Agenda for Leadership 2026 Press Kit

Media Contact:

Amie O’Hearn

aohearn@pioneerinstitute.org

Analysis urges action on civic education, government transparency and voter-approved oversight reforms 

BOSTON, MA (February 4, 2026) – As Massachusetts students continue to show alarming gaps in U.S. history and civics knowledge and state government resists basic transparency measures, a new Pioneer Institute report warns that the Commonwealth risks eroding informed citizenship and public trust. The report calls on state leaders to administer the long-mandated U.S. history and civics MCAS exam and comply with the voter-approved audit ballot initiative—steps the authors say are critical to restoring civic literacy, accountability, and confidence in government. 

“A functioning democracy depends on citizens who know U.S. history, understand the Constitution and appreciate the responsibilities that accompany self-government,” said Jamie Gass, Pioneer Institute’s director of education. 

The report, “American Citizenship: A Vision for Transparency & State Policy Innovation,” calls on the Commonwealth to finally implement the U.S. History and Civics MCAS exam required under the 1993 Education Reform Act.  It also recommends requiring passage of the U.S. Citizenship Test for high school graduation beginning with the class of 2028, mandating content-rich professional development for U.S. history and civics teachers, and aligning state standards and local assessments to emphasize factual knowledge of the Founding documents, state and U.S history, and core civic processes. 

Strengthening Government Transparency 

The report also outlines a series of reforms aimed at improving transparency and accountability in state government.  

With 71 percent of voters having approved a ballot initiative allowing the state auditor to audit the Legislature, the report urges lawmakers to drop their legal objections and comply with the measure. 

“The Legislature works for the public, and the public deserves full visibility into how it operates and spends taxpayer dollars,” said Mary Connaughton, Pioneer’s director of government transparency. 

The report calls for extending open meeting and public records laws to the General Court, ending the Legislature’s exemption from basic transparency standards that apply to other public bodies.  

Similarly, it urges reform of the state’s interpretation of the 1997 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court case Lambert v. Executive of the Judicial Nominating Council, which has been used to allow the Governor’s Office and the Judiciary to fulfill public records requests “at the office’s discretion.” 

Among 49 states that require elected officials to file statements of financial interest, Massachusetts is the least transparent.  The Commonwealth currently requires individuals requesting access to these records to present a photo ID and discloses the requester’s identity to the official whose information is being sought.  The report recommends making these disclosures available anonymously and online in searchable, downloadable formats, consistent with practices in most other states. 

Additional recommendations include establishing an independent office under the Inspector General to assess the revenue or cost impacts of legislation expected to have a fiscal impact exceeding $5 million, ending the use of government systems to collect union dues without explicit employee consent, and publishing baseline education and transportation budgets as if the surtax on incomes over $1 million did not exist to ensure that surtax revenues are not being used to backfill general budget shortfalls.    “American Citizenship: A Vision for Transparency & State Policy Innovation” is one of several chapters to be rolled out from Pioneer Institute’s upcoming book Agenda for Leadership: Choosing to Compete, edited by Pioneer executive director Jim Stergios. The book is expected out later this month. More information can be found at: https://pioneerinstitute.org/agenda-for-leadership-2026/

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Analysis shows Massachusetts has lost hard-won gains and identifies steps to strengthen academic rigor and expand proven choice options 

BOSTON, MA (January 27, 2026) – With Massachusetts students experiencing sharp drops in academic performance and the Commonwealth losing its status as a national education leader, a new Pioneer Institute report calls on state policymakers to restore rigorous academic standards, strengthen accountability, and expand proven school choice models to reverse more than a decade of decline in student achievement. 

“Massachusetts led the nation across all subjects tested from 2005 to 2013, and in 2007 our eighth graders tied for best in the world in science,” said Pioneer Director of Education Jamie Gass.  “But since then, we have dumbed down standards, reduced accountability and consistently rejected or impeded school choice options.” 

Standards      

The report finds that Massachusetts’ downturn accelerated after the Commonwealth replaced its internationally benchmarked academic standards with less rigorous ones in 2010 and then again in 2017.  State policy makers should reinstate pre-Common Core content-rich English, math and science standards and embrace phonics-based reading instruction. 

