Increase Funding for Worcester Public Schools

Dear City Councilors,

We, the undersigned, call on the Worcester City Council to increase the citys contribution to the Worcester Public Schools budget. We ask the City Council to invest in public education by contributing at least 2\% above the minimum required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Communities across the Commonwealth have been routinely increasing their investment in public schools yearly since 1993. Sadly, 1996 was the last year that Worcester played a leading role in this trend. In 1996, the City Council recognized the value of public education and contributed 5.7 percent above the state-mandated minimum to the Worcester Public Schools. Since 1998, the city has consistently contributed less than one percent above minimum. In contrast, the average community in the state has shown continued growth in contributions to public school education which is currently 14.4 percent above minimum. Worcesters budget for the current fiscal year provides only 0.3 percent above the minimum for public education. Clearly, the Worcester Public Schools and the children attending them have not been a budgetary priority for the City Council.

The City Council has neglected to provide public education with sufficient funding to keep up with our peer communities over the past ten years. Please consider returning Worcester to a position of leadership in the Commonwealth by working to increase funding for the Worcester Public Schools. City Councilors have been elected to meet the needs of our city and represent their constituents. Worcester Public School children need your help. For our city to prosper, we need our children to have educational opportunities that prepare them for the sophisticated challenges the future holds. Please invest in the future of our city by insisting on a budget that includes at least 2 percent above the state-mandated minimum for public schools.