Ballot Question Campaign Endorsements

The COPE Committee also considers Ballot Question campaigns for endorsement and will recommend to the Executive Board and membership to either support or oppose various proposed ballot measures.

The BTU has endorsed a YES Vote for the following Ballot Initiatives:
– Massachusetts Permit Same-Day Voter Registration Initiative
– Massachusetts Rent Control Initiative

The BTU has endorsed a NO Vote for the following Ballot Initiatives:
– Massachusetts Decrease State Income Tax to 4% Initiative
– An Act relative to limiting state tax collection and growth and returning surpluses to taxpayers
(Research by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center found these two measures would result in a more than 20% reduction in collected state tax revenue which would force severe cuts to public services. Read the Mass. Budget and Policy Center Analysis)

MA State Legislature Endorsements

Please contact BTU Political Director Johnny McInnis (jmcinnis@btu.org) and BTU Political Organizer Aayush Bajpai (abajpai@btu.org) for more information on when and how you can support our endorsed candidates.

Endorsed Legislation

Primary Legislative Priorities

Retirement Plus: An Act Relative to Benefits for Teachers
HB.4361| Reps. Alice Peisch & Rob Consalvo
An Act Relative to Teacher Retirement Election
SB.1884| Senator Liz Miranda
Allow teachers hired before July 1, 2001, who did not provide a written election to participate in the state’s Retirement Plus Program, to have an opportunity to do so. The Retirement Plus Program allows public professionals to make additional contributions to the state pension program in exchange for an early retirement.

An Act Modernizing School Construction
HB.526| Representative Dan Cahill
SB.318| Senator Brendan Crighton
Overhauls the funding formula for the Massachusetts School Building Authority to provide more opportunities for investment in projects that would benefit low-income communities. Sales tax revenue automatically earmarked for the MSBA would be doubled while lifting the cap on reimbursement.

An Act honoring the Commonwealth’s commitment to public school districts
HB.555| Representative Orlando Ramos*
SB.388| Senator Robyn Kennedy/Representative Brandy Fluker-Reid*
Any district whose total charter school tuition amount is greater than its total charter school tuition amount for the previous year shall be reimbursed more fully by the commonwealth, which would increase funds to gateway cities and Boston.

Thrive Act 2.0: An Act empowering students to thrive.
HD4328| Representative Samantha Montaño
SB.374| Senator Adam Gomez
This bill would transform education in the Commonwealth, empowering communities with the tools and resources that students and schools need to thrive, dramatically reducing the harm caused by state takeovers, establishing a commission that would shape the future of student assessments and school accountability, and eliminating the need to expand charter schools as a result of harmful accountability practices.

Secondary Legislative Priorities

An Act implementing elementary and secondary interdisciplinary climate literacy education
HB.560|Representative Mindy Domb
SB.391| Jason Lewis
Requires climate literacy education in our schools to provide students with the knowledge and skills to fully understand and address climate change in their communities.

An Act to establish a community schools special legislative commission
HB.726|Representative Chynah Tyler
SB.409|Senator Paul Mark
Establishes a legislative commission dedicated to examining the implementation and effectiveness of community schools in Massachusetts.

An Act to provide fair and affordable public retiree benefits
HB.2812| Rep. Daniel Donohue
SB.1817| Sen. Julian Cyr
Calls for immediately increasing the COLA base to $18,000, and then gradually increasing the base until it reaches the maximum social security benefit for an individual worker retiring at full retirement age. Also mandates that the maximum out-of-pocket health care coverage costs for retirees over the age of 65 who are not eligible for Medicare would be $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families.

An Act relative to educator pay
HB.733| Representatives Erika Uyterhoeven and Tara T. Hong
SB.370| Senator Adam Gomez
Increases salary minimums to $70K for teachers and $55K for paraprofessionals and adjusts for inflation.

An Act to amend charter school tuition reimbursement provisions
HD.4439| Representative Homar Gomez
The purpose of this Act is to ensure equitable charter school tuition reimbursement for municipalities based on their financial capacity. This Act seeks to amend Section 89 of Chapter 71 of the Massachusetts General Laws by adding provisions that adjust reimbursement levels based on a municipality’s combined effort yield relative to its foundation budget.

