DOE Under Attack – Our Students and Educators Are Fighting Back
DOE Under Attack – Our Students and Educators Are Fighting Back
Greetings, MTA members,
Last Thursday, in a several-times delayed executive order, President Donald Trump finally ordered the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. While patently illegal – which is why the NEA is suing – Trump aims to demolish the department and then say Congress needs to take out the rubble. Destroying the DOE has been on the docket for this administration since the first day. But it has really been on the wish list of the Republican Party for the past 40 years, since Ronald Reagan was president and the GOP began its steady descent into the party that enables and defends an authoritarian leader who has no interest in democracy and the common good.
The timing couldn’t have been better for what happened three days later, yesterday, in Amherst. Over 500 students and educators walked the half-mile from the Amherst Middle and High Schools over to the Campus Center Auditorium at UMass Amherst to let the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Ways and Means know the desperation of the fiscal crisis in schools. They were joined by hundreds more from Mohawk Regional, Northampton, Hampshire Regional and other area schools. The Amherst regional schools alone are threatened with 17 educator layoffs, including a larger number of ESPs and reading specialists.
You can read what we are seeking in the state budget including how the state should spend the more than $1 billion in excess Fair Share Amendment revenues.
MTA Events, Opportunities and Solidarity Actions
Climate Change, Global Warming and Heat Stress
When: Wednesday, April 2, 3 - 4:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual
Join the First Wednesday Retiree Speaker Series for its next session. Heat stress can sap energy, exacerbate health problems and impede learning in schools. Let's explore how heat affects our health and consider individual, union, organizational and community-based ways to address the underlying causes. Register here. Recruitment and Retention and What it Means for Wage Equity for Higher Ed Members When: Thursday, April 3, 7 p.m. Where: Virtual
The charge of the state Commission on Higher Education Quality and Affordability (CHEQA) is to deliver a report on expanding access to high-quality, public higher education by addressing affordability and student support. On April 3, CHEQA will consider the improvements needed to increase the recruitment and retention of qualified adjunct and full-time faculty and staff required to carry out their mission. MTA and local leaders will bring your voices to that meeting, as part of our campaign to address wage equity issues. Register here.
Paid Student Teaching Programs
When: Thursday, April 3, 4 - 5:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual
Participants will learn about how Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Programs (RTAP) are being implemented nationally, as well as about options for program development in Massachusetts. The session will cover RTAP design and ways to include the voices of current and prospective educators. Register here. Dealing with Behavioral Issues in the Classroom? The MTA is launching a survey to learn more about escalating issues faced by educators from preK-16, including physical and verbal assaults and mental health challenges among students. We want to bring more attention to these issues so that we can advocate for the funding and resources needed to address students’ emotional needs, including reduced class sizes, more counselors in schools and protections for educators at all levels. Please fill out the survey before April 4. Actions Taken at March Special Executive Committee Meeting and Agenda for the March Board of Directors Meeting Actions taken by the MTA Special Executive Committee at the meeting on March 12, 2025 can be found here, along with the agenda and materials for the March 28-29 Board of Directors meeting. MassBudget Report Highlights Opportunity to Reclaim Millions As Massachusetts legislators plan for how to fund the state’s critical services, we have an opportunity to reclaim hundreds of millions of tax dollars from multinational corporations engaged in abusive tax avoidance.
This would provide much-needed revenue to help fund health care, housing and more, while making our tax system fairer for small businesses.
In MassBudget’s newest report, Senior Policy Analyst Kurt Wise explains the problem of international profit-shifting by billionaire multinational corporations. Learn how federal tax laws governing this can be used to make corporations contribute their fair share to the Commonwealth. “Hands Off” Day of Action When: Saturday, April 5 Where: Boston Common and additional locations The Indivisible Movement is hosting a “hands off” national Day of Action on Saturday, April 5, to send President Trump and Elon Musk a message that this country doesn’t belong to them. There are events scheduled in Boston and throughout Massachusetts. Organizers are also encouraging participants to record a short video about why they are participating. Budget Hearing, Joint Committee on Ways and Means When: Tuesday, April 8 at 11 a.m. Where: Massachusetts State House
Join educators and public education supporters at this public hearing as we advocate for the Fiscal Year 2026 funding that our schools, colleges and universities deserve.Register to attend the hearing. Submit written testimony or sign up to speak at the hearing.
Election Victories in Andover and Natick
Congratulations to MTA members in Andover and Natick who played a pivotal role in winning key election victories. With the help of our Grassroots Division, members in Natick organized helped secure a critical override to support schools, while in Andover, members have won election of two pro-public education, pro-labor leaders to the School Committee. Over the past several years, our outstanding Grassroots Division team has assisted more than 50 locals with their local election campaigns.
Civic Summit at UMass Amherst When: Tuesday, April 15, from 5-7 p.m. Where: Carney Family Auditorium, UMass Amherst College of Education
Educators are invited to participate in a Civic Summit organized by the UMass Amherst College of Education’s Center for Education Policy. Hear from experts and young adults on the topic: “How should Massachusetts public schools prepare the next generation for civic engagement and responsibility?”. Register here.
Political Education
Labor and community organizer Stephen Lerner lays out the challenge for labor in this age of Trump:
“Our goal can’t be to just limit the damage, slow the hemorrhaging and hope the Democrats get elected in 2026 so we can return to the slow and steady decline that labor has long faced under both parties… We can’t fall into the trap of defending a failed system; we need to articulate a vision of a country and world worth fighting for. Then we need to back that vision with the resources, strategies and tactics that make it possible for us to win.”
In solidarity,
Max and Deb