The Commonwealth has taken a much-needed step in the direction of supporting our educators, students and communities with the passing of Question 1 – the Fair Share Amendment. Now that we’ve passed Question 1, we will have a fairer tax system, and an additional $2 billion in annual funding that will be a great boon to the state, and to future generations in Massachusetts.
The AFT Massachusetts has been a longtime advocate for improving the lives of educators and students within the commonwealth. This new funding will help improve school facilities, provide additional after-school programs for students, and help retain and attract new teachers to the field of education amidst a historic shortage of qualified educators.
“By passing Question 1, we’ve won an enormous victory for Massachusetts students, families, and educators that will reverberate for decades,” says Beth Kontos, President of AFT Massachusetts. “Starting next year, Massachusetts will have a fairer tax system and substantial new revenue to invest in our public schools, colleges, and transportation systems. Years from now, our communities will continue to see the benefits of better schools, safer roads, and a tax system that asks those at the very top to do their part. A huge thank you goes to all the AFT Massachusetts members who devoted their time to door-knocking, phone-banking, and conversations with neighbors to help push us over the finish line and deliver this historic win for Massachusetts.”
The Fair Share Amendment will help ensure a prosperous future in our state by ensuring every student in every district has the same opportunities for excellence. It will ensure more, better paying jobs for our educators, and it will ensure the trains, roads and bridges that connect our communities are strong.
The new revenue will help to provide much-needed improvements across the board for our early education, K-12 and higher education institutions. Districts burdened with low funding will now have the resources they need to take the burden off teachers who have oftentimes needed to dip into their meager incomes to provide for their students.
New roads and updates to our state transportation and infrastructure will also help our students get to and from class, in addition to helping a myriad of blue-collar workers do the same. A rising tide raises all ships, and the investment the citizens of the Commonwealth have decided to make will yield benefits for generations to come.
