Page emphasized the need to ensure students do not lose access to important services and programs in the wake of funding cuts related to changes in how the U.S. Department of Education operates and how other federal agencies function that support public education.
“We all have an obligation to defend public education,” Page said.
Panel with Page, Liberatore begins at four hours and 29 minutes into the hearing.
The MTA is calling on state budget writers to be prepared to use Fair Share Amendment funds and capture more corporate tax revenue to defend public education from anticipated federal funding cuts and to support financially struggling school districts.
MTA President Max Page testified Monday before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Ways and Means, which held a public hearing at UMass Amherst on education and local aid spending. Marc Liberatore, co-president of the Massachusetts Society of Professors, which represents faculty members and librarians at the university, joined Page on a panel addressing the committee.
The hearing was one of several being held across the state to consider the state’s fiscal year 2026 budget.
Many speakers told the legislative panel that the formula used to calculate state aid to school districts is inadequate, especially when it comes to covering the costs of special education and transportation. Public colleges and universities also are scrambling to mitigate any impacts from cuts in federal funding sources.
Page said the dismantling of the federal Department of Education by the Trump administration will translate into less federal funding for public education at the local level.
“The dangers public education face now are unprecedented, and we need to do more than just play defense,” Page said.
Governor Maura Healey’s budget proposes modest increases in funding for preK-12 schools and one major initiative in higher education.
These spreadsheets provide specifics about K-12 and higher education funding in the governor’s proposed FY26 budget.
Thanks largely to funding from the Fair Share Amendment, the budget proposal has some good news on public school funding. The funding increases, however, only begin to address the severe fiscal crisis facing our schools and some are new initiatives that we will continue to evaluate to determine if they are likely to be helpful or could be problematic.
"Given the overall wealth of the state – if it were a nation, Massachusetts would be the fourth wealthiest per capita in the world – and its $9 billion in rainy day funds, there is no justification for the proposed cuts to public services that support the health and well-being of its residents."
readIn higher education spending, there is one major new initiative, continued funding of major victories from the last two years, and some reductions.
The budget also includes several tax policy proposals that will raise state revenue, including capping deductions for charitable contributions, which generates $164 million; closing loopholes to raise $145 million; and subjecting candy to the state’s sales tax, which raises another $25 million.
The budget also proposes increasing the share of health care premiums paid by longtime and retired state employees. Currently, employees hired after FY03 pay 25% of their premiums, while employees hired before that pay 20%. Retired employees pay between 10% and 20% of their premiums, depending on their retirement date. The budget proposes that all employees and retirees would instead pay 25 p% of their health care premiums.
Step-by-step guide to the state budget process.
Learn how the revenues from this commonsense surtax– passed by voters in 2022 – are benefiting public education and transportation.
MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget, tax policies and more.