WBCA Podcasts

Talk Of The Neighborhoods

Last week, the state legislature ended its formal session but all of the anticipated work, including an economic development bill, is still waiting for a vote. Rep. John Moran, who represents the 9th Suffolk District, will join us to share updates on his first year at the State House as well as what he's hoping to see included in the pending Economic Development bill. In our second half, I'll be joined by Liza Lazare, the executive director of Educators for Excellence Massachusetts, who had a significant win at the State House this year as part of her ongoing work to increase and retain teacher diversity across the Commonwealth.

Duration:: 54m
Broadcast on:: 09 Aug 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

I'm Mary Tamer, and I'm happy to be hosting tonight's broadcast on B&N, which is also being simulcast on WBCA 102.9 FM. Last week, the state legislature ended its formal session, but all of the anticipated work, including an economic development bill, is still waiting for a vote. Steve John Moran, who represents the 9th Suffolk District, will join us to share updates on his first year at the State House, as well as what he's hoping to see included in the Pending Economic Development Bill. In our second half, I'll be joined by Lisa Lazar, the executive director of Educators for Excellence, Massachusetts, who had a significant win at the State House this year as part of her ongoing work to increase and retain teacher diversity across the Commonwealth. We're going to have some great conversations tonight, so please stay tuned. [Music], and thank you for joining us today. [Music], and thank you for joining us today. [Music], and thank you for joining us today. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Thank you for joining us, and I'm happy to introduce my first guest tonight, Representative John Moran. Representative Moran, thank you so much for being here. Thanks for having me, really, really great to be here. Well, there's so much we need to talk about, but I would love for folks who might not have met you before. Could you tell us a little bit about what you were doing before you became a state rep? Yeah, so good question, Mary. I actually spent about 30 years in business, and it worked in a variety of companies, including pretty mutual for a long time and other companies, and spent my last, I guess, five years working in the life sciences sector, which is really a great place to use my skills. And I specialized in this sort of unique skill set called change management. And so, regardless of the industry, people are making lots of changes, whether it be a systems change or some other type of change that folks, you know, organizational change. And so, people need to be led through that change. And so, it's a neat profession where you get to use communication skills, analytical skills, a little bit of cajoling skills, I guess. But that's what I sort of specialized in, and I'm bringing that to the state house as well. I bet you are, and just for, again, for folks who might not know, tell us what is included in the 9th Suffolk District. Yeah, that's another good question. I think I've gotten down now to maybe five seconds, but it's majority of the south end, but we also have parts of Back Bay, including the library area, Copley Square, and then some parts of Roxbury and Dorchester. So, Dorchester has a really cool area called the Polish Triangle, which I just love. They have delicious food, amazing people. And so, I spend a lot of time there, and, you know, probably too much time there, relative to being fair to the rest of the district, but I just love it there, that that's a part of Dorchester that I have. That's great, and we should mention you're a longtime resident of the south end yourself. Yeah, we've been, my partner and I've been there for 25 years now, which is hard to believe. We sort of arrived in 1999 and never left because it's just such a dynamic, multicultural, just a fascinating environment that has really evolved so much in the last 25 years. And very dog friendly. Very dry. Very dog friendly. We were talking a little bit earlier about my French bulldog, Edna, and not so unique to live in the south end and have a French bulldog, but the other breeds too. We have dog parks. You have dog parks. Some of us don't have dog parks, but you were very fortunate, yes. It's wonderful, for sure. And I know last, it was last year when you won in a special election when your predecessor, Representative John Santiago, was tapped by Governor Healy to go to the State House to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs. I believe. Tell me what your first year has been like. You mentioned some of the skills you brought in your prior roles. What's it been, you know, has it been a big, you know, culture shift for you? Like, how have you found things there? Yeah, it's what's been wonderful. And it's a little bit of a whirlwind I'd have to say in terms of a lot of things happened. And I think the thing that was very similar to business is that it's about relationships. It's about building relationships. And that's easy to do with the House of Representatives, amazing people, that really wanted to, some of them took me, you know, under their arm and really wanted to make sure that I flourished in that, especially starting late. I think of Chris Worrell out of Dorchester as someone to help me figure out where my pin goes. And just really, you know, really just very, very kind people. And then it's, you know, like business, it's a matter of managing the different parts of your portfolio. So there's a heavy dose, especially as a freshman of constituent services. So I really wanted to make sure I nailed that part. There's, you know, policy, obviously. And, you know, other things including in District 9, we have a plethora, I love that word, I guess. We have a lot of amazing organizations. So I really spent a lot of time trying to get to know those. Pine Street Inn, kneecat, the base. You know, I could go on here for hours. BMC is in my district. So there's just a lot of great organizations that I wanted to get to know them, what they do, what their needs are. I guess I can't help but mention IBA, Bill of Victoria, which is an amazing organization right in the heart. A couple blocks away, I've always lived on one side of that little community or another. So we have just a, so