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🥶Freezing cold, with clouds coming in and highs in the 30s. Sunset is at 4:11 p.m.
Staff at Northeastern University told GBH’s Kirk Carapezza that the school has laid off employees recently, though a university spokesperson declined to confirm how many. And Yale University last week announced budget cuts, with the school’s provost, Scott Strobel, saying that “layoffs may be necessary.”
So what does it mean for the economic state of higher education? “When even the wealthiest institutions in the world are making cuts, I expect other colleges to continue following suit,” Robert Kelchen, a professor who teaches higher education policy at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, told Carapezza. “Some of that is to avoid potential worst case outcomes like closures or massive cuts in the short-term. And some of it’s also to try to get back ahead of their financial situation.”
Four Things to Know
1. MIT is launching the MIT Quantum Initiative, a new project aimed at exploring practical applications of quantum technology across fields such as science, technology, life sciences, health care and security.
“There isn’t a more important technological field right now than quantum, with its enormous potential for impact on both fundamental research and practical problems,” MIT President Sally Kornbluth said.
2. Say goodbye to some Green Line infrastructure from the 1890s. The MBTA has shut down the Green Line between North Station and Kenmore Square, as well as the B Line branch from Kenmore to Babcock Street and the entire E Line branch to Heath Street — through Dec. 22.
Among the upgrades: replacing a wooden overhead catenary trough (wooden ceiling fixtures that hold electrical wiring — you can see a photo here) installed when workers were digging what would become the first underground subway tunnel in the U.S., GBH’s Jeremy Siegel reports. It will be replaced with metal.
3. Conservationists are working to restore wild oyster reefs — functionally extinct in the state — at Hamblin Pond in Mashpee.
“The end goal of this is to sort of achieve 10 to 20% of what Massachusetts once had in oyster habitat and wild fishery,” said Dan Goulart, coastal project manager with The Nature Conservancy. “So, it’s quite feasible that this summer, when water temps warm up in late-June, early-July, those oysters could spawn, putting the first larvae onto this reef.”
4. One thing to consider if you’re holiday shopping in the coming weeks: while large national chains and big-box stores seem to be faring well this season, smaller independent shops aren’t seeing as much traffic overall, according to Jon Hurst of the Retailers Association.
“It’s a tale of two different types of sellers,” Hurst said. “A lot of the big national chains did just fine, growing over last year; in most cases beating the rate of inflation. However, small mom-and-pops, we’re getting a lot of reports [that they’re] very flat over last year.” He said he believes high energy, health care and other costs are making it hard for both shoppers and small businesses.
Prop 2½ in the limelight: What it is and how some people want to change it
By Katie Lannan, GBH News
Cities and towns in Massachusetts are warning they’re on the brink of financial crisis and service cuts — and they’re asking Beacon Hill to step in with a fix.
The local budget stress has reignited debate over the future of Proposition 2½, the 1980 state law that caps property tax increases in Massachusetts.
So how did this start? The Massachusetts Municipal Association calls it a perfect storm: rising costs, state aid that hasn’t kept pace with inflation, the end of a temporary boost in federal dollars that helped fill local coffers during the pandemic and restrictions on how cities and towns can raise revenue to fund services.
Massachusetts has no local income tax and no local sales tax option beyond hotels and meals. That means money for schools, police and fire departments, recreation centers and more comes from property taxes. Those taxes are capped under Prop. 2½ — a 1980 ballot law that, for the most part, limits property tax revenue increases to 2.5% per year. It was a response to high taxes and high inflation.
So when you take all that together, the MMA says cities and towns are struggling to maintain services and carry out basic functions like repairing roads or attracting new staff.
Cities and towns have a work around: They can call a referendum and ask residents to vote on overriding the limit for specific purposes, like a school project or shoring up the operating budget. That raises property taxes.
Stoneham has an override vote today. Supporters say that without a multimillion-dollar override, their library risks losing certification because of funding cuts, and schools wouldn’t have enough money. The vote could restore some staff cuts at the police, fire and public works departments. Critics say residents can’t afford bigger bills.
Asking people to vote to raise their own property taxes is no guarantee. The MMA found it’s often harder in rural towns and in cities where household budgets are tighter. An override failed in Amesbury this fall, and local officials warned that if it didn’t pass, they’d have to eliminate 27 teaching positions from the city’s schools and 911 response times could increase thanks to public safety cuts.
There are ideas in the mix to help communities raise more revenue. Many local leaders support a bill Governor Healey filed that would let them set higher local meals and lodging taxes and add a new surtax on car excise bills. The MMA wants more state aid, and some local officials want to revisit Prop 2½.
Revisiting the tax cap could be a tough sell on Beacon Hill. Heading into an election year, lawmakers would need to justify being the ones who think you should pay more in property taxes — whatever the reasoning. With the cost of living already so high, that’s a line challengers could seize on.
Dig deeper:
-Boston Mayor Michelle Wu re-ups push for controversial tax proposal
-What does an effort to limit property taxes have to do with the Massachusetts lottery?
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