Now that these with incomes over $1 million can pay an additional 4% in taxes, the state’s public school system president is hoping that cash is definitely spent as supposed.
“I think the voters clearly indicated that they want a significant increase in the amount of money going to public higher education in this commonwealth,” former U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan, president of the University of Massachusetts, stated in an interview aired Sunday.
Meehan was showing on Jon Keller’s weekly politics phase throughout WBZ’s early morning information broadcast, when he stated the brand new regulation is particularly tailor-made to assist cope with the continued funding points going through all establishments of upper studying in a publish pandemic period. However, Meehan stated, he’s however involved that different urgent wants within the state will get first precedence
Earlier this month voters handed the Fair Share Amendment, which can implement an revenue surtax on any greenback earned previous the primary million. The cash, based on the wording of the constitutional modification, should be spent on transportation and schooling.
Opponents of the measure maintained for months that although it might elevate cash for faculties and roads, that doesn’t imply the state’s Legislature gained’t direct different schooling or transportation funding elsewhere. Meehan stated he additionally has his issues.
“Candidly, Jon, I’m worried about it,” he stated. “It seems to me transportation, local aid, K-12 education, all of those things have been more of a priority in this commonwealth over the two or three decades than public higher education.”
The UMass system has an over $1.2 billion upkeep backlog, a truth Meehan acknowledged ought to be a precedence.
“I’d like to see the state step up, like they do in many other states, and actually put some money into the deferred maintenance of our buildings, our laboratories, all of those things,” he stated.
That isn’t the one place he wish to see the cash go, Meehan stated, contemplating the rising value of a faculty schooling.
“I’d like to see some of it go direct to students in the form of financial aid,” he stated. “The state hasn’t kept up, for example, with financial aid which can be done institutionally.”
The new funding comes because the state’s school system is reporting a dramatic drop in publish highschool enrollment.
“Comparing fall 2021 to fall 2019: 4,333 fewer high school graduates enrolled in college,” the state reported in August, a decline of undergraduate admission of about 10%.
At present the University of Massachusetts system of colleges has just below 74,000 enrolled undergraduate and graduate college students, based on statistics offered by the University.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”