State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, has received the prestigious Legislator of the Year 2023 award from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.
Each year, the association recognizes a state senator and representative for contributions to and service on behalf of Massachusetts public schools, students and families.
“Providing students with the best possible education is a foundational principle of our state government, and a longstanding priority for the Legislature. Yet this goal requires ongoing action and leadership, which in turn requires building the type of consensus that can deliver positive results,” Tarr said in a prepared statement.
“Achieving education that maximizes student opportunities for success,” Tarr said, “is a priority that I have been honored to pursue, particularly in partnership with the local school districts that must deliver that education every day. Giving students the best chances for success is a shared enterprise that demands the best leadership that we can provide, and one that I remain committed to.”
“For more than 30 years, Senator Tarr has been the personification of hard work, civility, and commitment when it comes to talking about public education and our future,” said Glenn Koocher, the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.
Koocher, Michael Gilbert, the former Massachusetts Association of School Committees’ Northeast field director, and Andrea Wadsworth, the new CFO for the Commonwealth and former MASC president, presented Tarr with the award on Nov. 28 in the Senate’s historic Reading Room in front of a portrait of Horace Mann, Wadsworth’s great-great-grandfather.
In 1838, Horace Mann, who was famous for spearheading the Common School Movement, was instrumental to the establishment of public schools throughout Massachusetts “ensuring that every child could receive a basic education funded by local taxes,” according to PBS.org.
“We are humbled and honored to present Senator Tarr with the Legislator of the Year award from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees,” Wadsworth said. “His advocacy for early education and regional transportation funding transcends public education. His support can be seen, heard, and felt in all areas including urban, regional, and rural. We at MASC believe champions like Senator Tarr are key to pathways for quality education for every student in Massachusetts.”
Tarr, as state senate minority leader, is a long-term advocate and supporter of public education, actively engaged in sponsoring and co-sponsoring legislation in support of this cause. Below is list of past and present legislation Tarr has sponsored to support local and state-wide public education initiatives:
S.352, An act ensuring charter school integrity.
S.353, An act relative to school safety.
S.355, An act relevant to special education.
S.356, An act relative to conducting a study on the delivery of special education services.
Dan Carey, D-Easthampton, was recognized as the state representative of the year by the group.
This marks the 23rd year the Legislator of the Year Award has been given out to state lawmakers. Tarr joins the list of 44 legislators dedicated to public education advocacy.