Public Comment: Fair Share Amendment Will Ensure A Living Wage For Public School Teachers

The following public comment was made at the meeting of the Amherst Town Council on June 13, 2022.

The Fair Share Amendment will bring in revenue to the state to the tune of $2 billion/ year that will be dedicated to public pre-K-12 education, access to affordable and quality public colleges and universities, infrastructure, and public transportation.  It does this by increasing the rate of the annual income tax by four cents on the dollar for any income over the first million. 

One of the main reasons that I am in support the Fair Share Amendment is that I was an educator for ten years, and a preschool teacher for the majority of that.  Part of why I left the field is that preschool teachers do not make a living wage.  The funds from the Fair Share Amendment will allow school districts across the state to provide preschool teachers, para-educators, and k-12 teachers with a living wage.