Business and Civic Leaders Sign Letter to Governor, Senate President and House Speaker Insisting Any Deal on School Funding Include Measures that Lead to Better Outcomes

March 21, 2019 – The Massachusetts Society of CPAs (MSCPA), along with over 100 other business, community, political and civic leaders from across the Commonwealth signed a letter delivered to Governor Baker, Senate President Spilka and House Speaker DeLeo today calling for a legislative solution on school funding that includes measures that will close achievement, opportunity and skills gaps.

The letter comes in advance of a Joint Committee on Education hearing at the state house on Friday where legislators will hear testimony on several bills that have been filed dealing with school funding.

“Simply putting more money into a system that is failing far too many young people would be reckless,” said Edward Lambert, Jr., Executive Director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, one of the lead organizations behind the letter and a partner of the MSCPA.  “Crossing our fingers and hoping to get better results is not a strategy. We’re hearing from folks all across the state who want to ensure that new funding closes achievement and skills gaps and who agree money alone won’t accomplish those goals.”   

The letter calls for new funding to be used effectively and efficiently stating that “Experience, research, and practice-based evidence (including evidence from bright spots of success in our state) have shown that just putting more money into the system – even when expressly for the purpose of addressing achievement gaps – does not get us improved outcomes.”