that's the part. So I think it's been a really good first year. I think I've balanced those sort of three buckets, if you will. And no real surprises. I guess the only surprise would be how many organizations are coming to the state house on a daily basis, doing amazing work, taking their time out, advocating for their specific policies or needs. And I'm impressed. It really gives you good faith and humanity how many people really care about their causes, whether it be environment, whether it be education. Various causes and gun legislation, which we were able to pass this year. So that was really heartening and it's a wonderful job. It's the best job in the world, I probably shouldn't say that. But it's a wonderful job. That's great. And you mentioned so many of the great organizations that exist in your district. Now the Franklin Institute also exists in your district. And I know there's something tied that is very important in the economic development bill, which I mentioned. So the formal session ended last week, July 31st. But it seems that there's an opportunity for both the House and the Senate to reconvene because this economic development bill is kind of hanging in the balance and there's lots in there. And maybe you could share with us what is something in there that's very important to your district in particular. Yeah, well, you know, as I mentioned, I came from the life sciences area and that's another very mission oriented profession where they're trying to solve for major diseases and they're working. They have a lot of, you see the sexier side, perhaps when you see commercials on TV, but that all starts with people really working hard behind the scenes. So the biggest thing in the economic bill that I've been focused on is what we call Life Sciences 3.0. So it started way back, you know, this is the third iteration. It was devolved Patrick who started the first iteration in funding, you know, providing state funds for this industry to help it flourish. Then we had Charlie Baker with 2.0. And now Governor Healy and her wisdom along with Secretary Howe and others are wanting to make sure we continue to have big leaders in the life sciences industry. And with their proposing is Life Sciences 3.0. Now within that Life Sciences 3.0 or adjacent to that is a very important project that's happening in Nubian Square. And that the overall project is Nubian ascends or other branding that might occur, but there's a really cool opportunity to have a Life Sciences Training Center in a lab. And as you mentioned, that's connected with the Franklin Institute of Technology with RCC, with other organizations that can leverage that particular lab. And it really gets to the heart of why I ran for this office, which is bridging the wealth gap between, you know, our Roxbury or other areas, Black and Brown communities. And the community, for example, where I live in the south end, where we have a lot of folks in the biotech industry, we really need to level that playing field. And to do that, there's an amazing opportunity to have the Life Sciences Center there and to have a lab space. And I was just actually happened to run into Ayesha Francis, the president of today at Franklin Tech. We happen to be sitting at Jason Tables and, you know, she was quoted in the Banner article last night with me. And I feel like, you know, between -- we have some good people behind this. We have Senator Miranda. We have Representative China Tyler, who filed it with me in the house for this funding. So I think -- and we have a wonderful team, including Richard Taylor and others, behind this big project. So I think we -- if we focus on it, and yes, I do believe that with maybe some luck in some prayers, we will get to the economic development bill before the end of the year would be my hope. Yeah. And it sounds like this is really a significant opportunity because both the Franklin Institute and Roxbury Community College are both under new leadership or relatively new leadership. And so it sounds like this really is something that should be seized if the money comes through. It really should be. And, you know, everything -- all the pieces are in place. We have a good transportation system. A lot of times when we try to build these labs or other training centers, we really don't have the infrastructure. And the good news is that, you know, with all the transports right there, the land is there. And I'm cautiously optimistic that we can get both economic development bill passed, but within that, get this particular amendment, which would be specifically for the Newvian Square Life Sciences Center. Okay. We'll keep our fingers crossed for that. Yes, definitely. I know that in another part of your district, known as mass and caste, that there is an ongoing humanitarian crisis that I don't even know how many years it's been now, but this is something that you really came into a year ago. And also with some of the same folks you just mentioned, I know you and Senator Miranda, others, of course, from the city council as well. But what needs to happen next? It seems that it has sort of peaks and valleys in terms of how many people we see when we drive by for those that work or live in the area. What's your take on the situation right now and what needs to happen next? Yeah, I guess I'd start with saying we're in a little bit of a tricky spot. And we sort of got there, we started off, we're in a better spot in some ways than we were a year ago. In some ways the activity is more disseminated into the neighborhoods. And so I will give the administration, the Mayor Wu and our administration credit for disbanding Atkinson Street. If you think about what was going on there, the most heart wrenching part for me was the human trafficking component. And so that definitely we're in a better place there given the fact that it's a regular thoroughfare now. And we're not dealing with a whole street dedicated to tents, et cetera. So that ordinance has worked well. 727 Mass Ave was opened and it's now closed. So we give a credit to the city for, I was a little bit against having more concentration in that particular area around Albany and Mass Ave. I give the city a great credit for breaking that up. But I think where we are now, sorry, closing that facility. But I think where we are now is we need to acknowledge where we are and I give, I'm a middle child. So right now I'm really thrilled