SCHOOL PANEL VOTES TO SNUB MCAS
Daily Hampshire Gazette -- February 14, 2003
by Ryan Davis

NORTHAMPTON - After listening to impassioned pleas from parents opposed to the MCAS graduation requirement - and following a spirited two hour debate - the School Committee voted 6-3 to defy the state law.

The city is now the fifth community to challenge the state Department of Education, which has mandated that all high school students must pass the exam to receive a diploma.

Resolution co-sponsor David Kotz said he hopes more communities will disobey the state, which would "put pressure on the Legislature to end the graduation requirement." A lawsuit currently in state court challenging the legality of the MCAS may not be resolved for two to three years, he noted.

The state has threatened to withhold funding from any community that awards diplomas to students who fail the test, although that can't be done until schools actually hand out diplomas to such students.

While all members of the School Committee said they believe the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System should not be a graduation requirement, the prospect of lost funding as well as illegality formed the crux of their contentious debate.

Some members argued that such a resolution would break the law; others countered that the MCAS graduation requirement itself is contrary to the 1993 Education Reform Act, which did not specify a high-stakes test.

The resolution passed with co-sponsors Kotz and Anne Courtney, as well as Stephanie Pick, Mayor Clare Higgins, Lucy Hartry and Pamela Hunter, voting in favor; Davina Miller, Joanne Montgomery and Stephen Gilson voted against. Lisa Minnick, committee vice chairwoman, was not present.

When the vote was announced, several residents who had stayed through the debate hugged and raised their arms in celebration.

Six community members had addressed the board during the public session, all urging approval of the anti-MCAS resolution.

"The moral argument here is that the MCAS is grossly unfair to thousands of children across the state," said Paul Foster-Moore of 147 Turkey Hill Road. "Do you have the courage of your convictions to risk retaliation by the state?"

Later, during the board's own discussion, Kotz acknowledged the financial risk, but said "the importance of this issue justifies taking this risk."

He noted that as many as 18 Northampton High School students have failed the exam or moved to the state this year and have never taken it.

"I think the number of students not passing is immaterial," said Hartry, who vowed to support the resolution "even if there was only one student who hadn't passed." She said she had heard from dozens of constituents who backed the resolution, and only one who opposed it.

Other members viewed the funding issue with more trepidation, including Gilson, who said that after lengthy reflection, he opposed the resolution, mostly for financial reasons.

While fewer than 20 students might be denied diplomas, "there are 3,000 kids in the school system who need money for buildings and supplies. We're potentially walking away from millions of dollars if we pass this," he said.

In addition, he said, the resolution would be unfair to students who took remedial classes and put in extra work to pass the exam.

Miller expressed concern about a public board "engaging in civil disobedience," especially when financial consequences could be severe.

"There is absolutely no doubt to me whatsoever that the graduation requirement is the law," said Montgomery. "There are other, better and more just solutions than this resolution."

But Higgins said the resolution was not tantamount to breaking the law. "A regulation can be in violation of the spirit of a law," she said. "Courts decide that all the time. I'm not nearly as concerned about this law-breaking thing."

A controversy erupted when Associate Superintendent Joseph Misterka said Superintendent Michael Cosgriff had decided the school administration opposes the resolution due to the funding risk. Cosgriff, who had previously said he would take no stand on the issue, was in Boston for a school-related commitment.

"I'm chagrined and outraged that we're only hearing about the superintendent's position tonight," said Courtney. "I'm just nuts about this. It's unprofessional."

The school board amended the original resolution so that while all students who fulfill local requirements would receive a diploma, those who passed the MCAS would also receive a certificate indicating they fulfilled the state requirement as well.