Urge Your State Senator to Support Public Higher Education

Defend Public Higher Ed

The governor’s proposed budget, the budget passed by the House, and the budget released by the Senate Ways and Means Committee includes level-funding for public colleges and universities through June 30, 2021.

Despite these promising developments, public higher education executives are continuing to make draconian cuts. The latest outrage: Salem State University is unilaterally imposing a three-week furlough on faculty and librarians represented by the Massachusetts State College Association.

We are fighting to require that our employers stop the cuts, and recall thousands of workers who were furloughed and laid off.

Take action to support a legislative amendment which will “attach strings” to state funding for public higher education institutions, and require executives at our public colleges and universities to stop and reverse the cuts and bring back laid off and furloughed higher ed workers.

Urge your senator to support the Senate budget amendment offered by Senator Anne Gobi (D-Spencer), co-chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education.

We are calling on our legislators to commit to:

  • • At least the level of funding proposed by Governor Baker and the House for this fiscal year which ends on June 30, 2021.
  • A requirement that each higher education institution demonstrate that it has maintained or increased staffing and services to students, recalled furloughed and laid-off employees, and made employees whole for any losses in wages; this is outlined in a budget amendment offered by Senator Anne Gobi.
  • Support for proposals that will create new revenues through taxing corporate and shareholder profits.

After you've emailed your senator, take a moment to call as well..

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