Keeping up the momentum from a campaign that yielded a historic increase in state funding for preK-12 schools, MTA members and their Fund our Future coalition partners are now focusing on passage of the Cherish Act, which will address problems created by more than 20 years of underfunding public colleges and universities in Massachusetts.
The campaign has identified three main areas of public higher education in desperate need of substantial funding increases: affordability, adjunct justice, and capital debt relief, which would allow campuses to reinvest in full-time faculty and staff.
Adjusted for inflation, allocations for public higher education are down by 32 percent per student since 2001. The negative trend has resulted in massive cost shifts to students and their families and led to a ballooning debt problem for those who attend public colleges and universities. Accessibility is a major issue for Massachusetts students — and the amount of debt they take on has risen faster than in 48 other states over the past decade.
Pittsfield educator Tyler Ramsay got two undergraduate degrees and a master’s degree from UMass Amherst, graduating in 2017 with $100,000 in debt. He said that expense restricted where he could afford to work, as he found salaries too low or housing costs too high in the districts offering him jobs.
To make ends meet after graduation, he worked as a substitute teacher and at a computer store, often leaving his school assignment at 2:30 p.m. and starting his second job at 4 p.m. Before finally finding a full-time job in Pittsfield, Ramsay would rack up 65-hour workweeks, with few days off.
"I believe that if someone emerges from college with three degrees and four certifications, his or her salary should be able to cover student loan payments," Ramsay said. "This issue speaks to a lot of problems that circle the problem of student debt: teacher salaries, affordable housing, relocation assistance and contracts for substitute teachers."
On public higher education campuses, adjunct faculty and part-time staff educate the vast majority of students. Although they are well qualified, adjuncts are poorly paid and have limited access to health benefits and job security.
Rosemarie Freeland, vice president of the Massachusetts Community College Council and a professional staff member at Greenfield Community College, likened the situation to a "gig economy" in that it disregards educators’ professionalism. Freeland said the drastic reduction in full-time staff and faculty on community college campuses has had two profound impacts.
First, students are given less access to advisory and support programs. Adjuncts and part-time staff typically do not have those responsibilities or the time to fulfill them because many work on more than one campus. Second, they usually do not participate in campus governance so there are fewer seats at the table where decisions are made and fewer people filling those seats.
"Faculty and staff voices are eliminated when we do not have enough full-time workers," Freeland said.
The impact of capital debt on the UMass Boston campus has been well documented in news stories about cuts to staff and programs. But the problem is now widespread, since costs once covered by the state have become the responsibility of each campus. Every dollar needed for capital debt and building maintenance translates into less money for rebuilding the ranks of full-time faculty and staff and investing in programs that help students graduate successfully and on time.
"Access to public education is a right that extends from prekindergarten through higher education," said MTA President Merrie Najimy. "We need to build a bridge from our work that resulted in the Student Opportunity Act to the goals of the Cherish Act."
Public Higher Education Advocacy Day
When: Monday, March 2 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Where: State House What: An annual event that highlights the pressing issues facing public higher education. MTA members are encouraged to participate — either in person or via outreach activities now being organized. Lunch will be provided, and transportation to the State House will be available.
Register at: Massteacher.org/RedForHigherEd
MTA members will have several opportunities to advocate for the Cherish Act (S.741/H.1214) this winter and spring as the state budget is being set. Community forums will highlight the problems caused by chronic underfunding, and MTA higher education members will attend meetings with preK-12 members to explain how passage of the bill will help all workers and students.
Public Higher Education Advocacy Day is set for March 2 at the State House, and MTA members will join students in meeting with legislators to advocate for public colleges and universities. Members who cannot attend will have other opportunities to convey their views to legislators.
The coalition is also organizing other events, such as a "debtors’ march" around Beacon Hill.
The legislation calls for an overall $600 million additional investment in public higher education over the next five years, including an installment in fiscal 2021 of $120 million over the current budget.
"This is an issue that affects every MTA member — not just those working at public colleges and universities," said MTA Vice President Max Page. "We have members struggling with student debt. We have members working with students who need an accessible pathway to a college degree. We have members thinking about how they will afford to educate their own children."
Given what it took to win the Student Opportunity Act campaign, educator and student engagement are crucial for the challenge that lies ahead. "We saw the vital role that activism played during the campaign to win $2 billion in new funding for preK-to-12 schools," Najimy said. "We must now replicate that effort and champion the Red For Higher Ed movement to create a more just, equitable and affordable public higher education system in the state."
For updates, visit massteacher.org/fundourfuture.
