by Jon Hurst, RAM President
As Massachusetts voters head to the polls next week, they will be voting on five ballot questions which seek to pass new laws in the Commonwealth. As voted by our Board of Directors, two of those questions—Questions 2 and 5—are being opposed by the Retailers Association of Massachusetts (RAM). RAM urges our members, their employees, families, friends and neighbors to vote NO on 2 and 5.
The common denominator of these two questions is that they are both counterproductive for the future of those residents most directly affected—our high school students and tipped service workers. The other interesting connection between the two questions is that they are being pushed by the deep pockets of special interest groups, one from here in Massachusetts, and the other an out of state national lobbying interest group.
Question 2 is sponsored by the statewide teachers’ union, which is seeking to take away accountability in our public schools by repealing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) testing requirement for high school graduation. A centerpiece of state education reform for over 20 years, those seeking to repeal the graduation requirement would replace it with nothing, instead leaving decisions on accountability standards to 351 cities and towns across the state. Such a framework would mean quality and accountability abandonment in too many school systems, particularly for our most vulnerable students.
Year after year, Massachusetts is regularly ranked as having the best public education systems in the nation. At a time of heightened focus on competitiveness between the states for attracting families, workforces, employers and investment, it is vital to retain our leadership in the area of education. We must continue to put the future of our students first, and support a strong, consistent and accountable public-school systems for everyone across the state.