TYNGSBORO Six future students of the now-under-construction Tyngsboro Middle School smiled as they lifted shovels and scooped dirt from a waiting pile. The occasion was the official groundbreaking for the new school.
The state s cultural sector, which has long thrived on human interaction, has recalculated its significant losses ahead of budget season on Beacon Hill.
According to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which is in line for a 10 percent spending cut under Gov. Charlie Baker s budget, the state s nonprofit and municipal cultural organizations reported $588 million in lost revenue since March 2020. Individual and teaching artists and scientists/humanists have lost more than $30.4 million in income due to the pandemic, the council estimated Monday based on its most recent COVID-19 impact survey. Our once booming, innovative, and vibrant cultural sector is in economic crisis, said Michael Bobbitt, the council s executive director. One year of closure and cancellations adds up to millions of dollars in lost revenue and income, and thousands of displaced and impacted workers statewide.