that we've got the city, the state, legislators, everyone working together to think about the concept that came up a few years ago which was recover Boston. So the idea would be that today, this is a little bit generalizing, but about 80% of the population is, that is on, you know, in the neighborhoods and around maybe Molina Cast Boulevard and going towards Nubian Square or on the Southwest Corridor. A lot of that population has shelter at night. And so about 80%. But then by day, they're heading out and in a sense it's to their community really. So if you think about it from a human perspective. So what we want to do is we want to provide a continuum of care that really makes sense today. In some ways, Mary, there's sort of disparate services that's hard for a patient to figure out. If they're trying to go to recovery, they might go in and then they can't get to the next step so they go back. So I think what we need to do is we need to think about this recover Boston concept. I know we're going to talk to the mayor's office and team in a few weeks about it. And work together and collaboratively sort of problem solve and say, how can we as a city bring this, bring this, you know, what is, you know, to some and I think to the, especially to the patients themselves, kind of a crisis. How can we bring it to the next level of balancing public safety with public health? You know, balancing those two things. And I do think that we have an opportunity with recovery Boston to do that. That would be one tool, it won't be the end, panacea for everything, but we can kind of work in that direction. Yeah. What do you hear? I can only imagine how many emails you must get in the course of a day. But what are you hearing from neighbors, from your, you know, your neighbors, the neighbors in the new market area? What kinds of, you know, what are you hearing from the neighborhood? Yeah. You know, we definitely, to your point earlier, it is fits and starts. But almost on a daily basis, I will get emails from constituents indicating that there's needles in their backyard or other things in their backyard or that, you know, the Southwest Corridor has tent like structures put up behind Mass Ave. So I want to say that I really have to give credit to the volunteers in the South End. The Southwest Corridor volunteers just got an award at National Night Out from Commissioner Cox, thanking them for all the volunteer, the work that they're doing. There was a turning point about maybe a month ago where I got a very disheartening note from one of those volunteers who said, "I don't feel safe anymore." And at that point, you know, we, together with Senator Miranda, Counselor John Fitzgerald, we wrote, we co-wrote a note, a letter to the editor in the Boston Globe indicating that we just really needed, you know, what's, what we're doing now isn't completely working. What else can we try thinking about the patient as a center, but also thinking about public safety. How can we balance it? And that's where we have now reignited this conversation about Recover Boston. Yeah, and when you talk about Recover Boston, I'm curious, I know there's been a lot of court cases, et cetera, around the law, you know, the bridge to Long Island and the shelters that exist there, which need work after being not in use now for a number of years. What's the timeline for that? What can people expect in? Is it just, it's a big part of the problem, just a lack of treatment beds for the folks that are really struggling with substance use disorder? Yeah, I definitely think, so I think the short answer is that the best of my knowledge were at least five years away from Long Island, but I do think we'll get there. I do think that we have a very competent team with the mayor and others, you know, working on this and I think we'll get there. That being said, I think, to your point, recovery beds, the part of the paradigm or the program of Recover Boston will have phases, and that sort of right from the beginning, what we call sort of zone one, will have recovery beds and give people that option. So, in some ways, you know, I'm not that great of a salesman, but in some ways I'll look at this as, why don't we try this, this will be a learning lab to get us to Long Island. And we can, you know, just like when you try to solve problems in business, we have what's called test and learn, right, so you don't want to necessarily even big companies don't want to create the perfect solution right out the gate. You want to try something, learn from that, iterate on that, innovate, so I think we can, you know, and I know we're talking about patients, so I don't want to be insensitive about that. But I think we can get to recovery beds, you know, in a good example would be, for example, Pine Street in as a small little shelter at the Shaddick. So it's basically very well run, very well managed, and that would be a good model where they have recovery beds in places to go. A little cute sign out in the front, looks very welcoming and I think Pine Street does a good job of thinking about, you know, total experience for patients. Yeah, that's really great. Let's go back to the budget and what are some of the other things that you were excited to see go through when the budget was passed? So yeah, so I was, you know, I hadn't had any experience in my life about earmarks, but I did, it is similar to in corporations where I worked with the community, the members of the community to figure out where are the, what are the needs? And so, you know, I got, you know, some really cool things. One would be along, I keep on mentioning Liz, but she's such a good partner. But with her, we got, you know, good $50,000 for a League of Women for Community Service and they're redoing a building on Mass Ave. And it's just, I don't know if you know about this organization, but it's incredible and it was one of the gifts of, so it's a building they're redoing, obviously $50,000 is not getting a couple windows in the south end, but that's a real exciting thing. So we did get, in the economic development, I'm sorry, in the Affordable Homes Act, which is another piece of legislation, we did get $2 million for Eva Villa Victoria, to one is to run a retrofit their current office space, once La Casa, which is a building a community center gets built, and another one for another, their former office. So that was exciting to be able to secure