WHO BACKS BARACK? A REPORT ON THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE
BY JOE WILLIAMS & CHARLES BARONE
LEGISLATIVE SUPPORT FOR THE OBAMA EDUCATION AGENDA WHO BACKS BARACK? “Our debate seems stuck between those who want to dismantle the system and those who would defend an indefensible status quo, between those who say money makes no difference in education and those who want more money without any demonstration that it will be put to good use.” President Barack Obama, 2010 State of the Union
WHAT IS A DFER?
Both Democrats and Republicans have failed to address the tragic decline of our system of public education, but it is the Democratic Party - our party - which must question how we allowed ourselves to drift so far from our mission. Fighting on behalf of our nation’s most vulnerable individuals is what our party is supposed to stand for.
A Democrat for Education Reform - a DFER - is some- one who supports the lead- ers in our party who have the courage to challenge a failing status quo and who believe that the severity of our nation’s educational crisis demands that we tackle this problem using every possible tool at our disposal.
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“Education then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance-wheel of the social machinery.” Horace Mann
EDUCATION REFORM IN MASSACHUSETTS
Nearly twenty years ago, Massachusetts Democrats completely transformed government’s relationship to schools. The Education Reform Act of 1993 marked a watershed in the delivery of public education, dramati- cally increasing educational accountability in exchange for more generous funding from the state. The Act also created Massachusetts’ first charter public schools, a school model that turned out to be a national game-changer.
Twenty years later, Massachusetts is consistently ranked number one in the nation on a wide range of educa- tional metrics. The quality of Mas- sachusetts’ charter school system, in particular, is cause for celebra- tion. Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) recently reported that the average increase in learning by Boston charter school students are is “the largest CREDO has seen in any city or state thus far.”
The policies that led Massachusetts to success - accountability in exchange for equitable funding, curricu- lar rigor, expansion of high-performing charter schools - are precisely the same ones championed today by President Obama.
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“Instead of just pouring money into a system that’s not working, we launched a competi- tion called Race to the Top.” President Barack Obama, 2010 State of the Union
While Massachusetts revelled in the success of its 1993 education reform efforts, the rest of the country spent twenty years trying to catch up. Despite an overall number one ranking, Massachusetts faced a persistent achievement gap among low-income students and students of color.
Thanks to President Obama’s leadership in beginning the Race to the Top program, Mas- sachusetts finally made substantial changes with the 2010 Act Relative to the Achievement Gap. Student outcomes are consistently improving, yet we still have a long way to go.
The successes of 2010 Act are replicable - indeed, the Act was structured to be expanded. Now is not the time for Massachusetts to limit success.
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- 2 - WHO BACKS BARACK?
“If someone can tell me where the Democratic Party stands on education reform, please let me know. Because I can’t figure it out. Our party has got to wake up on this!” then-Senator Barack Obama at June 3, 2005 DFER event
From day one of his presidency, Barack Obama challenged states to answer his call by reimagining their education policies. Massachusetts legislators had a chance to give the President’s education reform agenda a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. Most supported his agenda - some did not.
Where does your Massachusetts legislator stand on the President’s agenda? Based on combination of their voting records from the 2010 Act Relative to the Achievement Gap and legislator responses via email, we have rated the 163 Massachusetts legislators below on their support for President Obama’s education reform agenda.
- 3 - Massachusetts Legislators' Stances on President Obama's Education Agenda Vote on 2010 Educa- Stance on the Obama Legislator Name District tion Reform Bill Education Agenda
Representative Denise Andrews Second Franklin N/A
Representative James Arciero Second Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Brian Ashe Second Hampden Opposed Oppose
Representative Cory Atkins Fourteenth Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Bruce Ayers First Norfolk Opposed Oppose
Representative Ruth Balser Twelfth Middlesex Supported Support
Senator Michael Barrett Third Middlesex N/A
Representative Carlo Basile First Suffolk Supported Support
Representative Jennifer Benson Thirty-Seventh Middlesex Supported Support
Representative John Binienda Seventeenth Worcester Supported Support
Representative Garrett Bradley Third Plymouth Supported Support
Representative Michael Brady Ninth Plymouth Opposed Oppose
Senator Stephen Brewer Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire Supported Support and Middlesex Representative Paul Brodeur Thirty-Second Middlesex N/A
