Issue Position: School Funding

Issue Position

After a decade of weak funding administration has been cut, secretarial support has been cut, adjustment councilors, guidance councilors, nurses, and resource officers have been cut, books and supplies have been cut some years eliminated, and now teachers and valuable programs have been cut. The legislature has not accepted the Foundation Budget Commissions recommendations on Special Education expenses and health care expenses has not been adopted because there is not adequate revenue to support them. The Fair Share amendment will provide the much needed revenue. It is a surcharge on incomes over a million dollars. So it has no effect on working people. And if a person earns a million dollars it is taxed the same as everyone else. If they earn a million and ten dollars the surcharge is only on that ten dollars. So it's impact on millionaires is minimal. Massachusetts is one of the few states with a flat tax. A flat tax is a regressive tax and thus places a greater burden on working people. But that is how the constitutional is written. The Fair Share tax is a constitutional amendment and that is why it is such a long process with both ballot questions and legislative approval.

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