Please override Gov. Charlie Baker's recent line-item vetoes of $17.5 million in investments for early education. Massachusetts should lead on education, but when it comes to early education we are falling behind.
Why is this important?
Gov. Charlie Baker just vetoed a number of funding items for early education. I need your help to override these cuts.
Massachusetts should lead on education, but when it comes to early education we're falling behind. While states like Oklahoma offer a free year of early education to every child, Massachusetts has repeatedly cut funding for these critical programs.
Since 2001, early education and out-of-school-time programs have lost more than $148 million in state funding, adjusting for inflation. 1 There were modest gains in this year's budget, but if we don't override the cuts from Gov. Baker, we'll continue to undermine early learning programs.
The research is clear -- kids who receive a high-quality early education graduate from high school and college at higher rates, and are less likely to be incarcerated or rely on public assistance.
It is incredibly short-sighted to cut early education. It just means more costs down the line.
Among the cuts to the program are $7.5 million in cuts to early education salaries, which is especially troubling. Early educators have already born the brunt of 15 years of cuts. As a result, the field is in crisis, with a 30% turnover rate in the workforce.
We can do better. Every child deserves the same strong start. I know we can override these cuts, but we have to speak up so lawmakers know we are paying attention.
1. MassBudget, July 7, 2016 http://goo.gl/KvRxHx
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