Education

Rep. Connolly believes fully funded public education from pre-kindergarten through college is the foundation of our democracy. Public education must be protected and “cherished,” as our state Constitution demands, not commodified by for-profit entities to the detriment of our students. Schools must be places where community and relationships are valued and nourished; where we name, confront, and undo racism; where we actively work to counter the school-to-prison pipeline; close the achievement gap; and where our immigrant and refugee neighbors are welcome. Rep Connolly opposes raising the cap on charter schools and supports updating the Chapter 70 funding formula and implementing the full recommendations of the Foundation Budget Review Commission so we can equitably fund our schools across the state. He also supports abolishing high-stakes testing, and wants to guarantee tuition-free public higher education.

Rep. Connolly is proud to work with Cambridge and Somerville School Committee members along with statewide organizations Mass Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, the American Federation of Teachers, Save Our Public Schools, Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance.

In his first term, Rep. Connolly has proudly:

  • Voted to enact H.4032 - An Act relative to language opportunity for our kids increasing flexibility and access to bilingual education
  • Co-sponsored H.2053 - An Act Relative to Healthy Youth requiring medically accurate comprehensive sex education taught in schools
  • Co-sponsored S.223 - An Act modernizing the foundation budget for the 21st century fully implementing the recommendations of the Foundation Budget Review Commission drastically increasing state aide to public schools
  • Co-sponsored S.669 - An Act providing access to higher education for high school graduates in the Commonwealth granting undocumented students who have graduated from a Massachusetts High School, in-state tuition to public colleges
  • Co-sponsored H.330 - An Act relative to defining and providing screening for dyslexia updating screening and intervention protocols to more effectively help students
  • Co-sponsored H.328 - An Act decriminalizing non-violent and verbal student misconduct disrupting the school to prison pipeline

Where Rep. Connolly is talking about this: