Rep. Seth Moulton says he voted yes on Question 2 to force Gov. Baker, state legislators into action
“We need Governor Baker and the legislature to do their jobs."
Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat unafraid to publicly depart from the party line, says he voted yes on a Massachusetts ballot measure to left the state cap on charter schools.
Moulton explained his support for the measure in an interview Tuesday on WGBH’s Boston Public Radio.
Question 2 would allow the state board to increase the number of charters in the state by 12 schools each year.
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has passionately backed the measure, which is opposed by top Democrats, including the state party, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.
Moulton called it “a shame” that the charter school question had become a “partisan, acrimonious fight.”
The Salem Democrat said the “fundamental issue” in the debate was the funding of district schools when students move to public charters and called out Baker and state legislature for falling through on that matter.
“We’ve made a commitment that we would fund district schools for that transition, and then Governor Baker and the legislature failed to do it,” Moulton said, adding that was the reason generally pro-charter Democrats, like Walsh, were voting no.
But Moulton said the “status quo” hadn’t solved that funding gap, and that perhaps a yes vote would force the hands of state elected officials.
“The status quo hasn’t gotten the governor and the legislature to act, and voting ‘no’ is the status quo,” Moulton told WGBH. “We need Governor Baker and the legislature to do their jobs, then maybe a ‘yes’ vote will force them to do their jobs.
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