NO on 2 CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENTS FROM A BIPARTISAN COALITION OF ELECTED OFFICIALS
The ballot initiative decides whether a critical measurement of academic success will be removed without a replacement
October 16, 2024—A bipartisan coalition of more than 30 Massachusetts elected leaders have come together with Governor Maura Healey, Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, and Attorney General Andrea Campbell to voice their opposition to Question 2, a ballot initiative that would eliminate Massachusetts' only statewide standard for high school graduation, and replace it with more than 300 different and unequal standards established by each school district.
“I’m voting No on 2 because no matter the community, every child deserves the highest quality education,” said Governor Maura Healey. “If Question 2 passes, we'll become one of two states that don’t have a statewide standard for graduation. The only standard remaining would be four years of gym. Of the 70,000 graduating students each year, 99% of them meet our current standard for graduation. Our goal should be to help get that 1% of students over the goal line, not throw out a standard that improves schools for all of our kids.”
The group includes state legislators and municipal leaders, who argue that Question 2 would weaken state education standards, making Massachusetts standards less rigorous than those in Mississippi and Alabama.
“If students cannot pass basic assessments in math, English, or science, the answer is not to eliminate the standard. Rather than lowering the academic standard for all students, the focus should be on ensuring students who are struggling get the help they need,” stated Attorney General Andrea Campbell. “There is a crucial need for unbiased, fair assessments to give parents and educators a real pulse of their kids' readiness for college and career. The passage of Question 2 would prohibit these. I am joining many others in urging a NO vote on Question 2.”
These elected officials join Massachusetts House Speaker Ron Mariano and Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka in their opposition to Question 2.
“From the Governor and Lt Governor to municipal leaders, there is agreement that removing our statewide graduation standard and not replacing it with anything would greatly harm our children and our state,” said Campaign Chair John Schneider. “A common, objective statewide assessment equalizes expectations across school districts and ensures every student reaches for the same bar. If students cannot pass basic assessments in math, English, or science, the answer is not to eliminate the standard. Rather than lowering the academic standard for all students, the focus should be on ensuring students who are struggling get the help they need.”
Those publicly voicing their opposition to Question 2 include:
● Governor Maura Healey
● Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll
● Attorney General Andrea Campbell
● House Speaker Ron Mariano
● Senate President Karen Spilka
● Senate Assistant Majority Leader Michael Barrett (D - Third Middlesex)
● House Assistant Majority Leader Alice Peisch (D - 14th Norfolk)
● House Second Assistant Majority Leader Frank Moran (D - 17th Essex)
● Senate Ways & Means Chair Michael Rodrigues (D - First Bristol and Plymouth)
● Senate Ways & Means Vice Chair Cindy Friedman (D - Fourth Middlesex)
● House Minority Leader Brad Jones (R - 20th Middlesex)
● Senate Assistant Minority Leader Peter Durant (R - Worcester and Hampshire)
● House Third Assistant Minority Leader Jay Barrows (R - 1st Bristol)
● Senator John Cronin (D - Worcester and Middlesex)
● Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D - 5th Essex)
● Senator Barry Finegold (D - Second Essex and Middlesex)
● Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller
● Representative Steven Howitt (R - 4th Bristol)
● Representative Hannah Kane (R - 11th Worcester)
● Newton School Committee Member Paul Levy
● Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D - 32nd Middlesex)
● Representative John Mahoney (D - 13th Worcester)
● North Andover School Committee Member Ed Moscovitch
● Representative David K. Muradian, Jr. (R - 9th Worcester)
● Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy
● Cambridge City Councilor Patty Nolan
● Representative Francisco Paulino (D - 16th Essex)
● Haverhill School Committee Member Maura Ryan-Ciardiello
● Representative Paul Schmid (D - 8th Bristol)
● Brockton City Councilor Maria Tavares
● Cambridge City Councilor Paul Toner
● Haverhill City Councilor Shaun Toohey
● Representative Chynah Tyler (D - 7th Suffolk)
● Representative Marcus Vaughn (R - 9th Norfolk)
● Representative Donald Wong (R - 9th Essex)
Question 2 asks voters whether Massachusetts should eliminate a fair, uniform, statewide standard for graduation that measures whether students are ready to graduate with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college and career.
“For me, it centers around the issues of fairness and equity,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, herself a former Salem Mayor, City Councillor, and school committee chair. “We have the best schools in the country but we aren’t fulfilling our promise to all our kids or our promise as a state if we don’t hold every school to the same high standards. Question 2 doesn’t just change the standards. It eliminates them. Watering down those standards is not the way to achieve equity. The solution is to set high standards and do everything we can to help every child achieve them.”
The vast majority of students pass the test on their first try, and less than 1% don’t graduate on time because they have not passed the MCAS.
High school students have several chances to pass the test between 10th and 12th grades. The state also provides numerous accommodations for students with disabilities, English learners, and other students who need them so they are not disadvantaged.
“As a parent, a former Cambridge School Committee member, and a leader who learns differently, I am deeply concerned about the proposed elimination of the 10th-grade assessment as a high school graduation requirement, especially for our most vulnerable students,” said Manikka Bowman, a parent and former Cambridge school committee member. “Having unequal standards across the state would further disadvantage children who need the most help. I don’t understand the wisdom of lowering standards for kids who struggle to make the grade. Our goals should be lifting them up and providing them with support to succeed.”
Should the initiative succeed, the assessment will be removed as a graduation requirement, and nothing will replace it. Students would simply pass through high school without learning the skills they need to find success in post-high school life.
“Eliminating a common standard will further marginalize the very students who need the most help,” Schneider said. “It’s unfair to kids to grant diplomas when they aren’t yet ready to graduate.”
Protect Our Kids’ Future: No on Question 2 is a broad coalition of teachers, parents, education advocates, elected officials, and business groups formed to defeat this misguided ballot question. Its goal is to preserve educational standards for students and ensure equitable academic opportunities for all kids across the Commonwealth. For more information, visit our website at votenoquestion2.org or follow us on social media on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter).