Aug 15, 2022
Parents, Students, and Educators Join Growing Coalition Supporting Fair Share Amendment Tax on Million-Dollar Earners on November Ballot
BOSTON – The campaign working to pass the Fair Share Amendment, the proposed state tax on incomes above $1 million which would raise billions of dollars to invest in transportation and
public education, today announced the endorsement of 18 education and youth advocacy
organizations from across the state. The Fair Share Amendment is Question 1 on the November
statewide ballot.
“It’s not fair that millionaires get richer and richer, while the ceilings in some of our children’s schools leak buckets when it rains,” said Suleika Soto, a Boston parent and Acting Director at Boston Education Justice Alliance. “We look forward to the Fair Share Amendment leveling the playing field and providing long-needed funding for our children’s futures.”
The 18 education and youth advocacy organizations collectively represent thousands of
parents, students, educators, and education and youth advocates from across Massachusetts.
“We wholeheartedly endorse the Fair Share Amendment because we need it to ensure that
each student in Massachusetts receives a high-quality, well-resourced education, now and in
the years ahead,” said Lisa Guisbond, Executive Director at Citizens for Public Schools. “With
funding made available by Question 1, we can sustainably reduce class sizes, hire enough school counselors, and better support English language learners. It is completely fair to require our wealthiest Massachusetts residents to pay 4 percent more per year on the income they earn in excess of $1 million. Doing so will enable us to uplift many thousands of children and support
their future thoughtful participation in our democracy.”
“Students and educators at every school across Massachusetts should have the highest quality
public education possible,” said Vatsady Sivongxay, a Cambridge parent and executive director
of the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance - Education Fund. “Question 1, the Fair Share Amendment, is an opportunity to generate billions of dollars and create a permanent resource pipeline for equitable public schools and colleges. The historic Student Opportunity Act, passed in 2019, promises funding increases for local schools over the next five years, and the Fair Share Amendment will be key to fulfilling that promise to provide the necessary resources for our students and schools. Additionally, the Fair Share Amendment is key to ending the cycle of
student debt that so many low-income, working-class, and BIPOC students and families take on
in hopes of a better future.”
“The Fair Share Amendment is a stepping stone towards a future in which all students receive
the well-rounded education they deserve, including access to art programming, regardless of
socioeconomic status,” said Rania Henriquez, Community Resource Coordinator, and Emma
Burke, Social Justice Coordinator, at Elevated Thought. “As an organization dedicated to
creative enrichment for young people and social justice, adequate funding for public education
is non-negotiable. Progressive taxation is needed to equitably and sustainably provide the
educational experience young people deserve.”
“The Center of Teen Empowerment stands to create youth leaders that work for justice and
equity in communities like Somerville and Boston. We support the Fair Share Amendment
because of the impact it could have on the schools and communities we care so deeply about,”
said Abrigal Forrester, executive director of the Center for Teen Empowerment. “Passing Fair
Share will not only give back to our schools, but it will also improve our public transportation
across the state. These improvements will help the people who need it most, which includes
young people who attend public schools and rely on public transportation, rather than allowing
the rich to continue to get richer.”
The education and youth advocacy organizations join more than 280 organizations and
thousands of activists across the state who are working together to pass Question 1 on the
ballot. The campaign previously announced support from 63 community organizing groups, 26
housing and community development organizations, 28 social service providers, 15 faith-based
groups, 7 public health organizations, 7 environmental and climate organizations, and 10
transportation advocacy organizations. After years of grassroots advocacy, the state Legislature
voted in June 2021 to place the Fair Share Amendment on the November 2022 statewide ballot,
where it is now set to be decided on by the voters as Question 1.
The full list of endorsing education and youth advocacy organizations is below, and a full list of
organizations that have endorsed Question 1 is available at fairsharema.com/endorsements.
Boston Asian: Youth Essential Service
Boston Education Justice Alliance (BEJA)
Central MA Youth Jobs Coalition
Citizens for Public Schools
EdNavigator
Educators for Excellence Boston
Elevated Thought
I Have A Future
Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University
Massachusetts Advocates for Children
Massachusetts Association of School Committees
Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents
Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education
Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance - Public Action Network
Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM)
Revere Youth In Action
Teen Empowerment
Zero Debt Massachusetts
Background on Question 1: the Fair Share Amendment
The Fair Share Amendment – Question 1 on the November ballot – will allow Massachusetts to
improve our transportation and public education systems by making the very rich pay their fair
share. Question 1 would create a 4 percent tax on the portion of a person’s annual income
above $1 million and require – in the state constitution – that the funds be spent only on
transportation and public education. Only people who earn more than $1 million annually will
be impacted; 99% of us won’t pay a penny more. And we’ll all benefit from better schools,
colleges, roads, bridges, and public transportation. Learn more and get involved at
FairShareMA.com.
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The Fair Share for Massachusetts campaign is led by Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of
community organizations, faith-based groups, and labor unions committed to building an
economy that invests in families, gives everyone the opportunity to succeed, and creates
broadly shared prosperity. Since our coalition came together in 2013, we have nearly doubled
wages for hundreds of thousands of working people by winning two increases in the state’s
minimum wage, won best-in-the-nation earned sick time and paid family and medical leave
benefits for workers and their families, and started to build an economy that works for all of us, not just those at the top.