Diverse Coalition Urges Gov. Healey, Lawmakers to Address Public School Funding Crisis (February 24, 2025)
LINK TO COALITION LETTER/ASSETS
United for Our Future – a broad coalition of education organizations, educators’ unions, parent-teacher associations, advocacy groups, and civil rights leaders – has come together to call for immediate and decisive action from Governor Maura Healey and the Legislature to address the pressing funding crisis in Massachusetts public schools.
“Massachusetts is facing a ‘perfect storm’ of factors that make it nearly impossible to balance budgets without reductions that will have a negative impact on student learning, enrichment and support,” the United for Our Future coalition wrote in their letter. “By signing on to this statement, we collectively emphasize the urgency of this moment and the shared commitment of cherishing public education in Massachusetts and assuring that our public schools receive the resources they need to thrive.”
Despite Massachusetts’ reputation as a leader in public education, public schools across the Commonwealth are facing devastating budget cuts to student programs and staff due to rising costs that far outpace available funding, with higher costs in special education tuition and student transportation, and the unique financial challenges faced by rural and regional schools.
Statements from United for Our Future coalition members:
“Without additional funding and changes in the Chapter 70 formula, regional, rural, and declining enrollment school districts will face yet another academic year decreasing the number of classroom teachers, eliminating essential school programs, closing schools, and sadly, failing to meet the educational needs of their students,” said Dr. Maureen Marshall, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools.
“We look forward to working with our state leaders to understand and address the critical fiscal challenges our school districts are facing,” said Dr. Mary M. Bourque, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. “Together, we must recommit to public education and provide school districts with the funds required to meet the needs of students and families.”
“As parents, we see firsthand how the funding crisis is straining our public schools – fewer resources, larger class sizes, and diminished support for our children’s learning and well-being,” said Kathresha Cureton, President of the Massachusetts PTA. “When public schools in our Commonwealth don’t have the funding they need, it is our kids who suffer, from lost enrichment opportunities to inadequate mental health services. That’s why the Massachusetts PTA is proud to be part of the United for Our Future coalition – because every child deserves a fully funded, high-quality public education that prepares them for success.”
“The proposed reduction in overall state aid to Boston, Massachusetts’ largest school district, will make it even harder to meet the needs of our students, particularly our students with disabilities and multilingual learners,” said Erik Berg, President of the Boston Teachers Union. “Working together to reverse the cuts would make it possible to fully include more students in ways that meet their needs, promote bilingualism among students, and retain a diverse workforce.”
“The Massachusetts Teachers Association stands united with our partners in United for Our Future to demand urgent action from Governor Healey and the Legislature to address the deepening funding crisis in our public schools,” said MTA President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy. “We are proud to have helped pass the Student Opportunity Act in 2019 which brought substantial funding to our lowest income districts. But between COVID, inflation, and the growing needs of our students, we need our elected leaders to recognize that virtually every school is making cuts, threatening to undermine the advances we have made. Across the Commonwealth, unionized educators are witnessing firsthand the devastating impact of budget shortfalls – larger class sizes, cuts to essential programs, inadequate mental health support, and growing barriers to delivering the best-in-the-nation public education that our students deserve.”
“Make no mistake: the school funding and pediatric behavioral health crises are intertwined, and underfunding schools will have a major and direct impact on children's mental health,” said Nancy Allen Scannell, Executive Director, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, on behalf of the Children's Mental Health Campaign. “Our schools need equitable, adequate funding in order to meet young people's needs and to ensure the well-being of students, staff, and school communities as a whole.”
“The Commonwealth’s strength and ability to lead relies on a fully-funded, equitable, and high-quality public education system - from early childhood to post-secondary. Public education - like every other system, needs to be able to adapt to its current reality to serve its students. For our schools, that means meeting the shifting needs of our students and seeing those costs rapidly outpace the investment and reimbursements they receive from the state, which were not adequate to begin with,” said American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts President Jessica Tang. “We remain committed to working with our allies in the Legislature and the Healey Administration to ensure all students have access to a high-quality public education and the services they need to thrive. With public education under assault at the federal level, it is even more critical that our state leaders answer this call.”
“At this perilous moment for our nation and the Commonwealth, Citizens for Public Schools stands united with this broad coalition to demand urgent action to address our school funding crisis,” said Lisa Guisbond, Executive Director of Citizens for Public Schools. “With our public schools and our democracy itself under unprecedented, existential attack, we call on and expect our elected leaders to rise to the occasion and fulfill their constitutional obligations to our students by prioritizing the full funding of their educational needs.”
“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to addressing the entrenched systemic inequities that consistently obstruct the success of marginalized communities,” said Manuel J. Fernandez, President of the Association of Massachusetts School Equity Leaders. “This steadfast commitment is the guiding force behind our advocacy efforts. We acknowledge the importance of advocating for equitable policies and practices that ensure every student has access to the necessary resources and support to thrive, irrespective of their background.”
“Without your urgent action, rising student needs and the inadequate funding of our public schools will continue to force painful cuts—fewer teachers in classrooms, reduced mental health support, building failures, and diminished in-district opportunities for the very students who need them most,” said Margaret Raymond Driscoll, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials. “School districts, supported by their school finance and operations leaders, have done everything possible to stretch resources, but the math no longer adds up. The Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials calls on you to support our students now and in the future.”
“MASCA is super excited to join forces with the other major education and equity organizations in Massachusetts to look at ways to better fund and support our public schools across the Commonwealth,” said Bob Bardwell, Executive Director of Massachusetts School Counselors Association. “As a coalition of like minded organizations, our voice will be much stronger and impactful if we work together for the common good. Our students, residents and communities deserve the very best that Massachusetts can offer and this Coalition is one step towards making that happen.”
“The Massachusetts AFL-CIO is proud to stand with the United for Our Future coalition to address our education funding crisis,” said Chrissy Lynch, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. “Union members make our public schools run and as parents and community members, union members care deeply about the future and quality of public education in Massachusetts.”
“Lawyers for Civil Rights stands in solidarity with the United for Our Future coalition in the shared fight to ensure equal educational access for all Massachusetts students. A truly equitable education system requires that every school—regardless of ZIP code—receives the resources and funding necessary to support students and their success.”