Education

Through her efforts representing the Plymouth and Barnstable District, Senator Murray has put an emphasis on the education of our children from the earliest stages through college. As the leading voice ensuring communities were fairly and adequately funded through the state’s Chapter 70 education funding formula, she included the formula reform in the fiscal year 2007 budget along with a significant increase in funding. She has also worked to invest in math and science education as well as pre-kindergarten programs to give our children a strong start in life. With one of the top state college systems in the nation, the Senator has made a point to advocate for investment in our state colleges and universities and has worked to make sure that Massachusetts students have access to affordable higher education.

Senator Murray’s efforts to improve education include:

• Advancing measures to ban bullying in schools to provide a safe environment for all students. The anti-bullying legislation prohibits physical, verbal and written acts that threaten or cause harm to another student, including Internet “cyber-bullying,”
• Spearheading efforts to update nutritional standards in schools establishing new nutritional standards in schools to address the problem of childhood obesity in the Commonwealth. The school nutrition bill establishes new standards for fresh food options in school cafeterias and vending machines.

• Spearheading efforts to reform the Chapter 70 education funding formula to level the playing field on funding distribution and more accurately assess a community’s ability to pay. She also secured $216.5 million in the fiscal year 2007 budget in increased funding for Chapter 70.

• Working to provide a grant program to assist communities who are under extreme financial strain because of additional financial burdens such as extraordinary increases in enrollment or decreased federal assistance. These funds have been available since 2005 because of Senator Murray’s efforts. This funding has helped communities like the Town of Bourne diffuse the additional cost of educating children of military families stationed at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, something the federal government has promised but never delivered.

• Investing in higher education to make it more affordable and accessible by capping tuition and fees at the inflation rate and increasing financial aid for students.
• Increasing funding for Head Start to give children a strong educational foundation. In fiscal year 2007 alone, Murray fought to provide an additional $1 million for Head Start Programs.
• Supporting investments in math and science education, such as the Science Technology Engineering and Math Scholarships, to better prepare students for careers in the Commonwealth’s growing medical, technology and bio technology industries.