Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents urges lawmakers to ‘keep their promise to the kids”

The Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents is pressuring state lawmakers not to abandon their promise to children across the Commonwealth.

“We are not asking the state for ‘new money’,” said Eric Conti,  president of the state superintendent’s association. “We are simply asking that the state uphold its promise so that the benefits of public education in Massachusetts extend to all communities and all students. The children most impacted by the failure of our legislature to properly fund education live in school districts that are drastically underfunded. The state is not meeting its commitment and it needs to. This is unacceptable.”

On Wednesday , the state legislature failed to address the widely acknowledged fact that tens of thousands of children are being underserved in our schools because the state has not met its obligation under the current education funding formula.

Dr. Conti, superintendent of the Burlington Public Schools, said the needs of all students must be met.  “Why should a student in one city or town have access to quality instruction, technology, or tools,  and a student one town over not have access to this same level of quality?”

Tom Scott, executive director of the M.A.S.S., said the organization’s 275 superintendents and educational leaders will be relentless in their advocacy for adequate and equal funding for all students.

“When you step back, we are advocating not just for one student, but for all 954,000 students statewide,” Scott said. “We have a moral and ethical obligation to do what’s best for our students, to give them the support, instruction, and tools they need to be successful in whatever career path they choose. Our legislature isn’t letting us down, they’re letting our kids down.”

The Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, originated in 1973, and is the only statewide organization dedicated to the unique professional and advocacy concerns of school superintendents and assistant superintendents. The Association members include 275 superintendents and 148 Assistant Superintendents.

For more information, please contact Tom Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, at (781) 541-5098.