TITLE XII. EDUCATION.
CHAPTER 69. POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
Chapter 69: Section 1A. Department of education; commissioner; duties.
Section 1A. There shall be a department of education, hereinafter called the department, which shall be under the supervision and management of a commissioner of education, hereinafter called the commissioner. Said commissioner shall be appointed pursuant to section one of chapter fifteen and shall devote full time to the duties of the office.
The commissioner, with the approval of the board of education, hereinafter called the board, shall establish such bureaus and other offices and employ such staff and consultants as may be necessary for the proper and efficient administration of the department.
The commissioner shall propose a budget to the board; said budget shall reflect the goals and objectives of the board. Upon approval by the board, the commissioner shall submit the department's budgetary proposals simultaneously to the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on education, arts and humanities, and to the secretary of administration and finance.
The commissioner shall analyze the present and future goals, needs and requirements of public early childhood, elementary, secondary and vocational-technical education in the commonwealth and recommend to the board comprehensive means to achieve a well-coordinated system of high achievement in public education in the commonwealth.
The commissioner shall prepare a five year master plan for public early childhood, elementary, secondary, and vocational-technical education in the commonwealth. The master plan shall include, but not be limited to, enrollment projections, utilization of existing facilities, promotion of research, programmatic excellence, community service activities and community school activities, recommendations for the construction or acquisition of new facilities, program distribution and the need for program revision, including the termination of absolute or unnecessarily duplicative programs. Said master plan along with an annual progress report shall reflect the goals and standards established by the board.
The commissioner shall receive reports, undertake research, and facilitate coordination among and between school districts.
The commissioner shall assist school districts in the development of school based management systems. Such assistance shall focus on the implementation of participatory management systems involving all school based professionals, parents, and on the secondary level, students.
The commissioner shall encourage and facilitate the adoption of regional districts to improve the delivery of a quality public education in an economical manner. The commissioner shall encourage and facilitate the use of existing, or the formation of new, educational collaboratives to foster interdistrict cost effective purchasing, management collaboration, sharing of resources and other multipurpose educational activities.
The commissioner shall facilitate partnerships of public early childhood, elementary, secondary and vocational-technical schools with civic, conservation, business, cultural and labor organizations, and with institutions of higher education particularly through the development of regional teacher centers and the expansion of the Bay State centers for global education, to enhance educational programs.
The commissioner shall assess the effectiveness and monitor the improvement of the public schools in each district, including charter schools.
The commissioner shall assess current programs of alternative education and shall develop a statewide action plan to expand and improve the delivery of alternative education programs.
The commissioner shall recommend, to the board, changes necessary to the competency determination as appropriate to reflect evolving notions of vocational education.
The commissioner shall appoint independent fact-finding teams to assess the reasons for a school or school district's under-performance under sections one J and one K, and shall assess the prospects for school district improvement. The commissioner shall also supervise the receiver of a school district declared to be chronically under-performing under said sections one J and one K, and shall provide technical assistance to a school or school district deemed under-performing or chronically under-performing pursuant to said sections one J and one K.
The commissioner shall initiate the process for selecting a list of impartial arbitrators as provided in sections thirty-eight, forty-one and forty-two of chapter seventy-one and, upon receipt of a request for review pursuant thereto, the commissioner shall provide the names of three arbitrators as provided therein.
The commissioner shall distribute to the chief executive officer in each city and town a copy of any notice or other information, including all notices given under chapter seventy, that is provided to the school committee or the superintendent of schools in such city or town, or to the school committee or superintendent of a regional school district of which such city or town is a member, if such notice or information affects the appropriation or budget of the municipality or school district.