When I was knocking on doors in the Summer of 2022 to help get the "Fair Share" tax on million dollar incomes across the line, I figured it would have to be just one piece of a funding puzzle to get anywhere close to real progress on education financing and rebuilding the MBTA. Across the board, this new funding has been impactful, but rarely transformative. The shining exception is the realm of public higher education. The new revenues created a moment of opportunity. Our State Representative, Dave Rogers, Chair of the Committee on Higher Education, seized that moment.
In just the last four years, we have doubled financial aid in the UMass system. Community College is entirely tuition free. Our state colleges and universities are stronger than ever before. While he'll tell you that these are the result of collaborative efforts, between advocates, administrators, and his legislative colleagues, Rep. Rogers's role is clear to any onlooker. He was indispensable to achieving the opportunities now available to young people.
So many young people today feel lost. They approach their high school graduation facing the spectre of an unaffordable private college tuition and a shifting job market that threatens to make such an investment a waste. Their sense of purpose can seem dim next to massive economic and social pressure. Thanks to Rep. Rogers, these young adults have an affordable path to a high quality professional certification or even a bachelor's degree, to take a risk on something they love without accruing crushing debt, and that is life changing.
This is the first year I'll be able to vote for Rep. Rogers in a contested race. I look forward to doing so and I hope you will join me in supporting his re-election on September first.