Friday, December 1, 2000

The top of the list of school districts with the most poverty-stricken students in Massachusetts, released by the U.S. Census Bureau yesterday, reads almost exactly like the bottom of last week's MCAS results.

In 16 school districts, at least one student in four lives below the federal poverty line of $17,029 for a family of four. Experts and parents of poor families say the two lists show a link between poverty and poor academic performance that reforms are not doing enough to address.

``We're not surprised,'' said Lisa Richards, 32, of Fitchburg, who said her struggle with poverty is hurting her 8-year-old daughter's chances in school.

She starts her second $9-per-hour job at 11 p.m., handing her daughter off to her husband when he gets off his $9-per-hour job so he can take her home and put her to bed.

``My daughter is not getting the 10 hours of sleep I keep hearing that children need,'' said Richards, who said the girl already has been held back a year.

Topping the list are Holyoke and Lawrence, with nearly half their schoolkids in poverty. Those two districts tied for last on the MCAS results for K-12 schools.

``Historically, there has been a linkage between poverty and education attainment. That's nothing new,'' said Michael Sentance, Gov. Paul Cellucci's educational advisor. ``That's something we're trying to break with the Education Reform Act.''

He cited efforts such as programs to decrease class sizes in the poorest districts.

But John Mudd of the Massachusetts Advocacy Center said, ``These are important efforts but they represent very small dollars. It's a drop in the bucket. It's not enough.''

Mudd said the reforms that try to equalize per-pupil spending in all districts don't recognize the greater needs of poorer students.

``If we want these kids to pass the MCAS, we're going to have to put more money on the table,'' he said.

Holyoke Mayor Michael Sullivan said the number of social service agencies in his city attracts the poor, and he'd like to see other towns share the burden.

``We're a city that fights unbelievable odds,'' Sullivan said. ``There needs to be a conscious effort . . . to make sure other towns are more socially responsible and don't use Greyhound social services to address problems by putting people on buses.''

Welfare advocates say the state's welfare cuts have made the struggle harder for poor parents.

Chelsea ranked third and Springfield fourth on the poverty list, reversing their fourth and third place standings near the bottom of the MCAS results. Boston, which ranks fifth for school poverty with 35.5 percent, was fifth-last on the MCAS list.

``You can't do well in school when you are hungry,'' said Donessa Velazquez, 50, who cares for 11 children between the ages of 2 and 11 by herself in Boston. She relies on food pantries to help feed them.

``They go through a lot they should not have to go through,'' she said. ``There is really a lot of stress around here.''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.