Along with the new gubernatorial administration comes a new legislative session, which means the introduction of numerous education- and labor-related bills.
One of the most important is the Thrive Act, which would replace the state’s failed approach to educational assessment and improvement, including the undemocratic state takeover system and the MCAS-based graduation requirement, with policies that will help all students to succeed and thrive. The Thrive Act would establish a modified graduation requirement based on coursework rather than high-stakes standardized testing, and implement a new ‘comprehensive support and improvement’ system designed to empower local communities to give students the tools and resources they need to succeed. Click here to learn more and to help pass the Thrive Act!
We’re also focused on talking to state leaders about our legislative priorities, which include:
- An Act committing to higher education the resources to insure a strong and healthy public higher education system - the "CHERISH Act" creates a framework for adequate public higher education funding levels, including expanded support for student services; ensures debt-free public higher education for all; improves wages and working conditions for faculty and staff, including benefits for adjunct faculty and part time staff; and invests in green and healthy public college and university buildings.
- An Act to guarantee debt-free public higher education, which would establish a right to free public higher education for all students, and create a grant program to pay the equivalent of tuition and mandatory fees to an eligible student at any Massachusetts public college or university.
- An Act uplifting families and securing the right to strike for certain public employees, which would restore to educators the right to strike, so that in the rare cases when obstinate school committees refuse to bargain, we can have the leverage we need to win fair contracts that benefit our students and communities.
- Two bills to improve educator retirement benefits, including legislation that would allow educators who didn’t properly enroll in the TARP enhanced retirement option to opt in to the program, and legislation that would ensure greater economic security for retired educators by increasing the COLA base and protect retirees from rising healthcare costs. Learn more and contact your legislators to ask them to support the legislation:
Pre-K to 12 Education
An Act Relative to Universal Pre-Kindergarten Access
- Sponsor: Senator Liz Miranda (D-Boston)
- Senate Docket 1068
- Requires the Department of Early Education and Care and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to collaborate to develop and administer the High-Quality Pre-Kindergarten Education grant program to support the phased development of high quality, district-wide, full-day pre-kindergarten programs for children between the ages of 2 years and 9 months and the age a child becomes eligible for kindergarten in the school district where he or she resides
An Act relative to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
- Sponsor: Sen. Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville)
- Senate Docket 938
- Provides that the Governor appoints one member from a list nominated by the MTA and one member from a list nominated by the AFT Massachusetts
An Act Modernizing School Construction
- Sponsor: Senator. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn)
- Senate Docket 453
- Increases revenues for the Massachusetts School Building Authority
An Act Relative to Local Approval for Charter Schools
- Sponsor: Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury)
- Senate Docket 1863
- Representative Adam Scanlon (D-N. Attleboro)
- House Docket 326
- Requires a locally elected body to authorize local funds being allocated for a charter school
An Act to Restore Collective Bargaining for Teachers and Other School Employees
- Sponsor: Representative Marjorie Decker (D-Cambridge)
- House Docket 2420
- Restore Collective Bargaining to Level 4 and 5 Schools and Districts, Horace Mann and Innovation Schools.
An Act to Promote Collaboration in Horace Mann and Innovation Schools
- Sponsor: Representative Jim O’Day (D-West Boylston)
- House Docket 1021
- Removes language allowing these schools to open prior to BoE approval and/or an agreement with the union.
Higher Education
An Act Relative to the Rghts of Faculty Members at the University of Massachusetts
- Sponsor: Senator Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville)
- Senate Docket 867
- Open meetings for tenure decisions.
An Act to Provide Funding for Certain Collective Bargaining Agreements
- Sponsor: Representative William Strauss (D-Mattapoisett)
- House Docket 4124
- Improve higher education contract funding process.
Member Benefits
An Act to Athorize Creditable Service for Certain Public Higher Education Faculty and Professional Employees
- Sponsor: Senator Walter Timilty (D-Milton)
- Senate Docket 2025
- Improve creditable service for sabbatical leaves.
