Proposal: Use marijuana money to fund after-school programs

Almost 8,000 low-income students in Massachusetts are on a waiting list for after-school and summer learning, according to a new report that recommends tapping the anticipated revenue from marijuana sales to fund such programs.

The Legislature’s Afterschool and Out-of-School Time Coordinating Council, in a report slated for release Tuesday, said children who attend high quality after-school programs get better grades, have fewer behavioral issues and have higher graduation rates, but for every child in such a program, two are waiting to get in.

The council, established in 2013 and chaired by Rep. Jennifer Benson and Sen. Brendan Crighton, recommended greater investment to address waitlists, programming gaps and workforce needs; the creation of tax incentives to encourage businesses to invest in the programming; and stronger state oversight, including a new post in the Executive Office of Education to coordinate informal learning.

“It’s definitely a big issue around equity, where we have thousands of young kids that want access to after-school and out-of-school programs but are simply unable to attend, and with all the evidence outlined in our report, we certainly see this as a worthy investment that will have huge impacts on not only the students’ lives, but also the families,” Crighton, a Lynn Democrat, said.

There are 196,562 Massachusetts students enrolled in after-school programs, 213,966 who are unsupervised during school hours, and 362,312 -- or 44 percent of all students -- would sign up for a program if they had the option, the report said. Citing the Department of Early Education and Care, the council said 7,900 low-income kids over age 5 are eligible for expanded learning services and currently waiting for care.

Crighton said after-school programs are an “economic empowerment” issue as well as an education one, because parents who don’t have family and friends who can watch their kids at the end of the day may end up limiting their work hours and career opportunities. He said he worked at an after-school program in Lynn while in high school and college, and waitlists were “huge” then.

“The way the system is currently laid out, they simply can’t serve the kids,” Crighton said. “There’s a real need, particularly in cities like Lynn, but also in more rural areas where transportation is a real issue.”

The council recommends that state and local taxes on non-medical marijuana sales “should form the basis of a new funding stream,” and makes the case that after-school programs can “act as prevention programs,” with students who participate having lower rates of drug misuse than their peers.


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