Gloucester Educators Pitch Middle School Innovation Fund to Expand Hands‑On STEM

GLOUCESTER — Educators from the O’Malley Innovation Middle School described project‑based STEM programming they said transforms middle‑school learners and urged the Joint Committee on Education to create a Middle School Innovation Fund (S.457) to seed replication across the Commonwealth.

Superintendent Ben Lummis and science coordinator Amy Donnelly detailed student work that ranges from aquaponics and water chemistry to student‑built sail cars and computer‑aided design. ‘‘Middle school students are engaging in rigorous standards‑based learning that they remember for life,’’ Lummis said (SEG 3150‑3160). Teachers noted equipment, internships and some staffing had been supported by private grants and local foundations and argued a dedicated state fund would help scale the model beyond Gloucester (SEG 3472‑3486).

Lawmakers asked how the fund would differ from existing grants and how districts with fewer private partners could compete. Witnesses said S.457 is intended as seed money and an advisory council would guide grant criteria; the bill does not itself appropriate recurring funds but sponsors said an appropriation could be pursued through the budget process (SEG 3550‑3568).

Next steps: committee took testimony and asked for follow‑up on funding mechanisms and criteria for awarding seed grants.