that through the Affordable Homes Act. And then, and again, one of my favorite parts of the budget was getting some money for the Berkeley community gardens. And, you know, you go and you've, I've gone by this a thousand times in my life living in the south end, but when you actually sit down and walk through and listen to the different cultural foods that are being made there. And it's a real community, and we were able to get some, they're, they need some work there. So those are, you know, small, small earmarks that I felt were exciting to be able to do as a freshman and, you know, Chairman Aaron Mikeowitz, you know, helped, helped me figure out a lot of things in terms of, you know, you know, he's, he's a very experienced and kind guy so, you know, definitely was very helpful. And he approves the, the money. So it got to thank him very much. That's right, chairways and means on the high side. So a good person to know. Incredible guy. Incredible guy. And I've known him for, you know, just, you know, he's been, he used to cover more of the south end. He does, he also has a south end, a good piece of the south end right now. And so, yeah, he's just a real, real good guy and really loves what he does and he's good at it. He is, yeah, that's great. And North End too. And North End of course, yes, yes, he's mostly the North End. A little bit of the south end though. North End for sure, yeah. What are you hearing about? I, you know, you mentioned a little bit about housing in Villa Victoria. In terms of the affordability of housing in the south end these days, like what, what do you see as, you know, some opportunities maybe to improve. I know there's just such a dire need for housing in Boston right now. And is that something I think that is being talked about quite a bit at the state house? It is. And I think as part of the Affordable Homes Act, we did get $300 million for the Commonwealth Builder Fund. Thanks, thanks to Rep Homes, who's, you know, right around the corner here. And, you know, is that enough? Probably not, but it is something that I've seen in the immediate area in my district in Lower Roxbury and the south end where there are some homes. It's very tricky, Mary, they have to put together, they've cobbled together a bunch of different financing mechanisms, but there are a few examples of affordable homes being built. So it's affordable rentals and affordable ownership combined in some cases and then market rate affordable. So there's some, there are two or three really good projects going on, including the Boston Water and Sewer Project. There's just a lot of interesting projects going on so that I definitely feel that we need more housing. As I said, when I ran for office, we need housing of all kinds. That includes affordable rentals, affordable ownership. And, you know, we need to work on some of the displacement that's happening in the south end where there's a lot of money coming into my immediate area. But, you know, we need everybody. And most of the folks that are coming to the south end, regardless of their socioeconomic status, they have a hearts of gold and they're volunteering. They're getting involved in the organizations throughout the neighborhood. So, you know, it really is an amazing place to live. And I'm really proud of this, you know, particularly, you know, the entire district nine that includes the family, including the folks that I spend, you know, a little bit of time with the Mount Pleasant and Vine and Roxbury. They're, it's a great organization. We're tight knit and they're really trying to protect and clean up and they're doing a wonderful job too. That's great. We're almost out of time, but I know starting next January, we enter a new two year legislative session. We're a little different that way compared to other states. What are some of the things you're looking forward to in the next start of the session? So I definitely, you know, I'm definitely wanting to make sure that we, if we can't get the environmental bill through, I want to focus on that. I want to help focus on that because I do think, you know, ultimately, I work for my constituents and I have gotten a number of calls where the citing or other aspects. We need to make it easier to create clean energy. And that's one thing I'm going to be definitely focused on. And I'll spend August, you know, knocking on some doors and listening to other and going to neighborhood, a bunch of neighborhood, you know, events and making sure I'm understanding what other priorities people have. But certainly we're the center of healthcare and so I'm going to be, you know, continuing to listen to the needs of the organizations like BMC and how the hospital blast resort to make sure we have the legislation in place to make sure that they can thrive or survive in some cases and make sure that they're serving the needs of the city. So I guess, yeah, the short answer is lots of good legislation and I'll get a little bit more time now to think about that in the summer and get out and get there in January of this time. As opposed to July, the last time I started and work with work with my colleagues on these things. And, you know, the last thing I'll say is there's some GLBT, LGBTQ plus legislation such as the Parentage Act we passed, which is amazing. Congratulations. Yeah, no, it's amazing. I think all parents should be able to be parents when they have children. And so that's something that we can hold our heads up high and say we passed that. So focused on other things like anti-book banning legislation that I filed with Julian Sears. So those are some of the things that I'm excited to get back in January and get working on. Well, we will have you back to talk more about that when the new session starts, but Representative Moran, thank you so much for joining me. Thanks for having me. It's great to see you. Thank you. Thank you very much. We will be back with Lisa Lazar from Educators for Excellence. Please stay tuned. [MUSIC PLAYING] We're getting close to the first pitch here at Fenway Park. But no sign of only the Green Monster. