AFT Massachusetts: Senate Takes Important Steps to Address Fiscal Crises Facing Our Communities (April 9, 2026)
AFT Massachusetts President Jessica Tang released the following statement today in response to the supplemental budget bill passed by the Senate today that includes significant investment in education:
“Just like working families, our schools are facing a dire affordability crisis and many of our communities are at a fiscal breaking point. The needs of our students are increasingly unmet as costs are skyrocketing and federal funding is being haphazardly slashed. Schools are having to reduce services, increase classroom sizes, cut critical positions, and make other difficult decisions that undermine long-term educational outcomes.
“The bill passed by the Senate today provides some much-needed, immediate relief through increases to the special education circuit breaker, rural school aid, school-based mental health services, and millions of dollars to fund local one-time education projects—many of which cover basic necessities like new lunch tables and adaptive technologies students with special needs rely on.
“Today’s debate also included an important discussion around an amendment Senator Sal DiDomenico filed on behalf of the AFT Massachusetts school districts and others around the Commonwealth that serve large percentages of multilingual learners and are facing immigration-related enrollment declines.
“Children cannot learn if they don't feel safe. The fear and uncertainty has resulted in our immigrant families, essentially, sheltering in place. We thank Senator DiDomenico and those who co-sponsored this important amendment for their work to bring this discussion to the forefront and for their continued advocacy on this issue as we head into the budget season.
“The degree to which the state invests in and supports our public schools, students, and the communities our educators serve will have lasting impacts on our collective future. While we continue our work to advocate for a fairer, more predictable way of funding education in the Commonwealth, we are grateful for Senate President Spilka and Chairman Rodrigues for delivering a supplemental budget that provides some immediate relief to our strained communities.”