Here is the CPS testimony delivered at the March 31, 2026 Ways & Means Committee hearing:
Good afternoon. I am Lisa Guisbond, Executive Director of Citizens for Public Schools, a statewide public education advocacy organization.
I applaud state leaders for their commitment to maintaining high-quality public schools in Massachusetts. Gov. Healey, for example, has done so in the context of proposed new graduation requirements, after voters eliminated the MCAS grad requirement in 2024. Referencing Massachusetts students’ number one rank on NAEP tests, Healey said, “We’re not going to give that ranking up. I’m a little competitive.”
While we have serious concerns about aspects of Governor Healey’s graduation proposals (see our response here), CPS shares a commitment to maintaining high quality schools for all. However, if state leaders are serious about that commitment, they must address the severe fiscal crisis facing our schools and the impact of that crisis on students and teachers. Adequate and equitable funding is foundational.
The Boston Globe has reported about an exodus of desperately needed special educators from our classrooms, in part because of budget cuts. And the Globe reported Thursday that Boston’s spending plan would cut 200 essential teaching positions, 100 classroom aides, and other support staff, cuts that will not be easily absorbed.
That’s why CPS supports addressing the following issues.
- Fixing the Chapter 70 inflation gap that has short-changed our students due to years of high inflation;
- Safeguarding school districts from enrollment-related funding cuts due to ICE activity by creating a “pothole” account to provide immediate relief;
- Fixing Charter School Tuition Reimbursement by extending the schedule to four years and raising the reimbursement rate in the second year to 80 percent;
- Strengthening the circuit breaker to keep up with an increase in special education costs due to inflation. This can be done by funding a reimbursement rate of 90 percent of eligible costs, while lowering the cost threshold for expenses for eligibility.
Without a strong financial commitment from state leaders, any goals for quality and equity ring hollow. Thank you.