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] Ladies and gentlemen, it's Wally. [MUSIC PLAYING] There's no better way to kick off a Boston summer than with live music. We started ours at Boston Calling, where we chatted with festival goers about what drew them here. Live music is genuinely what gets me through. I love it so much. Music, live music lover, so many concerts. Three days straight, it's just like, I don't want to be anywhere else. I just enjoy the process of seeing as many artists as I possibly can. I also very much enjoy exploring new ones, but I can. The festival was a beautiful example of how music is a universal language and brings community together. Well, I really like live music because it's just a great experience and I think it brings everybody together. It's kind of one of those things that you can do in a large group. There's not too much of that anymore in this world. So I think we need more of it. I think it's just really cool to be with like birds of a feather, especially with this is such a varied lineup. That was one of the things that drew me to it is multiple of my favorite bands across several genres of music. Everyone interprets music in different ways and it means different things to them. So it's really cool to see a bunch of people gather in one place and then have different reasons why they're there. BNN had a blast getting to know some of the festival goers and we can't wait for 2025. My character Shazam knows all about growing up in a family full of teenage superheroes. They're bold. Is there one going? To fight crime? Okay. Adventurous. Shazam! There's never a dull moment. And no matter what happens, they'll always have your back. All they need is a place to grow and be themselves. And the best part is you don't have to be a superhero to adopt a team. Learn more about adopting a team from foster care. Visit adoptuskids.org. You can't imagine the reward. Today, we face an unprecedented crisis. Tens of millions of refugees have been forced from their homes. But you can make a difference. Turn disruption and despair to hope and opportunity. Even small amounts make a big difference. Provide shelter, support or jobs in your community. The more we understand, the greater sense of belonging we create. Act now. Visit supportcrisisrelief.org. We all know what it's like to feel alone. But it just takes one new connection. Want to get out of here? To empower many. This is unbelievable. It doesn't take a superhero to bring forces together. We all have the power to reach out. Let's go! And help someone feel like they belong. Pretty cool, huh? We are stronger together. Hello, and now I am joined by Lisa Lazar, the Executive Director for Educators for Excellence, Massachusetts. Lisa, thank you so much for being here tonight. Thank you for inviting me, Mary. I'm excited to be here. I'm so glad. I want you to share with the audience if you would a little bit of your background and how you decided to embark into teaching in the teaching profession. Well, I have to share first of all, my first dream was to be a doctor. I'm from Trinidad and Tobago originally. And if you don't know, when you come from the islands, there's three careers. Doctor, lawyer, accountant. Now it's engineer. Sounds like Lebanon. So I picked Doctor really early on, and I was, I will say, a little bullheaded in that move in terms of my aspirations to move forward. And it was college. Like, I came here. I was in school. I was going through the thing. And I grew up in an immigrant neighborhood in New York. I didn't realize that we were low-income and that I was not getting a great education until I got to college. I was on the honors track. I graduated 16th in my class. I thought I was ready for college. I thought I was ready to be that doctor. I got to college. And when I tell you that sophomore chemistry class, I completely shifted the game in terms of who was moving on to STEM and who wasn't. And that was one moment that really solidified for me. There's a problem here. Like, how is it my career might be derailed by one class? Because my grade had dropped so greatly. I ended up going to a guidance counselor. This story still hurts me today's thing. I went to the guidance counselor in college because I didn't do well in this chemistry class. I struggled so deeply. I ended up with a C grade. I went to the guidance counselor there. And she was looking at my grades. I was a sophomore. And she knows I wanted to go to med school. And she straight up told me, you will never get into med school with these grades. And because I struggled on this class and if I wasn't able to pick it up, and so that stuck with me. And the next thing she said is that you should possibly be thinking about becoming a teacher instead. And honestly, that statement kept me out of the profession longer than it needed to because I was still bent. I'm like, I'm going to prove you wrong. It wasn't until later when I decided that being a doctor was not the path for me. And I remembered those really critical moments of my education where I'm like, no, this is not true. There's something more here. And so I went and became a chemistry teacher. The class I failed in college. I'm like, no. We're going to go back. We're going to go back. And I went back into the classroom. I became that chemistry teacher. I wanted to inspire the next generation of students. And it was great because on one hand, when they were so confused, I was like, bet. I understand why I was right on your too. So it's a funny story for me, I believe, because those moments I didn't realize it was setting me onto the path of where I am today and quite frankly, Mary, there's no place I would rather be than in the education space being able to be an advocate for the way I am. And my experiences has given me just a wealth of understanding in terms of how to navigate community spaces and really understanding what quality can actually do for our community. It must give you a deep sense of empathy for students as well. I mean, it's like you talk about that moment like it was yesterday. And so that clearly has stayed with you. And I imagine when you were in the classroom and even in your present role now that the students must always be on the forefront of your mind. So I shared earlier that I am from Trinidad and Tobago. And this is another reason why students are on the forefront of my mind. When I came to this country, I was nine years old. I was in fifth grade in Trinidad. And so one of the first things they did when I came here was that they tested me into the school system. When I took the test, I remember it to this day because my parents had to have a conversation about what they wanted to do with it. I tested in at eighth grade in nine