An Act Relative to Establishing a Tuition Free Program for Teachers and Paraprofessionals
- Sponsor: Representative Steve Ultrino (D-Malden)
- House Docket 1053
- Extend Tuition Remission at Massachusetts State Schools to Educators.
An Act to Establish a Master of Library Science Assistance Program
- Sponsor: Senator Paul Feeney (D-Foxborough)
- Senate Docket 718
- Establish a MS in Library Science Tuition Assistance Grant Program.
An Act Clarifying the Rights of Employees in Education Collaboratives
- Sponsor: Representative Josh Cutler (D-Duxbury)
- House Docket 528
- Extend professional teacher status (PTS) to teachers in education collaboratives.
Coalition Sponsored Proposals
An Act Committing to Higher Education the Resources to Ensure a Strong and Healthy Public Higher Education System
- Sponsor: Senator Jo Comerford (D-Amherst)
- Senate Docket 2092
- Representative Garballey (D-Arlington)
- House Docket 2755
- The "CHERISH Act" creates a framework for adequate public higher education funding levels, including expanded support for student services; ensures debt-free public higher education for all; improves wages and working conditions for faculty and staff, including benefits for adjunct faculty and part time staff; and invests in green and healthy public college and university buildings.
- Coalition: Higher Ed for All
An Act Empowering Students and Schools to Thrive
- Sponsor: Senator Jo Comerford (D-Amherst)
- Senate Docket 2067
- Sponsors: Representative Jim Hawkins (D-Attleboro) and Representative Sam Montano (D-Boston)
- House Docket 3162
- The "Thrive Act" equips local communities with the tools and resources that students and schools need to succeed, and dramatically reduces the harm caused by the high-stakes, punitive use of standardized tests, such as state takeovers and denying students high school diplomas.
- Coalition: Massachusetts Education Justice Allicance
An Act to Fair and Affordable Public Retiree Benefits
- Sponsor: Senator Cyr (D-Truro)
- Senate Docket 220
- Sponsor: Representative Donahue (D-Worcester)
- House Docket 2901
- Immediately increases the COLA base from $13,000 to $18,000 and over time raises the base to align with Social Security’s maximum allowable benefit for an individual worker. Freezes the health insurance premium contribution for current municipal retirees at the current rate and locks in the rate for future retirees based on their retirement date. Caps out-of-pocket expenses for non-Medicare-eligible retirees.
- Coalition: Massachusetts AFL-CIO
An Act Limiting Out of Pocket Health Expenses
- Sponsor: Senator Feeney (D Foxborough)
- Senate Docket 1128
- Caps out-of pocket costs for GIC members at $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families
- Coalition: Massachusetts AFL-CIO
An Act Establishing Fairness in GIC Premium Contributions
- Sponsor: Representative Mark (D-Peru)
- Senate Docket 1860
- Sets the premium share for all state employees at 80%/20%.
- Coalition: Massachusetts AFL-CIO
An Act Relative to Group Insurance Commission Procurement
- Sponsor: Senate Feeney (D Foxborough)
- Senate Docket 720
- Exempts the Group Insurance Commission from the state’s procurement law in order to foster more competition
- Coalition: Massachusetts AFL-CIO
An Act Relative to Health Insurance Benefits for State Employees
- Sponsor: Representative LaBoeuf (D-Worcester)
- House Docket 1045
- Starts health insurance benefit coverage from the first day of employment rather than day 60 for state employees
- Coalition: Massachusetts AFL-CIO
An Act Relative to Health Insurance for Municipal Employees
- Sponsor: Representative LaBoeuf (D-Worcester)
- House Docket 2003
- Starts health insurance benefit coverage from the first day of employment rather than day 60 for municipal employees
- Coalition: Massachusetts AFL-CIO
An Act Relative to the Group Insurance Trust Fund
- Sponsor: Senator Mark
- Senate Docket 1936
- Sponsor: Representative Consolvo (D-Boston)
- House Docket 729
- State contribution goes into GIC Trust and any leftover used to reduce co-pays and deductibles.
