MTA urges Legislature to sustain higher ed budget

MTA urges Legislature to sustain higher ed budget


Massachusetts Teachers Association President Merrie Najimy and Vice President Max Page sent the following letter to members of the Legislature this afternoon:

We are extending our thanks on behalf of staff, faculty and students at public colleges and universities for your decision to provide level funding – and in some cases increased funding – for public higher education in the fiscal 2021 budget.

Public higher education is a public good. Your budget reflects the importance that public colleges and universities play in our Commonwealth. Despite the fiscal challenges brought on by the global COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to preserve and cherish our community colleges, state universities and the University of Massachusetts system. In doing so, we are preserving this public good.

If we truly embrace the ideals of justice and equity, then we must guarantee that every Massachusetts resident has access to high-quality postsecondary education – and that we work to break down barriers that have historically stood in the way of Black and Brown students.

Furthermore, our public colleges and universities will be instrumental in rebuilding and reviving our state’s economy after the damage done by the pandemic.

For these reasons, the members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association urge you to override Governor Charlie Baker’s line-item cuts in his response to your fiscal 2021 budget. We look forward to resuming the work we have been doing with so many of you to fully restore the state’s commitment to public higher education after an unfortunately long period of disinvestment.