Entries by Admin

Fall Harvest Friendraiser

2017 Fall Harvest Friendraiser Join us on October 11th to learn about our recent projects to expand Access to Justice and the status of our Keep Kids in Class project.

We have one last chance to save funding for homeless youth in the FY18 state budget!

Action Alert Months ago, Governor Baker ELIMINATED line item 4000-0007 in the 2018 state budget – which allocated $675,000 in funding for homeless youth.The Governor’s reasoning? That this amount was “too small to be effective.” While $675,000 may seem “too small” for Governor Baker, these are necessary funds that could prove life-saving for homeless youth. It could mean the difference between […]

Act Today to Support MA Appleseed’s Budget Priorities

Action Alert The Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate have both finalized their initial FY18 budget proposals. Now the fight moves to the Budget Conference Committee, in which six members are tasked with working through the differences between the House and Senate budget recommendations on a variety of issues. Here’s a quick reminder about where things […]

Good News and Bad News in the FY18 Budget

Action Alert We’re Almost There! The results are in! After the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate finalized their initial FY18 budget proposals and the Conference Committee compromised, the budget was sent to Governor Baker’s desk. He had 10 days to approve, reduce, or veto any line items he chose; here’s what he did: Statewide […]

Toward Racial Equity: Increasing Access to Boston’s Exam Schools

Action Alert   Boston’s exam schools, the top schools in our city, have long been held out as the merit-based means of upward mobility for the children of Boston’s working class families. But admissions data show a troubling trend of discrimination. The data show under-enrollment of African American and Latino students persisting across Boston’s exam schools, […]

MA Senate Criminal Justice Reform Bill Includes School Arrest Reforms!

Action Alert Great news! The Senate criminal justice reform bill that will be voted on within the next week includes key provisions we support from H.328/S.876, An Act decriminalizing non-violent and verbal student misconduct. These important provisions eliminate the practice of arresting students for minor behavioral infractions and establish standards and accountability for police in schools. […]

2018 Senate Budget Debate

Action Alert Dear MA Appleseed supporter, The Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) is the state’s leading provider of funds for civil legal aid – yet nearly two-thirds of qualified applicants are turned away every day due to a lack of resources.  Without legal help, these individuals are forced to navigate the complex civil justice system on their […]

Massachusetts Appleseed Joins Letter Against Charter School Dress Code

Massachusetts Appleseed joins over three dozen civil rights and education groups on letter condemning Mystic Valley Regional Charter School dress code policy Massachusetts Appleseed joined the American Civil Liberties Union, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice and other civil rights and education groups on a letter to the Mystic Valley Regional Charter […]

2018 HWM Means budget

Action Alert Earlier this week, the House Ways & Means Committee released its 2018 state budget proposal for the fiscal year that will begin on July 1st. The House Ways & Means (HWM) budget includes recommendations for funding for programs and services provided by the state, including many that affect youth, our schools, and the courts. Unfortunately, some […]