EDUCATION

By 1855, all Massachusetts public schools became integrated with the enactment of a law “prohibiting all distinctions of color and religion in Massachusetts public school admissions.” In fact, the Massachusetts State Constitution calls on us to “cherish the education of our children,” but that cherishing has not always been equitable through the decades nor is it today, particularly in many of the regions where our network is hard at work. 

In the arena of statewide legislation, MCAN continues to be a leading member of the Vocational Education Justice Coalition advocating for changes to admission policies which have led to a system that intentionally screens out the students who would benefit most- students of color, low income students, English language learners, and students with special needs.  

Following years of advocacy as part of the Fund Our Future campaign, the Student Opportunity Act was passed in 2019, which made an unprecedented $1.4 billion investment ensuring public schools have adequate resources to provide a high-quality education to students across the state, regardless of zip code or income level.

In 2022, MCAN connected with 31,881 voters in the culmination of 15 years of work to see the Fair Share Amendment become law. By placing a 4% tax on MA residents earning over  $1 million, the projected nearly $2 Billion annual income from the Fair Share Amendment will help in part to transform the state’s education system. We are now building a statewide organizing committee to determine how MCAN wants to create and sustain channels for community input over public spending.

And at the local and regional level, MCAN affiliates are taking on a number of specific educational issues as identified by their leaders. During the 2023 annual February rally of I Have A Future, MCAN’s youth affiliate in Boston, students called attention to a number of legislative issues including those with an educational focus, such as vocational tech admissions. Brockton Interfaith Community (BIC) continues to elevate the work of Restoration Community Action Ministry (RCAM) on a mission to seek racial justice within the Brockton Public Schools. And BIC also incubated YOUTH SOL, an MCAN School of Liberation training program tailored for young leaders. Their first action included  asking challenging questions of Brockton Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Sharon Wolder (pictured in the banner below) about the system’s willingness to mandate social-emotional training for teachers, increase the number of staff from their community, create a handbook for teacher expectations, as well as increase student participation in the hiring process and teacher evaluations, and their second action addressed the need for changes in the school lunch offerings to better center student nutrition and culturally relevant food.