Accountability 

The report traces the erosion of accountability back to the 2008 elimination of the independent office that conducted comprehensive audits of Massachusetts school districts and culminated in the 2024 vote to repeal the MCAS graduation requirement in English, math, and science. 

The report recommends replacing the MCAS graduation requirement with fewer, strategically timed checkpoints such as state-designed end-of-course assessments. 

When the independent Office of Educational Quality and Accountability was eliminated, it was replaced by an entity within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) whose advisory council included representatives from school committees, teacher unions, and superintendents – the same groups the entity is supposed to hold accountable. The report recommends reinstating a truly independent school accountability watchdog. This is especially important given that the 2024 ballot initiative on the MCAS effectively pushed accountability back to the local districts. 

Massachusetts charter public schools were once the gold standard for urban education reform, delivering transformative outcomes for low-income students. Some still are, but others have abandoned rigorous liberal arts-based approaches in favor of ideological or therapeutic models that have caused steep declines in student performance.  

The report calls for charter public schools to return to a focus on the liberal arts, structured discipline, and teacher-led instruction, and urges targeted state interventions for charter schools with declining performance, including probationary status or, where warranted, non-renewal.   

School Choice 

DESE and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) recently imposed strictly lottery-based admissions on voc-tech schools, which have higher graduation rates, lower dropout rates, a better job placement record and more than 10,000 students on waitlists statewide.  

“Removing attendance, behavior and grades from admissions criteria increases the chance of a mismatch between student and program and is the latest example of Massachusetts punishing educational success,” said Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios. “State leaders should restore local control over voc-tech admissions criteria, paired with strict public reporting standards to ensure fairness.” 

Each year, Massachusetts spends over $2.5 billion on more than 24 workforce development programs that lack transparency, meaningful coordination, and consistent performance metrics. The report recommends redirecting 10 percent ($250 million) of that funding to create 10,000 new vocational-technical school seats in underserved areas.  

BESE and DESE have effectively imposed a bureaucratic moratorium by stalling charter school approvals with a burdensome review process and failing to recruit proven charter providers to apply. The report calls on BESE and DESE to prioritize the replication and expansion of high-performing charter schools and to streamline the review process for academically focused charters in underserved urban areas.  

Digital Learning 

Virtual education can be a lifeline for students with medical needs, bullying issues, accelerated learning goals or specialized interests, and can improve access for those in rural areas. Well-designed programs with strong accountability measures and trained online teachers can match or exceed outcomes in traditional schools. 

The report finds that Massachusetts lags in this area—and recommends lifting enrollment caps, stabilizing funding and adopting nationally recognized quality standards.  

“Education: A Vision for Excellence” is the third of several chapters to be rolled out from Pioneer Institute’s upcoming book, Agenda for Leadership: Choosing to Compete. All available chapters are available at https://pioneerinstitute.org/agenda-for-leadership-2026/. The Institute expects to release several education updates over the next week.  

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Study calls for enforcing transparency laws, curbing hospital market power, and reforming PBM and 340B practices to lower costs and protect innovation 

BOSTON, MA (January 21, 2026) – With healthcare costs now among the top reasons why families are leaving Massachusetts, a new Pioneer Institute report calls for the Commonwealth to focus on affordability and access and, specifically, for the state to enforce existing transparency laws, rein in hospital consolidation, reform pharmacy benefit managers, expand transparency as to how the federal 340B drug discount program is being used, and refocus the state’s  life science spending on workforce training, and oppose federal price controls that punish innovation.   

“Healthcare costs are no longer just a medical issue—they are a cost-of-living crisis,” said Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios.  “A system meant to heal has instead become a driver of economic flight. These reforms would restore transparency, competition, and accountability while protecting patient access and innovation.” 

The report outlines a series of practical reforms designed to empower patients, increase competition, and preserve Massachusetts’ position as a global leader in medical innovation—while avoiding blunt federal price controls that threaten research, access, and long-term affordability. 

