Mayor Focuses on Education in State of the City Address

In the first known Cambridge "State of the City Address" last night, Mayor Anthony D. Galluccio lauded the city's efforts to improve city services and create affordable housing, and called on residents to maintain the city's diversity and improve education.

"Cambridge is a world-class city of unlimited potential," Galluccio said to a crowd of 700 at the Kennedy School of Government's ARCO forum. "You should be proud of of the accomplishments we have made as a city. But there is also pressure to build a better city."

The major focus of Galluccio's speech was improving youth services and public education. He praised the city's efforts to increase literacy, provide jobs for youths and create child care and youth centers.

"I can say with confidence tonight that Cambridge cares about its children," Galluccio said.

But he called for drastic improvements to the public education system through efforts such as increasing the technology training that students receive.

He announced a new partnership between the city, Harvard, MIT and Lesley University to focus on improving Cambridge's schools.

"After lengthy discussions, they have agreed to develop a 'Charter of Responsibility' that reflects how these world-class institutions will help ensure that Cambridge has world class public schools," Galluccio said.

While discussions are still in their infancy, the partnership will focus university resources on improving specific areas of public education.

Galluccio said after the speech that his hopes for improved education through direct university involvement would create more concrete results.

"It's a much different level than what we are at right now," Galluccio said. "There's a lot of good things going on, but nothing concrete."

Galluccio bemoaned the low scores of Cambridge students on standardized tests such as the MCAS, but said parents and students had to accept the controversial tests and work to improve scores.

"Standardized tests are not fair, but we have to recognize that they do not go away," Galluccio said.

In addition to keeping and recruiting quality teachers, Galluccio said that the city had to increase the vocational and technical training of its students for future careers, with help from local universities.

In addition to improving education, Galluccio said Cambridge was committed to maintaining affordable housing, citing the city's $22.5 million contribution since 1995 to create affordable housing units.

"This investment is the single largest made by any city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," Galluccio said.

He added that aggressive action by the Cambridge City Council through zoning regulations requiring affordable housing in new development have added to the city's monetary commitments.

But Galluccio said the city still had a long way to go, and called for a commitment to create affordable housing for residents of all income levels.

"One of our biggest challenges continues to be finding affordable housing for working-class and moderate-income residents who do not qualify for low-income housing," he said.

Adopting a tactic employed by Al Gore '69 during his presidential campaign, Galluccio repeatedly referred to the stories of Cambridge students and residents who were present in the crowd, such as resident Olga Ospina, a working parent who was having trouble finding affordable housing.

"Olga represents the work we have before us," Galluccio said.

While he called on MIT and Harvard to house more of its graduate students in order to ease the pressure on the housing market, he praised Harvard's recent 20/20/2000 initiative, which provided $20 million in loans to Cambridge and Boston for creating affordable housing.

Galluccio said the city also had to protect residents from the overgrowth of the business sector.

While Cambridge's businesses have prospered and grown in recent years, Galluccio warned that the concerns of individual neighborhoods could not be overlooked in the rush to expand.

"Major development projects will not go forward without say from neighborhoods," Galluccio said. "Neighborhoods will be here forever, and they have to be protected."

Galluccio ended his speech by saying the city had to maintain its character and diversity.

"Our strength is in our history. Our passsion for those less fortunate is in our bloodline," Galluccio said. "We cannot allow ourselves to gently slip into a more common place where selfishness is easily justified by entitlement, and individuality rules the day."

City and university officials praised the speech as a much-needed way to bring the community together to hear about its successes and unmet challenges.

"The mere fact that this happened is terrific," Councillor Jim Braude said. "It's important to let people know we are accountable for what happens in the city."

Councillor David P. Maher, a former school committee member, praised Galluccio's words on education.

"His discussion of public education was very forthright and touched on the challenges we have," Maher said.

Travis McCready, Harvard's director of community relations for Cambridge, said that Galluccio's efforts would strengthen town-gown relations, while improving schools.

"He really wanted to come here with a message of partnership, and he did that," McCready said.