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House budget amendments

The following was delivered April 23 to members of the Massachusetts House.

The House Ways and Means proposed budget for FY05 restores some stability and slows the fiscal free-fall experienced by our public schools and institutions of higher education.  Increased funding in several areas will indeed help some students and improve the quality of education they receive.

Pre-K-12
MTA applauds the increase of $191 million more for pre-K-12 education over FY04 and $72 million over House 1.  Specifically, the increased funding in the areas of special education, regional school transportation, MCAS remediation and charter school reimbursement will help school districts that have struggled in the past two years as a result of over $500 million in cuts to local aid. 

The FY05 proposal is still below the FY03 funding levels and puts the progress of the past decade in jeopardy.  As a result, many students are in larger classes, have fewer services and are assessed higher fees than before.  The House Ways and Means budget unfortunately does not restore the successful class size reduction program or the non-regional school transportation monies that were eliminated and does not fully restore cuts made to early literacy, full-day kindergarten and MCAS remediation.

According to a recent study by University of Wisconsin Professor Andrew Reschovsky, the Commonwealth cut funding per pupil more than any other state.  State funding dropped 14.3 percent between FY02 and FY04, while the average for other states was 4 percent.

Higher Education
MTA appreciates the commitment in the FY05 proposal to fully fund higher education contracts that had remained unfunded for three years.

The FY05 proposal does not begin to restore the major cuts in overall funding for public higher education.  Funds to campuses have been cut by 26 percent in real dollars in the past three years.  A study conducted by Illinois State University ranked Massachusetts near the bottom at 49th among the 50 states in state support for public higher education as a share of personal income.

Employee Rights
MTA thanks the House Ways and Means Committee for not including any of the unfair proposals made by Gov. Mitt Romney to undo the guaranteed pension system or erode collective bargaining rights for public employees, change health insurance premium rates or change the protections of the civil service system.

Revenues
MTA is disappointed that the House at this time has chosen to not increase taxes.  The only way to ensure continued progress in public education and to close the structural deficit is to increase revenues.