Teachers unions scored a major election victory in Massachusetts on Tuesday, defeating a ballot proposition that would have allowed for the creation of 12 new charter schools.
Massachusetts residents voted down the ballot initiative after unions and liberal activists spent millions of dollars in a fierce campaign against it. The ballot initiative emerged to expand the current cap of 120 charter schools. Backers said that the 12 new schools could address the lengthy wait list of more than 30,000 students attempting to enroll in these schools. The Massachusetts Education Association, the state branch of the National Education Association, and the American Federation of Teachers-Massachusetts waged a lengthy campaign arguing that charter schools would distract from public education reforms.
The unions banded together to form Save Our Public Schools, which raised more than $15 million. They were outspent by more than $10 million with a coalition of charter school supporters raising more than $26 million.
The proposition received vocal support from the state's popular governor, Republican Charlie Baker, an endorsement which generated controversy. Baker appeared on a statewide television ad, in which he said charter schools, which are generally union-free, would help address failing schools in the state.
"Imagine if your kid was trapped in a failing school," he said. "Public charter schools give parents a choice and are a pathway for these kids."
The state's two largest teachers unions filed a Securities Exchange Commission complaint against Baker for the ad. The labor groups alleged that he appeared in a campaign ad backing the proposition because the ad was financed with donations from financial institutions that had contracts with government pension systems. Baker, who campaigned in 2014 on charter school expansion, denied that there was any connection between his support for the initiative and the proposition's financial backing.
Baker refused to back down from the movement. He spent election day knocking on doors to get out the vote.
The initiative faced steep odds in succeeding in the heavily Democratic state during a presidential election. Polls showed "Yes" votes trailing by double digits in the closing days of the campaign.
The measure failed with more than 60 percent voting against it with about half of precincts reporting.