“The core mission of educational collaboratives is to expand district capacity by providing programs for students with some of the highest needs across the state,” said Joanne Haley-Sullivan, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaboratives. Current ethics law that prohibit employees from working in two school districts at the same time also apply to working at a collaborative, even if the work would not interrupt district obligations, said Haley-Sullivan.
Advocates in the Legislature say its passage will address an urgent need to respond to staffing challenges. Rep. Christopher Markey, D-New Bedford, is a sponsor of the bill, and says it will allow schools and districts to support students at this critical and difficult time in schools, and beyond. Read more about this in Isabel Tehan’s article recently published in South Coast Today.