WORCESTER—State Sen. Ryan Fattman followed through on a promise to secure funding for area students to experience Old Sturbridge Village after the Worcester School Committee voted to boycott field trips to the museum.
The decision to boycott the museum came after the committee called for state officials, including the state auditor and State Ethics Commission, to investigate the relationship between Old Sturbridge Village and its charter schools: Old Sturbridge Academy and Worcester Cultural Academy. No state entity has released any findings related to the relationship.
The school committee voted unanimously to oppose the opening of Worcester Cultural Academy, which opened in August 2023. The committee argued the school would take millions of dollars away from Worcester Public Schools and that OSV was using the charter schools as sources of revenue to keep the museum afloat.
After the school committee’s vote to boycott field trips to the museum in April 2023, Fattman declared he would make sure any student who wanted to go to OSV would get their trip paid for, Worcester Patch reported.
“Should Worcester children be denied the opportunity to experience OSV by their elected leaders, families across Worcester County, particularly those families of Worcester third-grade children, should know that OSV wants and welcomes you, and that I will ensure your complimentary admission to the village for you and your child, whether that be through the state budget process or the wonderful philanthropic efforts of the people in our area,” Fattman said in a statement at the time.
In a press release sent out by OSV Wednesday, the museum announced Fattman and State Rep. Todd Smola presented a check to them for $15,000 on Dec. 14 to “aid experiential learning opportunities for local school students.”
The funds came from the FY 2024 state budget, according to OSV, and this is the first time Fattman has gotten a budget earmark for the museum.
“There are a number of gems within my district and there is no doubt that Old Sturbridge Village is one of those,” Fattman said in a statement. “Allowing students to visit and experience OSV is critical to their understanding of the history of our area. This funding through the state budget will provide students in the greater area the ability to see history come alive.”
The funds were allocated to OSV’s Museum Education Department, which offers different options for school visits, including self-guided tours, hands-on workshop experiences, and debates.
“We are grateful to Representative Smola and Senator Fattman for their continued support for Old Sturbridge Village and more importantly, for the students of Worcester County,” OSV CEO Jim Donahue said in the statement. “We are eager to welcome the students who will be funded by this generous support.”
Kiernan Dunlop is an award-winning journalist who has spent the past five years reporting in Worcester, New Bedford and Antigua and Barbuda. She’s been published in Bloomberg, USA Today, Canary Media, MassLive and the New Bedford Standard Times, among other outlets. She can be contacted at kdunlop@theworcesterguardian.org
