Keller: Mass. teachers union hits a wall

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“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall,” teaches the biblical proverb. And the uber-arrogant powerbrokers of the Massachusetts Teachers Association are busy proving the point.

After a long run of political triumphs - from the stunting of charter school expansion to passage of the millionaires tax to castrating MCAS – the union brass are about to suffer their worst defeat in years. Over their strenuous objections, the Legislature is poised to pass a long-stalled literacy curriculum bill that would belatedly add Massachusetts to the national movement away from a discredited “whole language” approach that’s been failing to teach kids to read for years.

Appallingly-poor reading scores in the most recent round of testing – especially among the low-income kids the state has been spending billions to try to help – sealed the deal for some on Beacon Hill. But it didn’t take much.

Explains Senator Sal DiDomenico, a longtime MTA ally and endorsee who sponsored the Senate version of the bill: “This is the golden age of education funding, and it is upsetting that we keep hitting a wall [on fixing literacy education]. This is the session that wall is coming down.”

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10:00 | Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the renovated Patrick J. Kennedy Elementary School, which now has a 3,900-square-foot addition, a new stairwell, new elevator, accessible toilets and other upgrades. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper attend. | 242 East Bennington St., East Boston

11:30 | Scouting America Greater Boston honors three leaders and celebrates a new era in scouting at the inaugural Merrimack Valley Good Scout Awards Luncheon. Honorees include U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan; Maria Gonzalez Moeller, chief executive officer of The Community Group in Lawrence; and Joe Hungler, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell. | Lanzi’s, 810 Merrimack Ave., Dracut

12:00 | Gov. Maura Healey announces "new efforts to strengthen Massachusetts’ national and economic security leadership" as part of a convening of defense sector leaders from across Massachusetts. | Great Hall, State House, Boston

6:00 | Energy Facilities Siting Board and the DPU hold the first public comment hearing on implementing regulatory reforms under the 2024 clean energy law. | 1121 Ashley Blvd., New Bedford | More Info

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CABINET TURNOVER: Roughly half of Gov. Maura Healey’s cabinet has seen turnover as the 2026 election approaches, but there is more than politics at play: People’s own plans, and burnout are factors, too. – WBUR

FOOD ASSISTANCE: Gov. Maura Healey said 32% of Massachusetts residents who’ll stop seeing public food assistance benefits are children. She joined other state officials and the United Way to announce a relief fund funded with private donations. – State House News Service

2026 WORLD CUP: Members of the local organizing committee for the 2026 World Cup matches happening in Foxborough are demanding more money from state officials, saying fan celebrations and transportation plans could be in jeopardy. The House version of the supplemental budget provided $10 million, with none in the Senate version. – Boston Globe

SJC WATCH: The state’s highest court is set to take up four cases in November that involve charter schools and public records, whistleblower retaliation, who can raise attorney fees, and a billion-dollar verdict. – CommonWealth Beacon

BIOTECH CLAWBACKS: The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center is clawing back tax breaks from 21 life science companies that failed to meet hiring goals. – Boston Business Journal

BIDEN AT EMK: Former president Joe Biden spoke at the EMK Institute in Dorchester, praising the late Edward Kennedy’s optimism and saying America is always in an “existential struggle between peril and possibility.” – MassLive

ICE EYES: A company in Plymouth has signed a $4.6 million contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, providing agents with an app that can scan irises and connect with various databases. – Plymouth Independent

BOSTON ELECTION: In-person early voting got underway this weekend, with just over 1,000 people turning up at polling locations. – Boston Herald

Two of the nation’s best hospitals—Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital—are uniting as one team to deliver the most powerful kind of cancer care. One team that performs the most surgeries and has the most specialists in New England. One team turning discovery into hope. We’re one against cancer. Discover more

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Regional Chief, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General

Advocacy Director, Association to Preserve Cape Cod

Regional Organizing Director, Ed Markey for U.S. Senate

Philanthropic Advisor (New England), Movement Voter Project

Port Project Manager, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

Chief Administrative Officer, Cape Light Compact

Massachusetts State Director, Reproductive Equity Now

Director of Finance, City of Boston (Planning Department)

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