Where Did The COVID Relief Money For Boston Students Go?: The Hub

Boston MA

29 September, 2021

12:36 AM

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The HUB is a daily newsletter designed for what you want — to be caught up on the most interesting, important news in 5 minutes or less. It's a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but if there's something you want more or less of, email me at [email protected]. Today is Wednesday, September 29. Let's get started. It's harder to see where Boston Public Schools' $430 million in federal coronavirus relief went than it is in other cities throughout the country. In Lowell, school officials used pandemic aid to hire dozens of tutors and teachers, while Chicago brought in nearly 1,000 math and literacy tutors. But in Boston, students are seeing far fewer relief dollars benefit their education directly. Instead, they're being spent on air conditioning, air purifiers and air quality monitors, according to the Boston Globe's investigative team, The Great Divide. Yes, proper ventilation is needed to keep kids in the classroom amid the pandemic, and city officials say they'll use some federal money for tutors, new books and more. But critics say school officials should have had these resources available to students at the start of the year, like other districts throughout the country. "That's all pretty basic stuff to help keep students safe," Suleika Soto, a parent organizer at TechBoston Academy in Dorchester told the Boston Globe. "I was expecting a plan — and services — to get to a place where our children are thriving. But I haven't seen it." Read more from the Boston Globe. Top storiesA Boston couple were two of the four victims in a small but deadly plane crash in Connecticut earlier this month. Now, the National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report on the Farmington Connecticut crash. The NTSB report found that the cockpit, cabin, and wings caught fire after the crash, and the parking brake handle in the cockpit and the valve that it controlled were both in the brake set position, forcing them in place. In the report, one witness said the jet hit a power line pole, creating a small explosion near the engine before the plane fell behind trees. (Boston Patch) Another local dancer came forward with sexual assault allegations against a former Boston Ballet star and her husband. The dancer is one of five to say Dusty Button and her husband Mitchell Taylor Button "exploited their position of power and influence in the dance world to sexually abuse young dancers across the country," according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Nevada. (Boston Globe) Michelle Wu picked up a significant endorsement from the Arroyo family in her push to become Boston's next mayor. The endorsement is important because both City Councilor Richard Arroyo and his father, former Councilor Felix Arroyo, are the city's most well-known Latino family, when it comes to politics. Neither Wu nor her general election opponent Annissa Essaibi-George did well with people of color in the preliminary election, so the endorsement may help Wu reach some of those voters. (Boston Herald) Local VoicesA Mattapan singer/songwriter and graduate of Berklee College of Music wrote a song inspired by the strength of Massachusetts, as its residents persevere through the coronavirus pandemic. Mone't Ledbetter-Glaude named the song "Massachusetts Strong" and released it on YouTube. "I love when it's Massachusetts Strong. That part to me says a lot," Ledbetter-Glaude told Boston 25 News. "For us to get us through everything and still going through and years to come we're going to remain strong, the hook of that song is what really grabs me." (Boston 25 News) This Mattapan singer/songwriter has channeled the pandemic into a song. Today at 5:45 -- how she hopes 'Massachusetts Strong' inspires everyone in the commonwealth.@boston25 #PositivelyMassachusetts pic.twitter.com/4pudkWYnZm— Chris Flanagan (@ChrisFlanaganTV) September 28, 2021 A Lighter Touch I love Tom Brady and appreciate all the Super Bowls and everything else he brought to the New England. But with that said, I'm always going to be loyal to the Patriots first, and that's no different when the future Hall of Famer comes to Foxborough Sunday night. But not all Patriots fans feel the same. One angry fan bought a billboard on Route 1 that took a shot at Head Coach Bill Belichick for pushing Brady out the door. (CBS Boston) Billboard Knocks Belichick Ahead Of Brady's Return To Foxboro @davidwade reportshttps://t.co/XtK9bc8SfU pic.twitter.com/yJnrGDeWdc— WBZ | CBS Boston News (@wbz) September 29, 2021 Weather: The National Weather Service says cloudy with a high near 65. North wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. – Jimmy Bentley Jimmy Bentley is a Massachusetts and Rhode Island field editor for Patch covering Cape Cod, Braintree, Barrington, East Greenwich, East Providence and North Kingstown. He was a reporter at the Plympton-Halifax Express and interned for Patch while earning his master's at Emerson College. In his free time, Jimmy hits concerts (sometimes reviewing them for Patch), watches movies and plays ice hockey.