2. The so-called “millionaires tax” was advertised to be allocated to education and transportation. How would you prioritize spending these funds?
Rick Lipof
I would increase per pupil spending, invest in upgrading facilities, technology and learning tools. I would advocate for competitive salaries to attract and retain high-quality teachers and fund professional development programs. I would fight to fund the expansion of Pre-K to ensure accessibility for all. In higher education I would provide funding to reduce tuition fees to make higher education more affordable. I would advocate to establish programs for low-income and underrepresented students to increase access to higher education.
For Transportation I would advocate for the funds to be used for repair and maintenance of the MBTA, for our bridges that are in dire need of repair and for our roads. I would look to highway improvement programs and new projects, whatever modernizes our entire system. I would also invest and encourage all forms of alternative transportation including bike lanes, pedestrian paths and other infrastructure that supports sustainable transportation options.
Bill Humphrey
As someone who supported the Fair Share Amendment, I was glad to see how the Legislature allocated funding for education so far, which included $150 million for K-12 (green) school construction projects, $69 million for universal free school meals (which allowed Newton to get competitive vendor bids for the first time in many years), $70.5 million on childcare, $109 million in financial aid to public college students, and $50 million to make community colleges tuition-free. We’re going to need to keep expanding our public higher education capacity (staff and facilities). Chapter 70 K-12 funding and MSBA funding also need to be increased moving forward.
On transportation, the focus so far has largely been on urgently needed road and bridge maintenance across the state, but we need to prioritize rail-based infrastructure at least equally to road-based infrastructure, both in catch-up maintenance and expansion. Rail electrification will be key to many goals.
Amy Sangiolo
The voter approved “millionaires tax” requires that funds are spent on education and transportation. As your state representative, I will prioritize directing funds to programs and services that target our underserved population through continued investments in education and transportation. Specifically, this means investing in early childhood education, free tuition for community colleges, mental health support for our children and educators, fare-free transit for low-income MBTA riders, continued improvements to our transit system to increase frequency and reliability, expand service throughout the commonwealth, make accessibility improvements, and electrify our public transit system.
Alex Jablon
I was a bit dismayed to see that the progress we made with passing Fair Share was a bit negated by the tax cuts and led to a foreseeable budget shortfall. Priorities of mine would be to spend the fair share money on electrification of the T, expanding commuter rail (including east west line and expanding access to the cape), expanding safe biking and walking infrastructure and expansion of EV charging infrastructure. On the education side, we need to invest in heavily needed capital projects (such as facility repairs) that are long overdue, increase state funding to our state universities, invest in our students to ensure they have the tools they need to succeed, as well as our teachers and paraprofessionals to ensure we are attracting and retaining top talent and lastly investing in our vocational and trade programs.
Additional Information for Voters
The surtax imposed by the Fair Share Amendment, the so-called “millionaires tax,” is an annual additional 4% tax, starting with tax year 2023, on personal income in excess of $1 million. (The $1 million initial amount is increased annually for inflation.) Revenue from the surtax, reported at more than $1.8 billion already this fiscal year, is directed toward funding for public education and transportation. For more on the “millionaires tax,” go here.