CommonWealth Beacon

A SIGNATURE COMPONENT of the Trump administration’s agenda to dismantle public education is a federal school voucher program that would take effect in 2027. This scheme, from The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, threatens to gravely undermine public education across the United States and puts the Commonwealth’s standing in public education at risk. Vouchers are a product of the anti-integration movement in the wake of Brown v.

GOV. MAURA HEALEY has the next 10 days to review and act on the $63.4 billion budget that lawmakers sent her Wednesday, the first day of the new fiscal year the budget covers. The compromise (H 5555) that cleared both branches Wednesday with just a handful of dissenting votes features $63.42 billion in line-item spending, an increase of $2.37 billion or 3.9 percent over the budget Healey signed last July and roughly $54.3 million larger than the fiscal year 2027 budget she proposed in January.

AS AMERICA COMMEMORATES the 250th anniversary of its Independence, I find myself reflecting with both measured pride and deep unease. The American experiment is a remarkable milestone worthy of celebration, but it is also an opportunity for honest self-examination. Here in Massachusetts, this anniversary carries special meaning. The American Revolution began on our streets.

POLICY WATCHERS TRYING to figure how lawmakers have spent the current legislative session tackling the housing crisis could be forgiven for having a sense of déja vu. The moves getting the most attention from Beacon Hill as it hurtles into its busiest month of the two-year session are a housing bond bill passed two years ago and lauding the zoning changes introduced by the controversial MBTA Communities multi-family zoning law, signed back in 2021.

In the months after that visit, Jonathan found himself trying to learn a system he didn’t yet understand — balancing inhalers and nebulizer treatments, watching for flare-ups, and worrying about what might trigger them. At a follow-up appointment, someone handed him a form and asked if he wanted help making his home safer for Camden’s asthma. Jonathan filled it out. “I don’t know a lot of stuff,” he said. “I’m a dad with two kids.

Massachusetts lost millions in federal grants to help asthma patients. These programs are scrounging for funding to survive. In the months after that visit, Jonathan found himself trying to learn a system he didn’t yet understand — balancing inhalers and nebulizer treatments, watching for flare-ups, and worrying about what might trigger them. At a follow-up appointment, someone handed him a form and asked if he wanted help making his home safer for Camden’s asthma. Jonathan filled it out.

AS THE 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaches, the revered document and its principal author have taken center stage in its celebration. Less known is the role of cities and towns throughout the colonies who “declared” their “independence” shortly before July 4, 1776, and encouraged their delegates in the Continental Congress to do the same. Their role as a chorus, if not catalysts, for the Declaration of July 4th should be celebrated this month as well.

Full Time Boston, MA $90,000 - $110,000 USD / Year Position Summary The managing editor at CommonWealth Beacon is responsible for producing original journalism on policy, politics, and civic life in Massachusetts. The managing editor will oversee the daily flow of copy for our newsroom, collaborating closely with reporters to develop story ideas, support reporting progress, and edit both long-form and breaking news pieces for publication.

An annual state budget, a long-awaited energy affordability bill, a jobs package that may or may not feature reforms to spur desperately needed housing production, more frequent financial disclosures from statewide ballot question campaigns — there’s no shortage of weighty topics for the Legislature to tackle in the next 30 days. Welcome to another even-year July, the final month for major new business in the 2025-2026 lawmaking term.

New from CommonWealth Beacon POT REPEAL: The first of four expected rulings about ballot question eligibility went in favor of the campaign, with the Supreme Judicial Court deciding that a […]