Boston School Committee Unanimously Votes to Oppose Question 2

BOSTON, MA — It was a unanimous vote Wednesday night from the the Boston Public Schools' School Committee, a resounding "no" on Question 2.

The ballot question up for a vote on Nov. 8 would allow the state to authorize up to 12 new charter schools or enrollment expansions in existing charter schools by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education per year.

Question 2 has been opposed by dozens of public school committees around the state. Boston is the latest. Newton's school committee also voted 5-3 against Question 2 Wednesday night, with one abstention.

According to WBUR, committee members were sympathetic toward parents who spoke, pleading for educational options. However, member also "cited the possibility of serious financial strain on the Boston Public Schools as their reason for opposing the question," WBUR reports, pointing to a city report published before the meeting counted $48 million in BPS funding lost to charters in the past three years.

Committee members feared the potential loss of hundreds of millions more, should the cap be raised.

You can read the full text of the Boston School Committee's resolution here.

Public opinion appears to be on the school committee's side, with a new statewide poll reaffirming past surveys' opposition among likely voters surveyed. However, as advertising campaigns ramp up in the next month until the election, proponents hope opinions will swing their way.

Read More: Poll Finds Charter Expansion Opposition Has Grown

Image via @titojackson, City Councilor for District 7