- Coalition: Massachusetts AFL-CIO
An Act Uplifting Families and Securing the Right to Strike for Certain Public Employees
- Sponsor: Senator Rebecca Rausch (D-Needham)
- Senate Docket 317
- Sponsors: Representative Mike Connolly (D-Cambridge), Representative Erika Uyterhoeven (D-Somerville)
- House Docket 588
- Repeals GL 150E:9A, which prohibits a public employee or their union from engaging in a strike.
- Coalition: Massachusetts AFL-CIO
An Act Relative to Debt-free Public Higher Education
- Sponsor: Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton)
- Senate Docket 1946
- Sponsor: Representative Natalie Higgins (D-Leominister)
- House Docket 1215
- Establishes that it is state policy to guarantee free public higher education as a right for all students. Creates a grant program to pay the equivalent of tuition and mandatory fees to an eligible student at any Massachusetts public college or university.
- Coalition: Higher Ed for All
An Act Relative to Universal School Meals
- Sponsor: Senator Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett)
- Senate Docket 1013
- Sponsor: Representative Andy Vargas (D-Haverhill)
- House Docket 766
- Requires all schools to make school breakfast and lunch available to all students at no charge to the student or their family with costs covered by a combination of federal reimbursement or state funding.
- Coalition: Feed Kids MA
An Act to Mandate the Review of Climate Risk in Order to Protect Public Pension Beneficiaries and Taxpayers
- Sponsor: Represenative Mindy Domb (D-Amherst)
- House Docket 3725
- Establishes a Climate Risk Investment Review Committee to study & recommend divestment of public pension funds from fossil fuels & actively managed investment funds with fossil fuel investments; prohibits the acquisition of such investments directly or indirectly through actively managed funds.
- Coalition: Mass Divest
An Act Implementing Elementary and Secondary Interdisciplinary Climate Justice Education Across the Commonwealth
- Sponsor: Senator Julian Cyr (D-Barnstable)
- Senate Docket 498
- Sponsor: Representative Jim Hawkins (D-Attleboro)
- House Docket 339
- Coalition: Our Climate Massachusetts
An Act to End Discriminatory Outcomes in Vocational School Admissions
- Sponsor: Senator John Cronin (D-Lunenburg)
- Senate Docket 2312
- Sponsor: Representative Antonio Cabral (D-New Bedford)
- House Docket 3617
- Coalition: Vocational Education Justice
An Act Establishing Medicare for All in Massachusetts
- Sponsor: Sen. Jamie Eldrige (D-Acton)
- Senate Docket 2182
- Sponsor: Representative Lindsay Sabadosa (D-Florence)
- House Docket 1584
- Guarantees access to health care for every Massachusetts resident through a single payer health care financing system.
- Coalition: MASSCARE
Retirement
An Act relative to the Teachers Retirement Election
- Sponsor: Senator Miranda
- Senate Docket 1049
- Sponsor: Representative Consalvo
- House Docket 1594
- Creates a Retirement Plus enrollment window for teachers who were members of Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System before 2001.
An Act Increasing the Minimum Pension for Public Retirees
- Sponsor: Representative Ed Coppinger (D-West Roxbury)
- House Docket 4103
- Increase the minimum pension to $24,000.
An Act Providing Creditable Service for Certain Teachers
- Sponsor: Representative Dan Hunt (D-Dorchester)
- House Docket 4132
- Allows the purchase of creditable service for layoffs due to budgetary reasons.
An Act Relative to the Retirement Options of Certain Educational Personnel
- Sponsor: Senator Walter Timilty (D-Milton)
- Senate Docket 574
- Allows school nurses to count years of school service, before their inclusion in the Massachusetts Teachers Retirement Sysytem, toward pension benefits under the Retirement Plus program.
An Act Relative to Defining Certain Disabilities
- Sponsor: Representative Dan Cahill (D-Lynn)
- House Docket 785
- Allows public employees suffering respiratory illnesses because of "sick building" conditions eligibility for disability retirement.
An Act Relative to Non-public School Service
- Sponsor: Senator Mike Rush (D-West Roxbury)
- Senate Docket 558
- Allows vested retirement system members to purchase service for time worked in non-public schools.