A group of educators, students and parents met at the State House Tuesday to launch their new coalition “Fund Our Future,” which focuses on bringing equitable learning to all Massachusetts students from kindergarten to college.
The group, comprised of nearly a dozen organizations, wants the state to look at its 25-year-old funding formula and at the inequities of public colleges, which they say is harming schools in lower and working classes. They are calling for a $1.5 billion reinvestment in public education.
“We want fully equitable funding for our K-12 schools and higher education by the end of 2019,” said Director of the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance Charlotte Kelley. “Time’s up, the clock has run out and we are leaving our young people’s education in the balance.”
The coalition said they see the inequity in gross overcrowding in classrooms, a lack of arts and extracurricular activities, diminishing libraries and overworked teachers.
“I ask the Legislature, ‘Are some Massachusetts children more deserving than others?’ ” said New Bedford parent Ricardo Rosa.