Without Props or Stunts, Business Groups Visit Beacon Hill Lawmakers to Hold Serious Discussions on School Funding Reform

(BOSTON) September 10, 2019 – Organized by the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, business groups from nearly every corner of the state visited the offices of Beacon Hill lawmakers today strongly urging them to pass a school funding reform bill that finally and decisively delivers equal education to all students, regardless of race or socio-economic status, guarantees improvements in academic outcomes for all students, and advances career-connected learning to prepare all students to successfully join the state’s workforce.

“We don’t have beach balls or strings of pearls with us like others who have been up here calling for more than a billion dollars for education with no strings attached, but we’re here to tell lawmakers that employers across this state expect a substantial investment in our education system will lead to improved outcomes, particularly for our most disadvantaged communities,” said Edward Lambert, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education referring to props used by certain advocacy groups to put pressure on the legislature.

“Achievement gaps lead to cracks in our workforce pipeline that threaten economic growth, but of greater concern, they result in students missing out on opportunities to secure jobs that could change the trajectory of their lives,” said Lambert. “We have consistently called on legislators to focus on equity first in order to close those gaps. That requires prioritizing getting money to students who need it the most, using the money on best practices, and leveraging tools in our tool box to ensure each and every student is getting an excellent education.”

A new report, Quality Counts 2019, the 23rd annual report card of state education systems issued by the Education Week Research Center, recently reported that Massachusetts ranks 41st in funding equity, wealthier districts in the state get more funding than their poorer peers, and the disparity is more significant than in most other states. Furthermore, research conducted by MBAE utilizing state school spending data from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Educations shows not all districts are distributing money progressively. In too many districts, schools serving the highest percentages of disadvantaged students are actually getting less funding or equal funding to those schools serving fewer percentages of these students.

Business groups are concerned that just 45% of Massachusetts’ ninth-graders go on to earn the degree or credential that 72% of jobs in the Commonwealth will require and far too many job candidates lack the knowledge and skills needed to secure positions in their companies.

Business is asking state leaders to set targets for improvements to be achieved with additional funding, including career readiness targets, require the state to report annually on progress, and increase funding for career-connected learning initiatives.

“We want lawmakers to know we support increased funding provided there are measures in the bill to ensure money is used efficiently and effectively,” said Lambert. “How can we, in good conscience, spend this kind of money without ensuring it’s used to address deep inequities in our system?”

About the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education

The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) was founded in 1988 by employers concerned about the educational attainment and skills of graduates entering the workforce.  Driven by the business community’s commitment that all students graduate high school prepared for success in college, career and citizenship, our core work is influencing state education policy to improve the quality of all public schools in Massachusetts.

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