Education
Senator Brown is passionate about improving the quality of our public schools as well as the affordability of our public higher education system. In 2007, Sen. Brown represented MA in a national education summit in Austin Texas, along with Rep. Alice Peisch (D-Wellesley). As the ranking Republican on both the Committee on Education and the Committee on Higher Education, Senator Brown has sponsored or co-sponsored a number of bills that promote greater school safety, reform to the school building process to save taxpayer money, and improve the Chapter 70 funding formula for schools. As the Senate co-chair of the legislative Metco Caucus, Senator Brown has helped to secure additional funds for suburban schools that participate in this successful program. Additionally, Senator Brown has fought for schools in his district by becoming a member of the Suburban Caucus, and Regional Schools Caucus.
► Ensuring School Safety: Senator Brown has cosponsored several bills to ensure that the Commonwealth’s public schools are a safe place for our children. One measure closes a loophole in the CORI background check requirement that allows out-of-state crimes to go unnoticed for new teachers. He has also been a strong advocate for funds to help programs that address suicide prevention and counseling in area middle high schools. Other school safety measures include school violence prevention and anti-bullying initiatives, as well as funding for emergency text messaging at our public colleges.
► Improving the School Building Reimbursement Program- Senator Brown has been involved in School Building Reimbursement reform for many years, and has worked tirelessly to make sure all the towns in his district receive the funding promised to them for building new schools and renovating others. He has also worked to change the funding system to allow towns to better plan their projects and institute a more efficient and reliable state funding process.
► Supporting Regional and Vocational Schools- Senator Brown is a member of the Regional Schools Caucus and is a strong supporter of regional schools. He cosponsored bills to fully fund regional school transportation. He has also worked to make capital funding available to vocational schools, so that valuable skills training and education is provided to students who do not plan to go on to college.
► Promoting Teaching- Senator Brown understands the importance of recruiting and retaining valuable teachers in the Commonwealth’s public schools. A bill he co-sponsored with Rep. Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington), would provide teachers free tuition for state colleges and university courses on a space-available basis, allowing them to receive continuing education at an affordable price. Sen. Brown also supports giving teachers retirement service credit for time spent in service programs, such as the Peace Corps. He believes that teachers with life experience and diverse educational backgrounds are a resource for our students.