Cambridge’s Wealth
vs. Public Education Needs

CPSD’s Adopted General Fund Budget for FY 2025 was $268,250,000.

  • The FY25 budget increased by 9.5% ($23.25M), with 84% of expenditures going to staff salaries and benefits.

    • Net increase of only 0.7 FTE teachers district-wide, despite rising enrollment (7,025 → 7,144 students)

    • Special education paraprofessionals increased by just 3.5 FTEs

  • Only 3.6% increase in "Other Ordinary Maintenance" (supplies, materials, etc.)

  • Instructional materials got only a $170K bump

  • Professional Development rose by $722K, but it’s just 1% of the budget.

While Cambridge Public Schools is the third-highest district in terms of spending per pupil, given the wealth in our city, we could be doing even better.

It is a matter of choices and of political will.

91% of CPS funding comes from property taxes, yet the city:

  • sits on $200M in reserves

  • gives tax breaks to commercial & residential property owners

Cambridge’s commercial tax rate per $1,000 is $11.52, which is less than half of Boston’s ($25.27). If we taxed labs and offices even two-thirds as much as Boston, we’d raise $137M+ yearly.
This revenue could:

  • repair every school building

  • fund universal after-school care

  • and much, much more.

The "Residential Exemption" Favors the Wealthy:

  • The exemption reduces taxes for high-value homeowners but does nothing for renters (66% of Cambridge residents).

  • Median condo value is $750,900, yet owners pay just $1,527/year in property tax—less than a month’s rent for a studio.

$18M sent to charter schools for the FY25 alone is enough to:

  • hire 50 psychologists/social workers ($4.5M)

  • increase compensation for all 300 currently-employed paraprofessionals to living wages ($7.32M)

  • fix FMA’s crumbling infrastructure + add trauma training ($6M).

How we raise this revenue

This revenue will not be given willingly; it must be won through organized political action.
As your School Committee member, I will not just vote on budgets—I will lead the fight to change our city’s revenue structure by partnering with the community and the City Council.

1. Lead the Fight for a Home Rule Petition
A Home Rule Petition is a request from the city to the state legislature for permission to enact a local law. This is the only way to break free from state law and set our own higher commercial tax rate.

  • My Action: I will immediately introduce a School Committee resolution officially calling on the Cambridge City Council to draft and file a Home Rule Petition to raise the commercial tax rate to match Boston's.

  • Building Power: I will use the SC’s platform to mobilize a coalition of educators (CEA), parents, unions, and community groups to pack City Hall hearings and make passing this petition the Council’s top priority. We will make it politically impossible to ignore.

2. Negotiate PILOT Agreements with Harvard and MIT
Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) are voluntary contributions large non-profits make to support municipal services they use. Cambridge must move from asking nicely to demanding fair share payments.

  • My Action: I will formally partner with progressive city councilors to draft legislation that establishes a framework for mandatory PILOT negotiations, using the city’s power to leverage zoning and permitting as tools.

  • Building Power: I will help organize a city-wide campaign, joining with housing justice groups and the broader community to pressure these institutions to become better neighbors. Their choice will be to pay their fair share or face public accountability.

3. Redirect Charter School Funds and Address the Root Causes
While state law mandates charter payments, the city has a moral obligation to both backfill this draining of resources and, more importantly, address the systemic failures that push families to seek alternatives.

  • My Financial Commitment: I will demand the City Manager and Council fully offset the annual charter school drain in the city’s annual allocation to CPS, treating it as a mandatory expense that must be covered by new progressive revenue. This $18 million must be reinvested into:

    • Hiring more school psychologists, social workers, and board-certified behavior analysts.

    • Providing robust, ongoing professional development for educators on restorative justice and culturally responsive teaching.

    • Funding universal enrichment and advanced, project-based learning in every classroom.

  • My Investigative Commitment: I will champion a public, independent study to understand why Cambridge families choose charter schools. Anecdotal evidence and my experience at FMA suggest it is often families of color and families of students with disabilities who feel their children are:

    • Under-challenged by a curriculum that fails to engage their unique intelligence.

    • Over-disciplined and criminalized for behavior rooted in unmet needs or frustration.

    • Underestimated and denied access to the advanced learning opportunities they deserve.
      This study will provide the data we need to stop the blame game and start the repair work, transforming our district into a place where no family feels they need to leave to get a high-quality, supportive education for their child.

This dual approach—fully funding our schools while honestly investigating our failures—is how we will not only retain students but also restore community trust.

This is how we win. It’s not just about having the right ideas; it’s about building the organized power necessary to make them a reality. This is the work I have done as an organizer, and it is the leadership I will bring to the School Committee.