Market Power and Transparency   

Massachusetts providers – especially large hospital systems – continue to resist meaningful compliance with state and federal price transparency laws.  Pioneer recommends establishing a Healthcare Transparency Task Force to monitor and enforce existing requirements, ensuring patients can access clear, comparable pricing information.  

The report also urges greater outreach to employers and insurers to promote cost estimator tools, along with incentives such as rebates for choosing high-value, lower-cost options, and a public education campaign to normalize shopping for healthcare. 

Hospital consolidation has further distorted prices. Large systems, including those operating under the Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Lahey umbrellas, have used mergers and acquisitions to achieve outsized market power.  As a result, prices for routine services—such as imaging, childbirth, or joint replacements– can vary two- or three-fold within the same region, with no corresponding difference in quality or outcomes. Pioneer recommends empowering the Health Policy Commission and the Center for Health Information Analysis to review and condition market consolidation based on clear, data-driven criteria to prevent anti-competitive outcomes.  

Life Sciences 

The report calls on the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center to sunset programs generating limited returns—such as certain clinical R&D grants, equity investments, funds and DEI-focused initiatives.  Instead, the center should redirect resources toward workforce and education pipelines that Massachusetts residents for careers in the life sciences. 

Pioneer also highlights systemic flaws in the federal 340B drug discount program. While intended to support care for vulnerable populations, the program doesn’t prohibit hospitals from reselling deeply discounted drugs at full price.  The Institute’s research shows that 18 of 29 Massachusetts hospital systems significantly underperformed the national average for charity care as a share of operating expenses, even as 340B revenues surged. The report recommends requiring annual disclosure of all 340B revenues and expenditures to the state Department of Revenue. 

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) represent another major cost driver. Paid based on a percentage of a drug’s list price, PBMs have strong incentives to favor higher-cost medications. This has contributed to inflated prices, reduced access, and an estimated $1.4 billion in spread-pricing revenues. Pioneer is calling for major reforms to make prescription drugs more affordable, including stopping hidden markups, removing financial incentives that drive up drug prices, ending practices that block patients from using assistance programs, and making sure any savings go directly to patients at the pharmacy counter. 

Finally, the report urges state leaders to oppose federal price controls such as those in the Inflation Reduction Act and “Most Favored Nation” proposal that reduce biopharmaceutical revenues by up to 40 percent and have already raised patient out-of-pocket spending by 32 percent. 

“Massachusetts’ life science sector was once a model for how research and entrepreneurship can drive economic growth,” said Dr. William S. Smith, senior fellow and director of Pioneer’s Life Sciences Initiative.  “Today, it is being undermined by hostile federal policies and local complacency. Without a coherent strategy, the Commonwealth risks losing its position as the world’s leading center of medical discovery.” 

“Health: A Vision for Accessible, Innovative Care” is the second chapter to be released from Pioneer Institute’s forthcoming book, Agenda for Leadership: Choosing to Compete. The first chapter, “Fiscal Responsibility: A Vision for Effective, Limited Government,” was released last week. Both chapters are available https://pioneerinstitute.org/agenda-for-leadership-2026/. 

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New Report Lays Out Practical Path to Rein in State Spending and Strengthen Local Aid

Study finds budget growth far outpaces household income; outlines reforms
that could generate $1.1–$1.8 billion in annual savings

BOSTON, MA (January 14, 2026) – With state spending growing at more than twice the rate of household income, a new Pioneer Institute study finds Massachusetts must adopt structural reforms to restore fiscal discipline and redirect savings to cities and towns—reforms that could generate between $1.1 billion and $1.8 billion in recurring annual savings. 

The report outlines a series of practical reforms—including strategic attrition, increased transparency for the Commonwealth’s sprawling quasi-public entities, expanded competitive bidding in public service delivery, targeted program means testing, and using AI-enabled integrity and cost-control tools—that together could significantly slow spending growth while preserving support for residents most in need.  

Pioneer recommends that a portion of the resulting savings be invested in non-education local aid, which has lagged far behind overall state government revenue growth. 

