Last night I witnessed the Boston School Committee vote unanimously in favor of a resolution to oppose the Massachusetts ballot question #2 which proposes to expand charter schools in the Commonwealth by 12 every year for perpetuity while offering no additional education funding. The Boston School Committee is one of 164 school committees (and counting) across Massachusetts who have come out against question #2. None has come out in favor of it. While the BSC is appointed by the elected mayor of Boston, the rest of these school committees are directly elected representatives of the people. They join other elected officials in city councils (including Boston), Senator Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democratic Party, and even Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a strong supporter of charter schools, in voicing the people’s’ opposition to this reckless initiative. The point is not that charter schools are bad – their value for good or evil is not relevant to this debate – but that the fiscal irresponsibility of introducing 12 new schools each year with no funding will devastate municipal budgets and ultimately harm all children regardless of where they go to school. Please join them in standing up to the big-money interests campaigning for this measure by voting No on #2 on November 8th (and then getting together on November 9th to fight for better funding for all of our schools). Remember to tell your friends and if you want to get more involved you can volunteer with Save our Public Schools and/or make a donation.
Here’s an updated list of articles. opinion pieces, and videos expressing the urgency of voting No on 2. The first post listed is the best, concise summary if you’re short on time, but they’re all worth reading and sharing with your friends and on social media.
- A Boston Political Education: Vote NO on Ballot Question Number 2
- Common Dreams: Despite Millions in Dark Money, Pro-Charter Effort Falters in Massachusetts
- Edushyster: Family Affair
- Mercedes Schneider: Business is Paying Handsomely for Charter Cap in Massachusetts
- Parent Imperfect: Question 2: A Concious “No”
- Parent Imperfect: A Good Night for #NoOn2
- Public School Mama: Question Two Will Be a Fiscal Disaster for Boston
- Whos of Who-cester: About the Brookings Release
- Writer, Teacher, Writing Teacher: No on 2: The Charter Experiment Has Failed
