Mass. Congressman Stephen Lynch backing Question 2 on charter school expansion

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U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch speaks to reporters after a Nov. 2015 address to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

(Gintautas Dumcius/MassLive.com)

BOSTON - Congressman Stephen Lynch, a Massachusetts Democrat and former labor leader, said this week he'll be voting for the November ballot question that seeks to expand the number of charter schools in the state.

Appearing on WBUR's "Radio Boston," Lynch noted he is a co-founder of the Boston Collegiate Charter School. The school was founded in 1997, when Lynch, a former ironworker, was a state senator.

"So I'm very much pro-charter school, no question about it," Lynch said. "I don't necessarily think they're the be-all and end-all, but I certainly am very, very supportive of them and I support expanding the cap."

The ballot initiative, known as Question 2, would increase choices for students in low-income areas and communities of color, supporters say, while opponents charge that increasing the number of charter schools will drain public funds from district schools.

Prominent Democrats in Massachusetts politics are split on the question, while others haven't taken a firm position as teachers' unions have pressed for its defeat.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a Lynch friend and a top Democrat, opposes the question. Walsh, like Lynch, helped create a charter school but he has said the ballot question will negatively affect the city's school budget.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has not declared whether she is voting for or against the question, telling reporters a few weeks ago that she is "concerned" about the ballot initiative and she wants to hear more from proponents.

Elected in 2001, Lynch is a South Boston Democrat and considered to be one of the more conservative members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation.

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