Senator Will Brownsberger Second Suffolk and Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Antonio Cabral Thirteenth Bristol Supported Support
Representative Thomas Calter Twelfth Plymouth Supported Support
Representative Christine Canavan Tenth Plymouth Opposed Oppose
Senator Gale Candaras First Hampden and Hampshire Opposed Oppose
Representative James Cantwell Fourth Plymouth Opposed Oppose
Representative Gailanne Cariddi First Berkshire N/A
Representative Tackey Chan Second Norfolk N/A
Senator Harriette Chandler First Worcester Supported Support
Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz Second Suffolk Supported Support
Senator Kartherine Clark Fifth Middlesex Opposed Oppose
Representative Cheryl Coakley-Rivera Tenth Hampden Abstained
Representative Nick Collins Fourth Suffolk N/A Support
Representative Thomas Conroy Thirteenth Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Edward Coppinger Tenth Suffolk N/A
Representative Michael Costello First Essex Supported Support
Senator Cynthia Creem First Middlesex and Norfolk Abstained
Representative Claire Cronin Eleventh Plymouth N/A
Representative Sean Curran Ninth Hampden Supported Support
- 4 - Massachusetts Legislators' Stances on President Obama's Education Agenda Vote on 2010 Educa- Stance on the Obama Legislator Name District tion Reform Bill Education Agenda
Representative Mark Cusack Fifth Norfolk N/A
Representative Josh Cutler Sixth Plymouth N/A
Representative Linda Dean Campbell Fifteenth Essex Supported Support
Representative Marjorie Decker Twenty-Fifth Middlesex N/A
Speaker Robert DeLeo Nineteenth Suffolk Supported Support
Representative Brian Dempsey Third Essex Supported Support
Representative Marcos Devers Sixteenth Essex N/A
Senator Sal DiDomencio Middlesex and Suffolk N/A
Representative Stephen DiNatale Third Worcester Opposed Oppose
Representative Diana DiZiglio Fourteenth Essex N/A
Representative Paul Donato Thirty-Fifth Middlesex Opposed Oppose
Senator Kenneth Donnelly Fourth Middlesex Opposed Oppose
Senator Eileen Donoghue First Middlesex N/A
Senator Benjamin Downing Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin & Supported Support Hampden Representative James Dwyer Thirtieth Middlesex Opposed Oppose
Representative Carolyn Dykema Eighth Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Lori Ehrlich Eighth Essex Opposed Oppose
Senator James Eldridge Middlesex and Worcester Opposed Oppose
Representative Christopher Fallon Thirty-Third Middlesex Abstained
Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier Third Berkshire N/A
Representative Robert Fennell Tenth Essex Opposed Oppose
Representative John Fernandes Tenth Worcester Supported Support
Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante Fifth Essex Opposed Oppose
Senator Barry Finegold Second Essex and Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Michael Finn Sixth Hampden N/A
Senator Jennifer Flanagan Worcester and Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Linda Forry Twelfth Suffolk Supported Support
Representative Gloria Fox Seventh Suffolk Supported Support
Representative John Fresolo Sixteenth Worcester Opposed Oppose
Representative William Galvin Sixth Norfolk Supported Support
Representative Sean Garballey Twenty-Third Middlesex Opposed Oppose
Representative Denise Garlick Thirteenth Norfolk N/A
Representative Colleen Garry Thirty-Sixth Middlesex Opposed Oppose
- 5 - Massachusetts Legislators' Stances on President Obama's Education Agenda Vote on 2010 Educa- Stance on the Obama Legislator Name District tion Reform Bill Education Agenda
Representative Anne Gobi Fifth Worcester Supported Support
Representative Thomas Golden Sixteenth Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Kenneth Gordon Twenty-First Middlesex N/A
Representative Danielle Gregoire Fourth Middlesex Opposed Oppose
Representative Patricia Haddad Fifth Bristol Supported Support
Senator John Hart First Suffolk Supported Support
Representative Jonathan Hecht Twenty-Ninth Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Carlos Henriquez Fifth Suffolk N/A
Representative Paul Heroux Second Bristol N/A
Representative Kate Hogan Third Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Russell Holmes Sixth Suffolk N/A
Representative Kevin Honan Seventeenth Suffolk Supported Support
Senator Patricia Jehlen Second Middlesex Opposed Oppose
Senator Brian Joyce Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth Supported Support
Representative Louis Kafka Eighth Norfolk Supported Support
Representative Jay Kaufman Fifteenth Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Mary Keefe Fifteenth Worcester N/A
Senator John Keenan Seventh Essex Opposed Oppose
Senator Thomas Kennedy Second Plymouth and Bristol Opposed Oppose
Representative Kay Khan Eleventh Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Peter Kocot First Hampshire Supported Support
Representative Robert Koczera Eleventh Bristol Supported Support
Representative Stephen Kulik First Franklin Abstained
Representative John Lawn Tenth Middlesex N/A
Representative Jason Lewis Thirty-First Middlesex Supported Support
Representative David Linsky Fifth Middlesex Abstained
Senator Joan Lovely Second Essex N/A
