Waltham, MA – The Boston Herald recently reported that Wachusett Regional High School was denied funding for a financial literacy program because the Town of Holden is not in compliance with the MBTA Communities Act.

Mike Kennealy condemned the administration’s decision to punish communities by targeting children’s education:

“The Healey Administration has weaponized the MBTA Communities Act to new extremes. This time, the Governor is zeroing in on students—punishing children in communities that disagree with the housing mandate by withholding funding for a financial literacy program.”

Kennealy continued:

“When I served on the leadership team that helped turn around Lawrence Public Schools, we left politics at the door. Our only focus was giving the children of Lawrence a better education. That work inspired my commitment to public service because everyone involved was doing it for the right reasons and keeping kids first. Now, Governor Healey is using children’s education as leverage to force a housing policy that Holden does not want. That is not how you lead, and it is certainly not how you solve complex challenges.”

He added:

“You cannot negotiate or build solutions in good faith while twisting the knife. As Governor, I will end this practice of coercing municipalities into compliance — no more threats, no more lawsuits, and absolutely no withholding of funds. We will work collaboratively with cities and towns to build the housing they want, instead of weaponizing state law to deprive them of the resources they desperately need.”

###