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Thank you for supporting Question 1
We would like to extend our thanks
to the YES for
WELLESLEY campaign supporters and all who
contributed to the success of Question 1.
Many, many people contributed time,
energy, and passion to ensure its passage.
Most importantly, we thank you for voting.
The election turnout was high, further
validating the results. Every vote counted and every
vote made a difference.
Thank you for your vote.
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| State Aid - How it affects Wellesley |
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As the school year winds down, we thank you for
your continued interest in the efforts of
Committee for Education in the 21st Century.
We are committed to supporting the goals of the
Wellesley Public School System. And while this
school year ends, our efforts continue.
The school budget is a major focus of
Committee 21 throughout the year, but not the
only. Over the past 5 years, state funding of
education has declined, while many state-mandated
programs remain unfunded. For more information on
what you can do, see the section below.The
following is a summary of the current
environment from the advocacy group Suburban
Coalition: "Current levels of local aid are
inadequate and reliance on the
regressive property tax is too high. This situation
makes housing less affordable, makes planning
difficult and requires attempts at passage of
Proposition 2 1/2 overrides just to maintain the
status quo.
At the same time, voters are becoming
more resistant to these overrides, thus adding to the
financial woes of local government.
It is imperative
that the governor and the legislature work to restore
local aid to cities and towns. Currently, communities
must choose between raising property taxes and
cutting the most essential services that any level of
government provides.
The entire state benefits from the proper
support of all its local communities. Communities
provide the essential services of public safety, pre-K
to 12 education and infrastructure (roads and
bridges, municipal and school buildings, sewers,
etc.). Healthy cities and towns provide a favorable
climate for economic growth in the state. We call
upon the state to provide the financial support to
local governments that will keep our economy
healthy and growing."
Chapter 70 aid has dropped substantially
across Massachusetts. For the Town of Wellesley, it
has not kept pace with rising enrollments: Chapter
70 funds have drop from $977 per student in 2002,
to $770 projected for 2007. This is a decline of
over 21% in 5 years. This directly impacts a
town's ability to fund a level service budget.
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| WHAT YOU CAN DO |
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The Massachusetts State Senate has recently
announced that their budget will include a
$210.4 million increase in state aid
for local public schools, in the form of
Chapter 70 funding and local aid. While this
does not restore all of the funding lost through four
years of budget cuts, it is a significant increase over
the budgets proposed by the Governor and the
House. In addition, the Senate is proposing a long-
term strategy to address both adequacy and equity
in school funding.
These decisions are being made now. It is
an election year and our legislators need to hear from
us. The most effective way to make your opinions
known is to call, write or email key state legislators:
- Make a quick phone call and make a
difference - Most legislators' offices simply keep
a tally of calls by town and issue. Here's a sample
call script:
"Hello, my name is ... and I live in Wellesley.
Could you please let Senator ... know that I support
sustaining the Senate's proposed level of Chapter 70
funding and local aid. Thank you."
Click here for complete list of legislators to
call. Please note your precinct in order to contact
the appropriate State Senator; if you do not know
your precinct, click here for Wellesley
precincts.
- Send an email
- A simple email will
communicate your opinion. Our website contains
information on what to send and to whom to send it.
Click here for details on how to send an email to your State Senators
and Representative. Be sure to add your name at the
bottom and send.
Only ongoing efforts on multiple fronts will
help us collectively achieve our goal of excellent
public education in Wellesley and across the state.
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Committee for Education in the 21st
Century