Representative Timothy Madden Barnstable, Dukes, and Nan- Supported Support tucket Representative John Mahoney Thirteenth Worcester N/A
Representative Elizabeth Malia Eleventh Suffolk Opposed Oppose
Representative Brian Mannal Second Barnstable N/A
Representative Ronald Mariano Third Norfolk Supported Support
Representative Paul Mark Second Berkshire N/A
- 6 - Massachusetts Legislators' Stances on President Obama's Education Agenda Vote on 2010 Educa- Stance on the Obama Legislator Name District tion Reform Bill Education Agenda
Representative Christopher Markey Ninth Bristol N/A
Senator Thomas McGee Third Essex Opposed Oppose
Representative Paul McMurty Eleventh Norfolk Supported Support
Representative James Miceli Nineteenth Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Aaron Michlewitz Third Suffolk Supported Support
Senator Mark Montigny Second Bristol and Plymouth Opposed Oppose
Senator Michael Moore Second Worcester Supported Support
Senator Richard Moore Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Frank Moran Seventeenth Essex N/A
Representative Michael Moran Eighteenth Suffolk Supported Support
Representative James Murphy Fourth Norfolk Supported Support
Representative Kevin Murphy Eighteenth Middlesex Abstained
Senate President Therese Murray Plymouth and Barnstable Abstained
Representative David Nangle Seventeenth Middlesex Opposed Oppose
Representative Harold Naughton Twelfth Worcester Abstained
Representative Rhonda Nyman Fifth Plymouth Supported Support
Senator Kathleen O'Connor Ives First Essex N/A
Representative James O'Day Fourteenth Worcester Opposed Oppose
Representative Eugene O'Flaherty Second Suffolk Supported Support
Senator Marc Pacheco First Plymouth and Bristol Abstained
Representative Jerald Parisella Sixth Essex N/A
Representative Sarah Peake Fourth Barnstable Supported Support
Representative Alice Peisch Fourteenth Norfolk Supported Support
Representative Thomas Petrolati Seventh Hampden Supported Support
Senator Anthony Petruccelli First Suffolk and Middlesex Supported Support
Representative William Pignatelli Fourth Berkshire Supported Support
Representative Denise Provost Twenty-Seventh Middlesex Opposed Oppose
Representative Angelo Puppolo Twelfth Hampden Opposed Oppose
Representative Kathi-Anne Reinstein Sixteenth Suffolk Supported Support
Senator Michael Rodrigues First Bristol and Plymouth Supported Support
Representative David Rogers Twenty-Fourth Middlesex N/A
Representative John Rogers Twelfth Norfolk Opposed Oppose
Representative Dennis Rosa Fourth Worcester Supported Support
- 7 - Massachusetts Legislators' Stances on President Obama's Education Agenda Vote on 2010 Educa- Stance on the Obama Legislator Name District tion Reform Bill Education Agenda
Senator Stanley Rosenberg Hampshire, Franklin and Worces- Supported Support ter Representative Jeffrey Roy Tenth Norfolk N/A
Senator Michael Rush Norfolk and Suffolk Opposed Oppose
Representative Byron Rushing Ninth Suffolk Abstained
Representative Jeffrey Sánchez Fifteenth Suffolk Supported Support
Representative Tom Sannicandro Ninth Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Angelo Scaccia Fourteenth Suffolk Supported Support
Representative Paul Schmid Eighth Bristol N/A
Representative John Scibak Second Hampshire Abstained
Representative Carl Sciortino Thirty-Fourth Middlesex Opposed Oppose
Representative Alan Silvia Seventh Bristol N/A
Representative Frank Smizik Fifteenth Norfolk Opposed Oppose
Representative Theodore Speliotis Thirteenth Essex Supported Support
Senator Karen Spilka Second Middlesex and Norfolk Supported Support
Representative Thomas Stanley Ninth Middlesex Opposed Oppose
Representative Ellen Story Third Hampshire Supported Support
Representative William Straus Tenth Bristol Supported Support
Representative David Sullivan Sixth Bristol Opposed Oppose
Representative Benjamin Swan Eleventh Hampden Supported Support
Senator James Timilty Bristol and Norfolk Opposed Oppose
Representative Walter Timilty Seventh Norfolk Opposed Oppose
Representative Timothy Toomey Seventh Middlesex Supported Support
Representative Cleon Turner First Barnstable Supported Support
Representative Aaron Vega Fifth Hampden N/A
Representative Joseph Wagner Eighth Hampden Abstained
Representative Chris Walsh Sixth Middlesex N/A
Representative Martin Walsh Thirteenth Suffolk Supported Support
Representative Steven Walsh Eleventh Essex Opposed Oppose
Senator James Welch Hampden Opposed Oppose
Senator Daniel Wolf Cape and Islands N/A
Representative Jonathan Zlonik Second Worcester N/A
- 8 - PHOTO CREDITS
Cover photo, “Obama 2012 Campaign Rally—UIC Chicago, January 11th, 2012,” by Gavin Gould (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/6690664347/
“Ready to Go Rally, Columbus, Ohio, May 5th, 2012” by Christopher Dilts (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/7146035577/
“Ready to Go Rally, Richmond, VA, May 5th, 2012” by Scout Tufankjian (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/7149224165/
“Obama!” by Karen Blumberg (CC BY-NC 2.0) http://www.flickr.com/photos/specialkrb/3213143473/
“Ready to Go Rally, Columbus, Ohio, May 5th, 2012” by Christopher Dilts (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/6999948222/
Democrats for Education Reform - Massachusetts
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