Mass. Teachers Endorse Senator Jason Lewis For Re-Election

A release from State Senator Jason Lewis:

BOSTON -- The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT-MA) have voted to endorse State Senator Jason Lewis for re-election because of his strong support for public education in Massachusetts. The MTA is comprised of teachers, faculty, professional staff and education support professionals working at public schools, colleges and universities across Massachusetts. It represents 110,000 members in nearly 400 local associations throughout the Commonwealth. AFT-MA is an AFL-CIO-affiliated labor union dedicated to supporting those who serve the education community and the Commonwealth’s students.

“Senator Lewis has been a stalwart for public education for many years and he has continued to demonstrate his support for educators, most recently, in finding ways to invest in our classrooms and in our profession,” said Beth Kontos, President of AFT-MA. “We are thrilled to endorse his re-election bid and stand side by side with him in the defense of public education.”

“I’m proud to have the support of the MTA and the AFT and to work alongside our teachers to provide every student in Massachusetts, regardless of zip code, with access to a high quality public school education,” said Senator Jason Lewis. “I will continue to fight to update and reform our school funding formula to ensure adequate and equitable funding for every school district, and I’m very pleased that the Senate recently passed legislation that I co-sponsored to implement the vital recommendations of the Chapter 70 Foundation Budget Review Commission.”

Since first being elected to the state legislature, Senator Lewis has championed reforms to the state’s Chapter 70 school funding formula in order to ensure that every school district has the resources it needs to educate our students. He filed legislation that created the Foundation Budget Review Commission (FBRC), a bipartisan effort including all education stakeholders that closely examined the funding formula and made a number of important recommendations for change. Earlier this year, he helped lead the effort in the Senate to pass An Act Modernizing the Foundation Budget for the 21 st Century, which implements the recommendations of the Commission.

Senator Lewis has also been a strong advocate for the Fair Share Amendment (or “millionaire’s tax”) that would levy an additional 4% surtax on annual taxable income above $1 million, and invest the proceeds in education and transportation. He believes that these investments are crucial for the future success of our state economy and the well-being of our Commonwealth.

Even though the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently disqualified the Fair Share Amendment from the 2018 ballot due to a technicality, Senator Lewis has already announced plans to revive the FSA in the next legislative session.

Senator Lewis has also been a strong voice on Beacon Hill to expand access to affordable early education for all young children, and to make higher education at our state colleges and universities more affordable for students and families so that cost is not a deterrent to seeking higher education and students are not forced to graduate with high levels of debt.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association and the American Federation of Teachers are the leading organizations representing educators and educational professionals and advocating for the needs of all students in Massachusetts.

Senator Lewis will be on the ballot for re-election in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, September 4, 2018. To learn more about Senator Lewis’s re-election campaign and get involved, visit ElectJasonLewis.com or find the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.

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Photo courtesy Jason Lewis campaign: Senator Jason Lewis reads a story to pre-school students. His
endorsements by the MTA and AFT-MA reflect his strong advocacy for public education, from early education to K-12 to higher education.