“With the state budget growing twice as fast as median household income, Massachusetts is asking taxpayers to carry a burden they cannot sustain,” said Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios. “These reforms would restore discipline and accountability—bringing spending back in line with people’s ability to pay while protecting support for families who truly need it.” 

Adjusted for inflation, the state budget grew by 28.2 percent between 2010 and 2025, while median household income rose by just 13.2 percent. State compensation costs have grown even faster, increasing 58 percent from 2014 to 2024, according to the state comptroller’s CTHRU data portal. 

One major driver of cost growth is staffing. Based on fourth-quarter FY 2025 data, roughly 4,000 employees leave executive branch departments each year. By strategically leaving unfilled approximately 910 lower-priority positions—focusing on roles with limited impact and the lowest-performing employees—the Commonwealth could reduce headcount by about 1 percent annually and save roughly $124 million per year. 

The report also calls for greater oversight of the Commonwealth’s extensive network of quasi-public entities. A 2018 Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group study identified 42 such agencies with combined annual revenues of $8.76 billion. Pioneer recommends that the next governor launch a comprehensive review of all authorities, boards, quasi-public agencies, and government-sponsored corporations to improve transparency, accountability, and cost control. 

Massachusetts also drives up taxpayer costs by unnecessarily restricting competition. The Pacheco Law, which governs privatization of public services valued at over $500,000, imposes a one-sided cost-comparison process that effectively blocks outsourcing—even when it would save money. A 2015 Pioneer Institute study found that the law alone cost the MBTA more than $450 million. The current report recommends repealing or substantially reforming the statute. 

Similarly, the study urges the Commonwealth to prohibit project labor agreements on public construction projects.  PLAs raise the cost of public construction by 10 to 20 percent by effectively preventing the more than 80 percent of the state construction workforce that chooses not to join a union from working on the projects.  

Targeted means testing offers another opportunity for savings without harming vulnerable residents. Universal free community college and free school lunch programs increasingly subsidize middle- and upper-income households, as Massachusetts already receives federal lunch reimbursements for students from families earning up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level and many low-income community college students have tuition and fees covered through federal Pell Grants. Providing full benefits up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, with sliding-scale support up to 300 percent, would better target assistance to those most in need and could save between $90 million and $125 million annually in the school lunch program alone. 

The report highlights the potential of AI-enabled integrity and cost-control tools using deliberately conservative assumptions. Research shows that 5–15 percent of spending can be lost when integrity controls are insufficient or applied after funds are disbursed. Our analysis anchors at the lowest end of that range—5 percent—assuming that Massachusetts’ integrity controls are currently better than most states. Finally, we assume AI-enhanced controls will capture only a fraction of potential savings—roughly 25 percent of the 5 percent target in the first two years, rising to 50 percent by year four. Even under these restrained assumptions, applying AI-enabled integrity controls across unemployment insurance, procurement, and major benefits programs could generate about $350 million in near-term annual savings, rising to roughly $750 million within four years—and more than $1.4 billion annually once fully implemented. 

Finally, Pioneer recommends directing a portion of these savings to cities and towns, which deliver most frontline services even as flexible local aid has lagged far behind state spending growth. Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) rose from just under $1.1 billion in FY2018 to just over $1.3 billion in FY2025—about 23.3 percent—while the enacted FY2026 state budget is projected at nearly $62 billion, roughly 54 percent larger than FY2018. The report calls for significantly increasing non-education local aid, tying annual increases to state tax revenue growth, and adding performance incentives for municipalities that demonstrate fiscal discipline and support economic development through housing growth and streamlined permitting. 

“Fiscal Responsibility: A Vision for Effective, Limited Government” is the first chapter to be released from Pioneer Institute’s forthcoming policy volume, Agenda for Leadership: Choosing to Compete. For additional information about the book, to download an excerpt or to pre-order a copy please visit www.pioneerinstitute.org (Please note an updated, specific URL for the book will be provided shortly.) 

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About Pioneer Institute 

Pioneer empowers Americans with choices and opportunities to live freely and thrive. Working with state policymakers, we use expert research, educational initiatives, legal action and coalition-building to advance human potential in four critical areas: K-12 Education, Health, Economic Opportunity, and American Civic Values.