NEW REPORTS
Race to the Top: What's the Winning Strategy? 
This report discusses the criteria for states to compete successfully in the Obama administration's Race to the Top Program for public schools. The Research Bureau assesses the chances for Massachusetts and the Worcester Public Schools, in particular, to receive some of the $4.5 billion in Federal stimulus funds.
Benchmarking Economic Development in Worcester: 2009
This report, generously underwritten by MassDevelopment, contains updated information for the following performance indicators: the value of the City’s tax base, property tax rates, new construction values, employment and labor force growth, the downtown office occupancy rate, and vacant, abandoned, and foreclosed properties.
Note: Subsequent to the release of this report, new data regarding tax base and tax rate became available. The report has been updated accordingly.
Downtown Worcester Office Occupancy: 2009 Survey
Annual analysis of downtown office occupancy rates in Worcester’s Central Business District and detailed listing of office space available for lease.
Detailed Property Listing (Appendix A)
Municipal Elections in Worcester 2009: Questions for the Candidates
In preparation for the upcoming municipal elections in Worcester, The Research Bureau has prepared a set of questions for the candidates. These questions focus on the critical issues facing Worcester's municipal government and public schools.
Benchmarking Public Education in Worcester: 2009
This report examines student, school, and district performance in relation to the standards implemented under the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 and the Federal No Child Left Behind legislation signed into law in 2002 in an effort to close the achievement gap between subgroups of students.
Worcester Public School Facts
Benchmarking Municipal Finance in Worcester 2009: Factors Affecting the City's Bond Rating
This report discusses the significance of bond ratings for a municipality's financial well-being and examines seven indicators of municipal fiscal health that are key determinants of a municipality's bond rating. It compares Worcester's bond rating of low A with the ratings of other New England cities.
Massachusetts Pension Reform: What was accomplished? What remains to be done?
This report summarizes the most egregious public employee pension abuses that were eliminated by the recently-passed Massachusetts Pension Reform Act, but goes on to list the more costly problems with the system which are in need of reform. These include the extraordinarily high rates of accidental disability pensions granted to public safety employees and the long-term sustainability of the entire defined-benefit system. It draws from our more extensive report on pension reform Public Employee Pensions: Is it Time to Retire the System?, published in March 2009.
2008-2009 Annual Report
Worcester's FY10 Budget: Challenges and Opportunities for Reform
This report, produced annually, reviews the City Manager’s FY10 budget. After explaining Worcester’s budget crisis and the measures the City Manager has taken to address it, The Research Bureau offers some recommendations for long term and short term fiscal reform.
Benchmarking Public Safety in Worcester: 2009
This report measures the performance of Worcester’s police department, fire department, and ambulance/emergency medical services.
Public Employee Pensions: Is it Time to Retire the System?
This report examines the public pension system in Worcester and Massachusetts. After detailing the basics of the system, its history, the difference between retirement benefits for public employees and employees in the private sector, the impact of the current recession on the system’s funding, as well as its overall cost to taxpayers, The Research Bureau makes a number of recommendations for reform.
Worcester Regional Research Bureau, Inc.
319 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608
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