Leaders of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.) today sent a letter to the eleven members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation, requesting action on two critical issues related to the federal government’s role in public education under the Trump Administration.
In the letter, M.A.S.S. President Armand F. Pires, who is Superintendent of the Medway Public Schools, and M.A.S.S. Executive Director Mary M. Bourque wrote, “In the 10 weeks since Inauguration Day, the Trump Administration has issued a barrage of directives that have left our school districts and the professionals who lead them in a state of upheaval, uncertainty, and fear.”
Specifically, they cited the need for members of Congress to intervene on:
- The dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE), which awarded more than $2 billion in federal education grants to Massachusetts last year. M.A.S.S. leaders described the significant threat posed by the potential loss of resources to support students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners, rural schools, families experiencing homelessness, technical-vocational programs, and other critical educational programs.
- USDOE Secretary McMahon’s reversal of deadline extensions for federal pandemic relief fund spending. The abrupt decision would result in a loss of more than $106 million in pandemic recovery funds for Massachusetts. Twenty school districts in the Commonwealth were granted extensions in order to make investments in academic supports, mental health services, and facilities improvements for air quality and security, among other projects.
“We urge you to leverage any tools at your disposal to halt the seemingly endless assault on public education,” they wrote. “President Trump has repeatedly vowed to make the United States education system the best in the world. On the contrary, these actions threaten to cripple our schools and districts, and ultimately, have a disastrous impact on teaching and learning for many years to come.”