MTA statement on appointment of DESE commissioner
MTA statement on appointment of DESE commissioner
Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy issued the following statement regarding the selection of Pedro Martinez by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education as Commissioner of Education.
At a time when we need unity in public education to counter the existential attacks on public education coming from the Trump administration, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler, who has final say, are poised to hire a divisive candidate who has been fired from previous positions, including most recently in Chicago, who is a protégé of private charter school champion Arne Duncan, and who has laid off hundreds of educators and antagonized their unions. Pedro Martinez will arrive with lots of baggage from his previous positions. MTA educators want to work with the next commissioner as a partner in advocating for students across the state to have equitable access to rich learning opportunities, and for districts to have the resources to ensure all students are receiving a high-quality education. We are open to working with him but will be maintaining our role as staunch advocates for what our students, educators and schools need.