months. And I want to be really clear. I was never the smartest child. I was not the most clever. In fact, in Trinidad, my parents were having conversations with my principal about just acknowledging expectations as to what high school I would be able to go to. And so to have that conversation in Trinidad, that's where I was. And then to move here and then to see that shift. That was one of the beginning understandings of again, there is something amiss here. And that story really stayed with me because then as I was going through my experiences, I started to understand why do people don't think that I can be a doctor? Why am I being pushed into all of these other directions? And what I've come to and what I really stand for is that we are now sitting in a time where if you look across the statistics, if you look at our graduation rates, our reading rates, any meaningful measure of success and impact, you see like black and brown students are last. I come from a culture and country where we were top and number one. And so for me, it truly is systemic and institutional that we are not able to succeed in this country when outside of this system we thrive. And so I come back here understanding it's for the students because I don't want them to believe that what they think is possible here is all that's available to them. That's absolutely not true. And so I recognize it's fighting the system and that it's fighting a space to ensure that our students have the opportunity to see themselves reflected in a way that's meaningful and a way that's powerful and a way that can change our trajectory. For me, when I was a teacher, it was about, do you know the power of one? That's me and my family. My father had the opportunity to be educated, to be college educated. And he gave that emphasis to me, my sister and my brother. We are now able to navigate the world in a really powerful way because my father was committed to ensuring that his children had an excellent education and prioritized education. And so I know the power of being in front of that classroom and inspiring one student because it's not one student, it's an entire generation of a family. And that has powerful compounding effects. Absolutely. Tell us about, for those that might not be familiar with educators for excellence, tell us how it came into being an organization for former teachers like yourself and what its areas of focus are. Absolutely. So educators for excellence was started in 2010 by two former educators. And really what we stand in, we stand on business, is that teachers should have a leading say in policies that impact them in their classrooms. And what we found is that teachers are often left out of that conversation. And so what we do is that we ensure that we're bringing policies, we're giving teachers the opportunity to connect with their decision makers, to understand how these decision making bodies impact what's happening into your classroom. I remember when I was a chemistry teacher, I felt so isolated. I don't know how else to say it. You have your students coming in and out. I had 180 kids that I was focusing and taking care of. I barely had time to think for myself. Much less think about how I can change the system for the better because that's why I was there. And so I know the power and the work that we're doing with educators' excellence and that centering teachers in this manner makes a difference. And we're seeing it in a different policy when we're seeing across the nation. Yeah. And how many states does E4E operate in? Oh, we operate in six states. Wow. So we're a national organization with six chapters across the states. So in this last legislative session that just ended last week, you proposed a pretty bold bill that would aid efforts to retain teachers of diverse racial and linguistic backgrounds in a teaching landscape here in Massachusetts that's about 85% white. Tell us about your bill for those that might not be familiar with it. Right. I appreciate that question. So the legislation was called an act enabling all students to thrive. And it was really focusing on ensuring that our high quality diverse educators were able to be retained into the classroom. And where this lever came from is that in Massachusetts, I don't know if you know this, is actually one of leads the nation in the recruitment of diverse talent into the classroom. I know you just shared a statistic that currently we're only about maybe 13 to 15% were identified as BIPOC educators. However, our student population is 50. And so Massachusetts, like a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, our legislators, had made it a priority many years ago to work on closing that gap. And we've been fairly successful. We see we're coming out of the pandemic prior to 2020, we were closer to 8%. And so now that we are here closer to 15%, we're nowhere near the goal we need to be, but that meaningful progress was something that we felt like could not be eroded. And so what we wanted to do was introduce legislation because when we were looking at the landscape across the nation, what we saw was that Massachusetts was not the only state that was coming to like a critical choice point. And what that choice point was is that at the end of this year, September, actually 2024, is the end of ESSER funding. And so that is the funding that districts were receiving to support them in coming out of the pandemic. We also experienced a steep enrollment decline coming out of the pandemic. And when those two things combine, it means that sometimes there's a fiscal cliff or budget cuts. And so what we did end up seeing was layoffs due to budget cuts. So the legislation we proposed is that, hey, when there are layoffs due to budget cuts, because right now the state law is that it is a seniority basis. And you're the last one and you're the first one out, which means our teachers of color, our diverse talent would be disproportionately impacted. And so what we realized is like introducing measures of quality on top of it, on quality on top of seniority, the wealth of research shows that more BIPOC educators are retained under those circumstances. And we felt, especially when it's layoffs due to budget cuts, that we needed to set our districts and our schools up for success in order to support our students. Our students, unfortunately, our most high-need students, are the ones who are usually taught by