What made The Short List this week?
- The charter school debate in Massachusetts ramped up this week. Yesterday state Senate Democrats introduced what they consider a compromise bill. It raises the limit on charter schools, but only if general state education aid is increased. Opponents including Governor Charlie Baker say this would do nothing to help the more than 30,000 kids on waiting lists for existing charters.
- Top college administrators make big bucks. And presidents get perks, like houses, cars and — when they get fired — a paid sabbatical. A story by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting this week says that Massachusetts is looking more closely at whether the buck, so to speak, needs to stop.
- A new phenomenon in solar farm landscaping. You may have heard about sheep or goats being used instead of lawnmowers. Well, guinea pigs are now being deployed to munch the grass around some solar farms. Wait, what day is it?
Click the audio player above to hear New England Public Radio’s Susan Kaplan explore these issues with Natalia Muñoz, a marketing consultant and the host of the talk show “Vaya con Muñoz” on WHMP, and Matt Szafranski from the Western Mass Politics and Insight Blog.