AFT Massachusetts Responds Governor’s FY27 Budget Recommendations (January 28, 2026)
AFT Massachusetts President Jessica Tang released the following statement in response to Governor Maura Healey’s budget recommendations for Fiscal Year 2027:
“Rising costs coupled with drastic cuts to services have made the state’s already high cost of living untenable for most working families across the state. We are living in an economy that does not work for working families.
“The cost for many local school districts to ensure every child has a free and equal public education outpaces state investment. Districts are now teetering at the edge of a fiscal cliff.
“At the federal level, our schools have been stripped of millions of dollars of critical funding, with millions more on the chopping block. Attacks on immigrants and those supporting our immigrant families continue to have a chilling effect. Many of the school districts we represent – Boston, Lynn, Chelsea, Lawrence, and Lowell – are facing additional shortfalls due to drops in enrollment as our immigrant families live in fear. Meanwhile, the White House’s campaign against our public libraries and universities are eliminating critical resources for people of all ages in an effort to stifle critical thinking and free expression.
“Education is the backbone of our communities and our economy. Without intervention, we risk undermining long-term, statewide educational outcomes with our most vulnerable students being harmed the most.
“We know this is just the first step in the budget process and see hopeful signs in this budget to address the significant fiscal challenges our communities are facing. But we also know that this must be the baseline to build on because failing to safeguard our communities now allows temporary cuts to become permanent damage, which would be catastrophic for some of our largest, poorest, and neediest communities.
“If Massachusetts wants to remain first in the nation for education and is truly dedicated to protecting our students and the knowledge-based economy our state relies on, we must see a larger level of investment, one that takes into account the true fiscal realities our districts, public libraries, and universities are facing.”
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BACKGROUND:
AFT MA’s budget priorities for Fiscal Year 2027 are outlined in their recent letter to Governor Healey. It includes a call for the state to use funding from the Fair Share Amendment to provide additional support to districts facing enrollment disruptions, similar to grant funding they provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.