An Act promoting safe technology use and distraction-free education for youth
SB.335| Senator Julian Cyr
This bill requires schools to limit student access to personal electronic devices during the school day. Exceptions are made for emergencies or educational needs. Schools must communicate these policies to parents and submit them to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for oversight and guidance. Schools must also educate students on the social, emotional, and physical risks of social media use.

An Act relative to the long-term fiscal health and sustainability of special education in the Commonwealth
HB.691| Representatives Adam Scanlon & Mike Kushmerek
SB.430| Senator Jake Oliveira
Increases the reimbursement rate for the Special Education Circuit Breaker program from 75% to 90% of eligible special education costs, lowers the cost threshold for expenses to become eligible for reimbursement under the program and creates a commission to study and make recommendations on special education funding in the Commonwealth.

An Act to provide paid family and medical leave to all educators
HB.2125| Representative Vanna Howard
SB.1339| Senator Pat Jehlen
Public school educators would be covered by the State paid family and medical leave law. It also requires the state to pay the employer’s share of the cost using funds from the Fair Share Amendment.

An Act relative to healthy and sustainable schools
HB.3476| Representative Marjorie Decker
SB.2275| Senator Paul Feeney
Establishes a statewide goal to decarbonize public schools, public universities, and community colleges by mandating and facilitating energy audits, efficiency upgrades, and solar power. Schools located in environmental justice communities would receive priority for energy audits and energy efficiency improvements. In addition to creating union jobs, it calls for projects to prioritize hiring from pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, creating opportunities for students.

An Act uplifting families and securing the right to strike for certain public employees
HB.2078| Representatives Erica Uyterhoeven and Mike Connolly
SB.1311| Senator James Eldridge
Repeals the ban on certain public employees and their union from engaging in a strike.

An Act Relative to Affirming and Maintaining Equal Access to Public Education for all Children
HB.650| Representatives Frank Moran & Alice Peisch
SB.2557| Senators Pavel Payano & Sen. Sal DiDomenico
Would preserve key federal protections in education and affirm the Commonwealth’s commitment to educational equity. Without this bill, any rollback of federal law or guidance could negatively impact students’ rights in Massachusetts.

Other Endorsed Legislation

An Act to establish the Whole Child Grant Program
HB.544| Representative Marjorie Decker
SB.369| Senator Adam Gomez
Creates a formula grant to provide per-pupil funding to public school districts to hire more school counselors, Education Support Professionals and other educators, and allow for other critical investments that support the well-being of students and educators.

An Act Relative to the Training, Assessment, and Assignment of Qualified School Interpreters in School Settings
HB.520| Representative Antonio Cabral
SB.320| Senator Brendan Crighton
Directs the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to increase access to qualified school interpreters by developing a system for training and assessing the qualifications of interpreters in educational settings. Use of the system across the state would be phased in, subject to appropriation.

Affiliations

• AFT Black Caucus, Boston Chapter
• MA AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations)
• APALA (Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance)
• APRI (A. Philip Randolph Institute)
• LCLAA (Labor Council for Latin American Advancement)

Coalitions

• Boston Elected School Committee
• Citizens for Juvenile Justice (CFJJ)
• Common Start Coalition
• Driving Families Forward Coalition
• Lift Our Kids Out of Deep Poverty
• Mass Alliance

• Mass-Care Labor Committee
• Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
• Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance (MEJA)
• PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes)
• Safe Communities Act
• Wage Equity Now

COPE (Committee on Political Education)

The BTU Committee on Political Education (COPE) is a political advisory body comprised of BTU members who are appointed by the BTU President to serve two-year terms. One of the primary functions of COPE is to recommend political endorsements to the broader membership for consideration. Each election cycle, COPE distributes questionnaires to candidates for local public office and interviews those who submit their responses. Based on their answers and interviews, the COPE will choose whether to recommend an endorsement to the BTU Executive Board which then decides whether to bring the endorsement to the full membership for consideration. A candidate must receive 2/3rds of available votes at each stage in order to be endorsed by the BTU.