Legislative Hearings on Bills Opposed to the MCAS
Wednesday, June 20, 2001
Testimony of Bill Bumpus
Somerville Coalition for Authentic Reform in Education
29 Fountain Avenue, Somerville MA 02145
617-625-9070
On November 8, 2000, urban voters in legislative districts from New Bedford
to Holyoke voted overwhelmingly to approve a referendum question reading
"Shall the representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor
of legislation that equitably invests state funds in local public schools
for quality education; reduces class sizes; excludes use of voucher programs
which siphon funds from public education; bars for profit schools from
public funding; suspends the MCAS tests as the criteria for promotion or
graduation, and establishes an authentic and fair assessment system of
educational progress for our students and their schools"
In a vote that decisively dispelled the myth that urban parents and citizens
support the MCAS test as the best way to hold their school systems
accountable, six districts with large low-income, minority, immigrant, and
working-class populations approved the Public Education referendum by large
margins.
In Holyoke: 4,848 to 2,577 (5th Hampden)
In New Bedford: 10,405 to 6,106 (12th and 13th Bristol)
In Cambridge: 9,433 to 2,955 (28th Middlesex)
In Somerville: 9,215 to 3,210 (30th Middlesex)
In West Roxbury/Brookline: 5,529 to 3,463.
The total "yes" vote in all six legislative districts was 39,430 or 68% of
the total vote, a 2-1 margin of victory.
The overwhelming support for this question shows that, when the people are
finally given the opportunity to express their own views through the vehicle
of a referendum, they are sending an unequivocal message to their
legislators: stop the Board of Educationšs effort to undermine public
education.
In casting a ballot for the referendum question, the voters also rejected
vouchers and for-profit schools, and called for continued and equitable
state funding of education, smaller class sizes and fair and authentic
student assessment. This vote serves notice to the Legislature that our
families want their schools under public control, and not turned into
profit-seeking businesses.
Massachusetts families face both economic and social barriers to their
childrenšs education, and this 2:1 vote gives a clear message that they want
schools focused on student needs, not the privatization agenda of the State
Board of Education.
The non-binding Public Policy Question was initiated by a coalition
including the Massachusetts State Labor Party, representing many local
unions, working together with local community groups and teacheršs
organizations. The effort was supported and carried out by the Coalition for
Authentic Reform in Education (CARE), local Cambridge and Brookline CARE
chapters, Massparents for Education not MCAS, New Bedford Coalition Against
Poverty, Greater Holyoke Citizens for Quality Education, Somerville Labor
Party Club, Massachusetts Green Party, and the Executive Boards of the
Somerville Teachers Association and the Cambridge Teachers Association.