our newer teachers or more diverse educators. And they are usually the ones who see the most disruption when there's layoffs happening. And so what we were looking to do is like, how can we create some consistency and support during this unique moment in time? And it seems so logical, because there's also research, and correct me if I'm wrong, that demonstrates that students, if they have something in common with the person who's leading the classroom, that they can, you know, in terms of forming relationships and mentoring, and that it's important to see people that look like you at the front of the classroom as well. So it's very important to students as well. Oh, absolutely. And I would say it's important for all students to see a variety of diverse perspectives leading and following as we're like navigating that space. And so diversity is good for everyone. Everyone benefits in that sense. And we're just recognizing we're in a unique space in time where our laws, our status quo policies in this moment, is working against a lot of the progress we've been fighting for. And so this was our opportunity to adjust for the community that's now working, to the community we're becoming. And so given the commitment that the state of Massachusetts, or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, has made to teach your diversity efforts, this seems like such a common sensical approach to want to retain those diverse teachers that we've been able to hire in these last, you know, five or some odd years. Yes. But you faced resistance to this bill. So can you tell us a little bit about the resistance you faced, and how did you respond to that? And so in understanding as we were advocating for this work, we ended up feeling, because if we're advocating to keep quality, like, diverse talent that may be newer to the profession, what that signaled to others is that, well, hey, that means others would be let go. And what does that look like? And that's why we kept wanting to elevate that this was under, like, quality measures. So we wanted to make sure, like, if there was a situation where someone was being let go from who was not early in the career, like, can we look at their measures? Can we look at their ratings? Are they bilingual? Are they connected to the student population? Like, what community are they serving? Like, what other factors can we think of and look at to holistically think about? Like, what's best for our students in this moment? And so, like, as we were thinking through the different, like, levers for this legislation, that is something we wanted to center at the heart of it. And at the heart of it is that our highest-need students are the ones who always get left behind. And in this moment, especially coming out of the pandemic, after seeing how hard it's been for us to recover, that at this point, we could not put that on our students again. Yeah. So what was the final outcome of your legislation? The final outcome was, well, I know I'm not the only one in this situation where it did not make it through our legislature, while they are, like, they're grappling with some really big topics this year. And they're doing, I would say, the best that they can to ensure that we're ready and reset. But unfortunately, we didn't make it out of Conference Committee, but it was our first year filing. And so, recognizing that, like, it was incredible for us to even get where we got to from at that point. But what we were able to do, we were able to submit an amendment to the budget, which was passed. And what the amendment was asking was, like, hey, can we study this issue? So what the state and what the legislature has so graciously approved for us is that the state will be studying the impacts of layoffs on educator diversity and retention for this year, for the 2024 school year and the 25 school year. That's exciting. And it should be coming out in October 2025. Wonderful. So a one-year study then. It took over, like, covering two years. Two school years. Exactly. We were looking at the year, like, right before, after funding, and then the year right after. Wonderful. Wonderful. That's great. Congratulations. I'm not easy. It was not easy, Mary. I definitely learned that this session. But what I did learn about anything else was how important it is to elevate your voices, to talk to community. And honestly, I would say also be really thankful that we are in a state and space where we're able to advocate and change what we don't like. That's why I'm here. That's why I love the work that I do. But if you're not happy with something, if you're seeing inequity, you have an opportunity to change it. That's right. That is the most beautiful and most American thing I can do. Yeah. You spend a lot of time at the state house. How did those meetings go? Wow. So, like, I said, I'm from Trinidad. And when I tell you that that is not how we engage with our politics. I was starstruck. Yeah. Because, like, I grew up where you do not question authority. Like, they are on a pedestal that knows what they're doing. And so, for me to be in a space where I can go to my state rep. I can go to my senator. I can elevate not just my concern because it's one thing for me to be there. But I'm coming here with, like, hundreds of petitions of educators who are seeing the same thing. And getting to be there in real time as they're working through all of these different topics. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I also have to say, like, I think it's a really powerful process to understand, like, how your voice can really matter. And so, like, this whole process has just reconfirmed for me that I am in the right space. And that I want more people's voices to be present in the spaces I'm in. Yeah. And I'm sure for maybe some of the people that you brought into the state house, it might have been the first time that they had been inside. And it's a bit on-spire. I mean, the building itself is magnificent. We feel very small inside that building. Oh, absolutely. But to lift up people's voices in that way, I just an incredible feeling. And I have to, like, give a special shout-out to Senator Piano and Representative Sousa, who, like, sponsored our bill and legislation and what was such staunch advocates. And it was really- And both freshmen legislators, too. Both freshmen. But what I really loved is that all three of us had the experience of being