Ahead of September 6 Primary, K-16 Education Groups Release Candidate Questionnaire Videos from Attorney General & Auditor Candidates

Candidates for Statewide Offices Share Opinions on State Receivership, Educator Shortages, Student Debt Cancellation, Public College Affordability, and Other Critical Education Justice Issues

BOSTON – Ahead of the September 6 state primary elections, the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance-Education Fund and Zero Debt Massachusetts have released responses to a statewide video questionnaire on K-16 education from seven candidates for Attorney General and Auditor.

Candidates for Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Shannon Liss-Riordan, and Quentin Palfrey, and candidates for Auditor Chris Dempsey and Diana DiZoglio, all completed the video questionnaire. Candidate for Attorney General Jay McMahon did not respond to the video questionaire, and candidate for Auditor Anthony Amore submitted only a partial response. All videos from the candidates are available at https://www.massedjustice.org/interviews.

“By watching these videos, Massachusetts voters can learn more about how candidates for important but often-overlooked statewide offices would tackle education justice issues,” said Vatsady Sivongxay, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance - Education Fund. “We thank these candidates for sharing their views on state takeovers, educator shortages, student debt cancellation, public college affordability, and other critical issues facing students, parents, educators, and our communities across the state.”

The questionnaire asks candidates for their opinions about the state’s receivership law; ongoing shortages of educators, counselors, and other school staff; charter school expansion; policies to protect students and staff from COVID or a future pandemic; the mental and emotional health needs of students; student debt cancellation; state investments in public higher education; hunger and homelessness on public college campuses; debt-free public higher education; the need for affordable public higher education during a potential recession; and state emergency grants for public institutions.

“Hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts voters attend college or have student debt, and countless families across Massachusetts are affected by the rising cost of college,” said Kristina Carvalho, Policy & Community Organizing Director at Zero Debt Massachusetts. “They want to know what candidates for public office will do to tackle the high cost of a degree and the burden that student debt has on our lives.”

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We are students, parents, educators, school staff, and concerned community members who are directly affected by public education in Massachusetts. Learn more at https://massedjustice.org/