Chelsea hosted a state budget hearing by the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus on Monday night, April 10, marking the first time the city welcomed this event as part of a statewide listening tour.
The Caucus, chaired by Rep. Russell Holmes of Roxbury and incoming Chair Frank Moran of Lawrence, opened with remarks explaining that the tour aimed to understand the priorities of the communities they serve. These insights would then inform their advocacy for funding within the State Budget.
Gov. Charlie Baker had unveiled his budget proposal earlier in the year. The House of Representatives released their version on Monday, with public hearings and debate scheduled to continue until July 1, when the final State Budget is due for signing.
Councillor Roy Avellaneda and Council President Leo Robinson were instrumental in bringing the tour to Chelsea.
“This is a great opportunity for our community to speak,” Avellaneda remarked. “I’m grateful you’re doing this tour around the state and that Chelsea is a stop on the tour.”
The community responded with testimony.
Attorney Ivan Espinosa opened the proceedings by discussing the lawsuit he has filed on behalf of the City of Chelsea and the City of Lawrence against President Donald Trump, given shifts in the administration and immigration policy.
Espinosa, representing the Lawyers Committee for Economic Justice, noted that the organization was established following a directive from President John F. Kennedy in 1968.
He emphasized the significance of sanctuary cities and Massachusetts’s sanctuary state status.
“We do not need to spend our local and state resources to do the federal government’s bidding,” he stated. “They have plenty of resources.”
Espinosa recounted an incident involving a woman whose son was assaulted at school. According to Espinosa, the principal declined to file a police report or seek medical attention, claiming the family had no rights due to their undocumented status.
He stressed this occurred in Massachusetts.
“These are not stories from South Carolina or Texas; they are stores from local families here in Massachusetts,” he noted.
He urged support for sanctuary protections in Chelsea and expanded statewide implementation to prevent conditions like those in “laboratories for bigotry.”
School administrators from Chelsea and Revere delivered the most compelling testimony, highlighting how the two-year-old education funding formula fails to properly account for low-income students. Under the current formula, only children from families receiving public benefits are classified as economically disadvantaged, which triggers additional funding for districts. Yet districts including Chelsea, Revere, and approximately eight others are not receiving these resources.
Supt. Mary Bourque requested that the Caucus restore funding for the ‘pothole’ account, which offers temporary relief to affected districts. She emphasized, however, that a lasting solution is essential.
Bourque reported that 2,000 Chelsea students were excluded from the count, potentially costing the district up to $2.7 million in the upcoming budget.
“If the pothole account comes before you, support it,” she explained. “If it does not, please propose it.”
City Manager Tom Ambrosino stressed the necessity of a permanent remedy.
“It needs addressing,” he added. “DESE recognizes it. We need a permanent fix.”
School Committee Chair Jeannette Velez attributed Chelsea’s difficulty in retaining quality teachers to repeated budget reductions required to offset funding gaps.
“We can’t keep having this turnover of teachers,” she stated. “We need the right people here because Chelsea is unique.”
Revere Supt. Dianne Kelly similarly urged the Caucus to develop a long-term solution.
“They have not come up with a fix to change the formula,” she said. “The pothole account is not sustainable…It’s not fair to our communities.”