By AARON NICODEMUS, Standard-Times staff writer

NEW BEDFORD -- Mayoral candidate Matthew Morrissey has pledged to keep schools open in the evenings and on weekends as "community centers" if he is elected mayor.

"Neighborhood schools can and will be the hub of the community," he wrote in a position paper on youth and education. "The doors will be open and the buildings accessible far into the evening of each day and on weekends. These schools will be the center of social, educational, economic, government and human services." He has proposed that the city launch programs in art and sports for young people, as well as regular social activities like dances.
Mr. Morrissey said he would pay for the increased services by prioritizing resources and provide services by enlisting the aid of the city's nonprofit agencies.

As part of his position paper, Mr. Morrissey also announced a plan to establish a New Bedford Public Schools Education Foundation, which would act as a vehicle for fundraising for the public schools.

As an administrator on leave from UMass Dartmouth, Mr. Morrissey said the city's partnership with UMass Dartmouth and Bristol Community College could be stronger. He proposes partnering with these agencies to target at-risk youth in the seventh and eighth grades, bringing these students onto the college campus at least three times a year.

In his position paper, Mr. Morrissey articulates how his administration would differ from that of Mayor Frederick M. Kalisz Jr. He said that as mayor, "We will break down the artificial and political barriers between the School Department and City Hall to ensure that the School Department is getting the support it needs to fulfill its mission."

This story appeared on Page A7 of The Standard-Times on September 19, 2005.