MBAE Position on Proposed Increases in State Education Funding

July 25, 2017 – The legislature is considering bills that would dramatically increase state funding for K-12 schools.  Yet, our problem is not just how much money is allocated, but also how money is spent.  Our current school funding system is out-of-date and undeniably contributes to our failure to prepare all students for success.

Legislative focus on the funding challenges our schools face provides Massachusetts with a rare opportunity to rethink how we can maximize the value of our significant investment in education to close racial and socio-economic achievement gaps and a widening college and workforce readiness gap.  For this reason, MBAE supports increased K-12 education funding only  if it is coupled with reforms that:

• ensure that state funds allocated for needier students are actually spent on those students;
• give school leaders control over how money is spent in their building to address their student body’s unique needs;
• require analysis and public reporting of where funds are being used effectively and where they are not; and,
• shift from funding “programs” to supporting efforts that achieve specific learning outcomes for students.

MBAE and the employers we represent understand the financial pressures facing our school districts and are committed to working with legislators to make the most of this opportunity to ensure that the needs of our students are met.

About the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education

The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education 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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Read/download the press statement here

Read/download here testimony given at the Education Committee Hearing on S.223 by MBAE Executive Director Linda Noonan

Read/download here testimony given at the Education Committee Hearing on S.223 by Joseph E. Esposito, MBAE Director who represented business on the Foundation Budget Review commission