August 2022 Newsletter:
- Honey, Where are the kids? : What’s pushing school-age kids out of Boston?
- Knives Out: From Waltham to Brookline, Knives Out Was a Classic Massachusetts Murder Mystery
- <Insert Your MBTA Joke Here>: What the heck is going on with the MBTA?
TOP IDEA
The Kids Are Leaving Boston
Despite a population boom over the last few decades, the share of school-age kids (5-17) in Boston has actually decreased by 43%. Today, barely 10% of the 700k Bostonians are school-age and there are two major reasons why.
Housing: We know there is a lack of inventory in the city. To make matters worse, new housing developments are often luxury condos designed for young professionals with disposable incomes. Not necessarily for young families.
Schools: Navigating the the Boston Public School system is notoriously byzantine and complicated. The lottery-based assignment could mean that your kids end up halfway across the city or on a waitlist indefinitely. In fact, it’s so bad that this Boston mom actually created a website to help parents navigate the maze that is BPS.
And if this continues….well, who needs kids anyway.
MBTA IN CRISIS MODE
TLDR: Why the MBTA is in such a mess:
The beloved MBTA serves over 200 towns/cities in the region and moves about 1 million passengers every workday.
But it’s got some issues:
- Has a debt of $9 Billion Dollars
- A Maintenance Backlog of $8 Billion Dollars
- 80% of the trains are 22 years old
- Several trains lack modern amenities like air conditioning
Here’s why:
- Unit Cost of Maintenance (per revenue mile) is 93% higher than comparable transit systems like in Philly, Baltimore, or DC.
- The MBTA ride (free transit for disabled residents) cost $50 a trip vs. $17 from similar services offered by MassHealth.
- Binding Arbitration and MBTA Union powerful enough to negotiate benefits NOT available to other state employees.$1.6 billion MBTA retirement fund has an estimated $470mil funding gap (Pioneer Institute – BU).
Why should you care?
BTA is the backbone of the New England Economy and if they don’t perform… you’re on the hook as taxpayers.
KNIVES OUT: A VERY MASSACHUSETTS MOVIE
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