Massachusetts has always been a leader in education. We’re honored to live in a state that has the first and oldest existing public school in the U.S. (Boston Latin), and the first and oldest university (Harvard). One reason these institutions were established was because people were asking: How can we make lives better for our children?
The answer was, and still is, investing in education.
In 1999, the U.S. Department of Labor released a report highlighting a diversified and dynamic global economy with an increasingly competitive and challenging workforce and education landscape. Sixteen years later, our best schools and jobs are attracting people from all over the world because Massachusetts school systems are regarded as the best in the nation.
For example, we ranked first in a 2014 study from Kids Count that measured economic well-being, insurance coverage, test scores and other data. And, according to the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and a 2011 Harvard Kennedy School report, our fourth- and eighth-graders consistently rank at the top internationally in math, reading and science.
On July 17, Gov. Charlie Baker signed the 2016 budget and vetoed $162 million in spending, nearly $35 million of that coming from education. That included a staggering $17.59 million cut from kindergarten expansion grants, $5.2 million from the University of Massachusetts, $217,000 from Quinsigamond Community College and many other funds critical to our education system.
Two years ago, the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute released a report, “A Well-Educated Workforce is Key to State Prosperity,” which highlighted the following:
1) States can build a strong foundation for economic success and shared prosperity by investing in education;
2) Overwhelmingly, high-wage states are those with well-educated workforces; and
3) States can increase the strength of their economies and their ability to grow and attract high-wage employers by investing in education.
Finally, and ironically, the report found that investing in education is also good for state budgets in the long run, since higher-income workers contribute more taxes.
I was proud to be joined by my colleagues last month in overriding the governor’s vetoes on education and helping secure the funds our local programs require. We should expand and increase our investment in education from pre-kindergarten to college. A declining investment in education only hurts our students and their future.
Expanding access to high-quality education will strengthen the state’s economy and is one of the most important functions of state government. That’s why I will always be an advocate for our schools and facilities in Worcester, and that’s how we can make lives better for our children and have Massachusetts continue to be an economic powerhouse.
John Mahoney is the state representative from the 13th Worcester District, which covers parts of Worcester.
