Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz of JP has been the leading proponent of the set of school funding reforms, per the recommendations of the Foundation Budget Review Commission. She’s just been moved off that beat by Senate President Spilka — replaced by Jason Lewis, who represents tony, elite Winchester.
While Lewis noted that he co-sponsored Chang-Diaz’s education funding bill filed earlier this year, he quickly flashed a different rhetorical style on the issue. Soon after Gov. Charlie Baker announced his school funding proposal, Chang-Diaz highlighted failures that she identified in the governor’s bill and said it is “not the equitable reform our state needs.”
Lewis on Thursday had a milder response to the governor’s education funding plan.
“I think it’s certainly a step in the right direction, but I think we’re going to have to talk in more depth,” Lewis said.
Perhaps Spilka felt that Chang-Diaz had burned her bridges with potential House conference-committee partners, or the Governor, after last year’s failure by the House to act. That’s not Chang-Diaz’s fault; that is one of the many ways in which DeLeo’s House bottles up and essentially cancels legislation to which the Speaker doesn’t take a personal shine. I don’t see how anyone can blame her for saying 2+2 doesn’t equal 10.
Lewis is not a bad guy, but I highly doubt that his constituents are burning up his phones for greater equity in the assignment of education funds. This does not bode well for the justice side of the equation.
