The Seattle Times concludes it's not just that we spend more on education, but it helps.
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Comments
Anti-intelectualism
By anon
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 7:10am
That doesn't help, either. Eastern Washington is a red state that doesn't much value education.
Comparing Western Washington to MA would be a closer comparison.
I think you forgot what
By anon
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 9:22am
I think you forgot what Western Mass is like.
Is there another western MA?
By adamg
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 9:36am
Because the one I know voted heavily for Sanders and has places like Amherst and Northampton.
Or perhaps you're like many Bostonians and things "western MA" starts at 495? Because Worcester County has overtaken the Cape as our Republican stronghold.
Amherst and Northampton are Central Mass
By BostonDog
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 9:59am
Savoy, Great Barrington, and North Adams are Western Mass.
Not that it matters -- once you go West of the CT river the state is solidly Blue.
Eh once you get close to NY,
By hux
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 10:07am
Eh once you get close to NY, it starts turning red again.
Also Adam, Western MA has Ahmerst and Noho, but don't forget Springfield and Holyoke. Hillary won both handily.
No it doesn't
By Eliyahu
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 4:52pm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate...
By way of example
I disagree
By anon
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 10:10am
I lived in Amherst for 4 years. Everyone called it Western Massachusetts. No one called in Central Massachusetts.
Confirmed
By anon
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 10:51am
Western MA starts when you get even with the Quabbin and start dropping down into the Valley.
Central MA is basically from the Quabbin to I-495
YMMV but is wrong if different than mine.
Area Code 413
By Michael
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 11:16am
Bingo
[img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thu...
Wendell?
By anon
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 11:36am
I'd argue that Wendell is a Western MA / Valley town. Belchertown and Athol/Orange are border towns. Not sure Warick really exists, probably just woods and cellar holes.
Incorrect
By anon
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 10:18am
Because I am from Western Mass, I have to correct you on this one. Amherst and Northampton are Western Mass. They are part of the Pioneer Valley, which is in Western Mass. The Berkshires are also Western Mass, but just part of it. Pretty much anything past Palmer is Western Mass.
Wrong. Worcester and its
By anon
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 11:45am
Wrong. Worcester and its surrounds are Central Mass. Quabbin, Amherst, Pelham, NoHo, and so forth are in Western Mass. The geographical Western Mass you're thinking about is called Berkshires.
Quabbin is Central MA
By Pete Nice
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 12:42pm
Or at least my friends that are from there consider themselves in "Central MA"
To be clear though
By anon
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 3:25pm
that's our water in the reservoir, not theirs...
instate imperialism is fun.
Western and Central MA voted for Trump too.
By Pete Nice
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 12:37pm
Although most of MA did, but wealthy educated towns did not for the most part. (They voted for Kasich)
Not all Bostonians think that.
By SomerVillain
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 12:51pm
To me, Western Mass starts when you cross the Alewife Brook Parkway.
Everything outside the 128 loop
By erik g
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 12:55pm
...is a figment of your fevered imaginations.
(Disclaimer: I grew up just outside Springfield. I stand by my original statement)
hah
By Anonymoose
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 9:49pm
Exactly the attitude I'd expect from someone out of Longmeadow.
(Unless you're not from Longmeadow)
Before I saw this on UHub
By Ari O
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 4:53pm
It happens, I swear!
Anyway, before I saw this here I had a back-and-forth with a friend who is proudly from the 206 (as he calls it) about how Mass was kicking their ass. One of the things to point out is how different the rural parts of Mass (especially Western Mass: Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire Counties) versus rural almost-anywhere-else (except Vermont and maybe adjacent parts of New Hampshire):
His response:
Me, in re Trump:
That said
By Waquiot
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 11:24am
Coastal Washington has the bulk of the state's population. And since they lack an income tax, I would wager that property taxes cover the bulk of educational costs. Putting that together, the likes of Bellevue and Edmonds should vastly outweigh Moses Lake or Yakima, making the state look better than it is.
I think the threat of the state taking over a school is a big driver for schools to deliver in Massachusetts. And I love that the MCAS was tougher than what the feds want for their assessment, meaning we challenge our kids more.
You left one out
By SwirlyGrrl
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 9:54pm
Spokane has about 250,000 people in its metro area.
That ain't small.
But, yes, their lack of income tax (but ENORMOUS sales tax) does mean more contrast in school funding - especially when state aid is on a pupil/teacher basis (and not outright community need basis).
Spokane is smaller than Tacoma
By Waquiot
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 10:32pm
And Tacoma is not even the second largest city in its metro area.
And mind you I love Tacoma. I love Spokane, too, but I love the urbanness of Tacoma versus the laid back vibe of Spokane. My wife used to hate them both, but I got her to see the light. Waquiot Jr. has yet to visit Spokane, but he loved his visit to Tacoma last summer.
MS and *$
By perruptor
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 7:14am
Microsoft and Starbucks -- each a leading cause of mental impairment. Combined, the effects are multiplied.
Per capita dope consumption.
By anon
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 8:09am
Per capita dope consumption.
Education level of residents
By sth
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 9:57am
makes the most difference. Massachusetts is #1 in the country for percentage of residents for both college and advanced degrees.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_...
We are freakin' smaht so our children are freakin' smaht too.
You're not from around here,
By anon
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 11:46am
You're not from around here, are ya? It's "wicked smaht"!
Eastern Washington
By anon
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 3:46pm
is agricultural and heavily populated by migrant farm workers. A friend of mine grew up there.
Massachusetts has its fair share of low-income folks and immigrants, but not that many migrant or itinerant workers. That is a unique challenge to education, because kids are coming and going every six weeks between Washington, Oregon, California, and Mexico.
I suspect it's because
By leviramsey
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 12:25pm
I suspect it's because Massachusetts has more competition among schools, arising from much smaller school districts (typically only covering a city/town). In contrast, most of the rest of the country sees schools organized by county or by very large subdivisions of a county, resulting in near-monopoly (from the perspective of parents) and near-monopsony (from the perspective of teachers). Large districts prevent parents from holding districts accountable by moving and thus reduce the potential for better schools to influence property values, while the monopsony holds down teacher wages.
Example: King County (the populated portion of which is comparable in area and population to Rhode Island) only has 19 public school districts.
Put it this way
By Spiny Shell
Tue, 03/22/2016 - 1:51pm
We laugh at and ignore our gay haters, book burners, anti science anti vaccination lunatics and creationists.
They indulge them, particularly east of the mountains
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