Will higher ed get fair share of Fair Share?
It seems the line looking for a fair share of the Fair Share Amendment just got longer.
Voters approved that ballot measure, better known as the millionaires tax, by a narrowmargin in the November election.
It requires state residents who earn more than $1 million annually to pay an additional 4% tax on that income.
Initially sold as a source of $2 billion in annual revenue targeted for education and transportation, the latest estimates have cut that amount in half.
On the education side, bolstering K-12 resources has emerged as the primary funding priority, though Gov. Maura Healey has identified others, including free Community College rides for certain state residents and funding for public higher education in general.
With so many competing interests for a piece of that diminished pie, students in the Umass system have stepped up to claim a slice of that funding.
In a Feb. 20 letter addressed to Healey and Noe Ortega, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, student leaders from across the Umass network aimed to “raise awareness of the public higher education funding crisis” before the governor announces her inaugural state budget proposal on March 1.
In addition to Umass Lowell, representatives from Umass Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth and theumass Chanmedical School signed the letter.
According to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in the 2021-2022 school year, nearly 63% of high-school graduates in Massachusetts went on to attend a college or university. About 60% of them attend a public two-year or four-year institution.
That’s why funding through the millionaires tax is vital, the letter states, as students in the state choose to “seek affordable, innovative, and accessible education.”
“As student leaders, we have seen the impacts of underfunding and the rising cost of education on the most vulnerable students in the Commonwealth, further exacerbating social and economic inequities in a state renowned for its education system,” the letter states.
When it comes to higher education, that’s not actually the case. Massachusetts earns high marks for its many highly selective private colleges, while the public sector strives to attain that same status.
Senior Neyder Fernandez, Umass Lowell student body president and vice chair of the
Boston Intercollegiate Government, said that as a public university, UML doesn’t always have the funding required to support the policies and initiatives he’d like to see put into practice. That differs from their private school counterparts that have “large endowments,” he said.
Fernandez said that despite Umass Lowell being a regional economic engine and Lowell’s second highest employer, with falling funding levels, subsequent tuition hikes, and fewer available services and staffing shortages, it becomes much more difficult for the university to thrive.
Last April, Umass Lowell’s first-generation student program, the River Hawk Scholars Academy, received $500,000 in federal funding. With similar support at the state level, Fernandez said education could become even more accessible.
Mina Lam, a Umass Lowell student trustee, said she signed the letter to ensure that every student attending higher education has access to “all the resources and ways they can grow.”
Coming off the pandemic, the funding is especially dire, Lam said.
In a statement, Healey expressed her appreciation for the students’ advocacy.
“Our economy only benefits when communities have better schools and colleges and a more reliable transportation system. This is key to our state’s competitiveness as well,” Healey wrote.
“I am grateful to student leaders for recognizing the importance of increased investments at Umass and all of our public higher education institutions and will work collaboratively with legislative leaders to get the support our students, businesses owners and working families need.”
Though sympathetic to the students’ concerns, Healey also noted that transportation can’t be left out of the funding equation. She also alluded to ongoing efforts to ease the tax burden on working families.
And of course, education and transportation aren’t the only sectors seeking assistance.
On the municipal side, there are 351 cities and towns that need aid beyond the $1 billion or so the state Lottery supplies annually.
Even with a flush state treasury, arriving at a funding pecking order won’t satisfy everyone, including those students in the state’s higher education system.