different speakers, and there's really no new news right now at the state level," Antonucci said. "We left feeling pretty comfortable that our still has good assumptions built in for Chapter 70 funding."

O'Brien, meanwhile, said he was equally pleased to attend the event, saying that being able to meet with legislatures face-to-face was more than appreciated.

"We are grateful to our area legislators for taking the time out of their busy schedules to meet with us," O'Brien said in a news statement Wednesday. "They were receptive to our concerns and we are fortunate to have their support, especially as Westwood navigates through this fiscal climate."