immigrants to this country. Yeah. Of, like, experiencing what education can do to transform not just our lives, but the lives of the community around us. And so it was really wonderful doing work with people who are so committed and connected to the values. And the reasons, like, I'm here. And so it was just really powerful to see that. And I don't think she knows this, but I'll tell you this story. The first time I met Representative Sousa. And this is Priscilla Sousa. Priscilla Sousa. I know she was the chairwoman of the school board in Framingham. It was a Zoom call. And it was, like, a few years ago. And she was in a giant onesie because she had just come from reading to kindergarteners at her school. And, like, I'm talking to her- I'm, like, I'm starting to cry right now. And I started to tear up because I'd never seen someone who represented me showing up with that. Yeah. And so to see her like that was just like, wow, those children, when I talk about representation matters, that's what I mean. Where, like, to have someone show up in that way and let you know that not only am I accessible, but I'm here to listen. Like, again, it's changed my perspective on why I do this work and why I'm here. And, like, the importance and the power of one, electing people you believe in. And then two, like, pushing on them to continue to support the work that you believe in. Yeah. And Senator Pavel Payano of Lawrence, who is the son, also, as you said, also an immigrant. And the son of two longtime educators in Lawrence. Yes. And so education is so, like, deep in his family. And he is such an advocate for students today. And it's wonderful to see. Oh, yeah, not exactly. And, like, this is what I talk about when I think about, like, the power of diverse voices and perspectives to see these elected. Like, this is the future of what representation looks like and to know that I am seen in spaces of power is important. Yeah. Speaking of the future, since you brought it up, what other legislation might you be pursuing? We have a new session starting in January. As you know, it's a two-year session here in Massachusetts. What's next on the legislative front? Are you either thinking of a bill or supporting bills that other like-minded organizations might be working on? What are you thinking? Oh, so I will name we were a bit selfish this last year and working on our own legislation. And so coming into this next year, we're going back to our roots. And what that looks like is we're doing a process with our teachers where we're bringing them together and kind of going through a policy protocol to kind of understand, like, what's going on in the space right now? And like, we're just getting the diverse perspectives of our educators into the different spaces. The last year, we were fairly focused on educator diversity and the conversations around that. And just to elevate on that, and you did ask, like, we are also part of the elevating educators in your coalition that's out. And as well as the educator diversity act coalition that's also looking to support legislation on the recruitment of diverse talent. And as well as working on coalitions, thinking about like, mass core and the graduation rates. And so I'm just really excited to bring teachers into a lot of the great conversations happening across the state. Yeah, that's great. And so if I'm watching at home and I think, wow, I really want to connect with Lisa. I'd love to be involved with what Educators for Excellence is doing. How do people get in touch with you? What's the- do they go to your website? I would say very simply, we are e4e.org, letter e, number four, letter e.org. Or you can absolutely reach out to me at L-L-A-Z-A-R-E at e4e.org. I would love to chat with your- with the audience. Great. Well, now that you've got this big win under your belt, which is very exciting, any great summer plans, what are you going to do to kind of celebrate this time and prepare for the next session? That's a great question. And I think it deserves more reflection. I'm not the best answer. I've been so focused on figuring out the next steps. But since you're asking that question, I'm going to take a step to sit back and hopefully take a week off and take some vacation before I come back into it. The next school year is right around the corner. And we have a lot of like really incredible legislation coming up and through on top of really robust election. And so like our teachers have a lot to grapple with this coming year. And so I'm just really excited to dig in with them. And we're almost out of time, but as a former teacher, when fall starts to creep near, what is some of the things that come to mind for you? Oh goodness, so I remember as a teacher that October was always particularly hard. So just waiting for the hump because you have the brand new feeling when you come into back to school and by October, the kids are kind of used to you. And now all the holidays are coming up. And so as I'm coming into back to school, one, I love stationery. So I'm like, this is my favorite time of year. And then as I'm thinking about as we're moving into the fall with our students and things like that, I think this year more than anything else. Like there's a lot of really important pieces to be thinking and reflecting on. And like I should, there's a lot of really meaty conversations we'll be bringing to our teachers. So I'm going to be really focused on ensuring that I'm centering the voices of educators as we move forward because I know this next year. I want to be able to better position ourselves to elevate more voices. One of the things I didn't even get to share with you, Mary, is that we're expanding across the state. We used to solely be in Boston. And since we were seeing such success with our statewide work in legislation, we're looking to expand and bring in teachers from all across the state. I'm especially excited to get more perspectives and lens from our teachers from Western Mass and Central Mass because I recognize they don't necessarily get as much airtime. And so I'm excited to dig in and I've been out there for a while. Lisa, thank you so much for joining me. It's been such a pleasure to share with you and thank you so much for joining us. Please join us again next Thursday for Talk of the Neighborhoods. Talk of the Neighborhoods. Have a wonderful night. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC]