The MTA has an ambitious 2021 campaign agenda that includes both legislative and non-legislative goals — all of which depend on member organizing for their success.
Non-legislative priorities include implementation of the universal pooled testing program in public schools; expediting vaccines for all educators, from prekindergarten through higher education; and launching a first-ever MTA statewide coordinated bargaining campaign.
On the legislative front, funding for schools and colleges, canceling the MCAS, an early retirement bill, workplace benefits for employees and progressive revenues are among the key priorities.
Here are some details.
Funding for preK-16 education. Governor Charlie Baker’s budget proposal, released on Jan. 27, falls woefully short of meeting the funding needs of public schools and colleges. His plan allocates only one-seventh of the amount needed to fully implement the Student Opportunity Act rather than the two-sevenths needed to meet the law’s deadline of full implementation by 2027.
Public higher education would fare even worse. The proposal reduces funding for community colleges and state universities, cuts state scholarship aid, and freezes the University of Massachusetts budget for two straight years.
Baker’s budget "fails to meet the urgency of this moment," the MTA said in a media statement, adding: "Communities across the Commonwealth — especially those with high concentrations of poverty and communities of color — have been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. This deepening crisis has affected students in every corner of the state, from preschool through higher education. While the federal government has provided short-term COVID-19 relief funds to address immediate needs, our students will need social, emotional and academic support over the long term to recover from pandemic education."
The MTA supports fully funding the SOA and passing the Cherish Act, which would provide $120 million annually over the next five years to bring state spending on public higher education back to where it was two decades ago.
Canceling the MCAS. Now more than ever, the MTA is urging the state to cancel the MCAS graduation requirement and to require Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley to apply for a federal waiver to suspend administering the MCAS altogether in this tremendously disrupted year.
Meanwhile, Riley has rolled out a plan under which this year’s seniors would not be required to pass the MCAS in order to graduate, but students in grades 10 and 11 would still have to take the tests this spring since they will be expected to have passed the MCAS by the time they are seniors. In addition, the state’s plan calls for requiring students in grades three through eight to take half of each test, raising massive logistical and educational hurdles. The MTA is opposed to the plan.
Ensuring a dignified retirement. The MTA is backing several retirement-related bills, including a new measure that would give Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System members an option to purchase additional years in age or years of service, or a combination of both.
Fairness for adjunct faculty, staff and higher ed students. The MTA is once again backing bills to provide greater pay, benefits and fairness to adjunct faculty, establish a debt-free public higher education system and restore or improve various benefits for faculty and staff.
Public school safety. An MTA-backed bill would require districts to assess and improve their ventilation systems and to stock adequate personal protective equipment.
Dignity and protection for public employees. The MTA supports allowing municipal employees to take part in the state’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave system and receive at least the same minimum wage as required for most private-sector employees.
Progressive revenue to Fund Our Future. During the pandemic, the very rich have gotten much richer, while so many others are out of work or underpaid. The MTA is backing a package of progressive tax policies targeting corporations and high-income earners. It is also working with the Raise Up Massachusetts coalition to make sure that the proposed Fair Share Amendment, which would increase taxes on annual income over $1 million, makes it to the ballot in the fall of 2022 with strong public support.
Now more than ever, the MTA is urging the state to cancel the MCAS graduation requirement and to require Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley to apply for a federal waiver to suspend administering the MCAS altogether in this tremendously disrupted year.
More information will be provided on the MTA website, massteacher.org, as it becomes available.
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