American Citizenship – A Vision for Transparency & State Policy Innovation
In a newly released chapter from its forthcoming book Agenda for Leadership: Choosing to Compete, Pioneer Institute warns that declining civic knowledge and persistent government opacity are undermining informed citizenship and public trust in Massachusetts. The chapter, “American Citizenship: A Vision for Transparency & State Policy Innovation,” calls for long-delayed implementation of the U.S. history and civics MCAS exam, stronger civics education standards, and new graduation requirements tied to civic literacy. It also urges state leaders to honor voter-approved oversight reforms, expand public records and open meeting laws to the Legislature, and modernize financial disclosure practices, sharing that meaningful transparency and civic education are essential to a functioning democracy.
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American Citizenship: A Vision for Transparency & State Policy Innovation
A self-governing people cannot function without a shared civic foundation, and schools are where that foundation must be built. For government transparency and public education to be most meaningful, civics education must be central to the school curriculum. Governor William Weld signed into law the landmark Education Reform Act of 1993, a sweeping statute that restructured funding, standards, and accountability statewide. Central to the law was a clear mandate to strengthen civic and historical instruction. Section 2 makes clear that the Commonwealth has a duty to ensure that every public-school student is grounded in the principles and institutions of American democracy:
In all public schools, history of the United States of America and social science, including civics, shall be taught as required subjects to promote civic service and a greater knowledge thereof and to prepare students, morally and intellectually, for the duties of citizenship.
Instruction was to include U.S. history; the Constitution and Bill of Rights; the Declaration of Independence; the Massachusetts Constitution; local history and government; the structure and functions of local, state, and federal institutions; the roles and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy; and the analytical skills needed to evaluate history and civics. The law even required instruction on the proper handling and display of the U.S. flag and emphasized the importance of participating in the electoral process.
Well before today’s polarization, the authors of education reform understood that a functioning democracy requires a shared civic vocabulary. They understood that democratic institutions depend on citizens who know history, comprehend the Constitution, and appreciate the responsibilities that come with self-government. This was not enrichment; it was a required core subject for every public-school student.
But the Commonwealth has not met its obligations. In the 32 years since the law’s passage, Massachusetts has failed to enforce it. Districts have ignored the statutory mandates; civics and history instruction have been uneven and diluted, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has allowed compliance to lapse without consequence. This is not an oversight; it is a dereliction of duty.
At a time when polarization, civic ignorance, and misinformation are eroding trust in government, the state has abdicated its legal and moral responsibility to provide the civic foundation the law requires.
Justice Louis Brandeis put it plainly: sunshine is the best disinfectant, and light is the most effective safeguard. His insight underscores a basic truth: transparency and civic literacy stand or fall together.
“A self-governing people cannot function without a shared civic foundation, and schools are where that foundation must be built.” –Justice Brandeis
At Pioneer Institute, we believe transparency is not just a virtue but a necessity for good governance in Massachusetts. Taxpayers deserve a full accounting of how money is spent and how decisions that affect their lives are made. Government should not operate behind closed doors. A functioning democracy requires that citizens have access to meaningful information—not just after decisions are made, but throughout the process.
True public engagement requires inviting citizens into the conversation early and often, not merely explaining predetermined outcomes at perfunctory public meetings. An informed and engaged citizenry is the foundation of a healthy democracy. Yet we continue to see legislative and bureaucratic measures that restrict the public’s right to know. These measures may be convenient for officials, but they do real harm. They weaken democratic institutions and erode public trust.
We oppose any effort to limit access to information from any branch of government. Openness fosters accountability, and accountability strengthens democracy. It is time to return power to where it belongs: with the people.
Civics & U.S. History
Restore Rigor in Civics & U.S. History Education
Since implementing Common Core in 2010, Massachusetts has seen a notable decline in academic achievement—particularly in English and math—as well as in U.S. history and civic knowledge. Students today lack a strong understanding of foundational documents, institutions, and the nation’s story, which leaves a void increasingly filled by ideology and polarization.[i]
Recommendations
- Reinstate a stand-alone U.S. History and Civics MCAS 10th-grade requirement to ensure all students demonstrate meaningful mastery of American governance, history, and civic responsibility; or
- Require all public high school students, beginning with the Class of 2028, to pass the U.S. citizenship test. Offer reasonable accommodations and embed the test within regular coursework to ensure equitable access and full compliance.
- Implement mandatory professional development focused on content-rich civics instruction, utilizing high-impact programs such as “We the People”: The Citizen and the Constitution, Gilder Lehrman, and the National Constitution Center.
- Align state standards and local assessments to emphasize factual knowledge of the Founding documents, state and U.S. history, civic processes, and historical context—reconnecting classroom learning to our democracy.
Transparency & Accountability
Let the State Auditor Audit the Legislature
Massachusetts voters have spoken, and 71 percent of them supported empowering the State Auditor to audit the Legislature. Yet despite bipartisan grassroots backing, the House and Senate have resisted compliance, citing constitutional concerns and even advancing legal pushback. Legislators currently self-audit using private firms that are shielded from public records law, leaving taxpayers in the dark about spending, procurement, committee selection, and internal processes. This opacity erodes public trust and undermines democratic oversight. The Legislature works for the public—and we deserve full insight into how it operates and spends public funds.[ii] Enhanced transparency strengthens trust and ensures democratic accountability in state government.
Recommendations
- The Legislature should drop legal objections to and comply immediately with the approved ballot measure that calls for the State Auditor to conduct an independent, public audit.
- Auditor DiZoglio should resume her 2023 probe with full legislative cooperation so that the audit is completed in a timely manner and made available to the public.
The Legislature should drop legal objections to and comply immediately with the approved ballot measure that calls for the State Auditor to conduct an independent, public audit.
Increase Accountability by Ending Legislative Secrecy
The Massachusetts Legislature continues to exempt itself from the definition of “public body” as it pertains to transparency laws. Pioneer believes that the legislature’s exemptions from public records and open meeting laws violate the state Constitution. Article V of our state’s Declaration of Rights requires that the branches of government “at all times” be accountable to the people. Restricting the public’s access to legislative meetings and records fundamentally undermines that basic right.[iii]
Recommendation: Expand public records and open meeting laws to include the legislature.
Reject Public Records Exemptions for Executive & Judicial Officials
Few citizens have heard of Lambert v. Executive Director of the Judicial Nominating Council,[iv] but this 1997 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling has been interpreted by governors and members of the judiciary alike as exempting the executive office and the judiciary from public records law. As a result, all public records requests to the Governor’s Office are fulfilled “at the office’s discretion.” The new administration has a valuable opportunity to make clear that it serves the public interest all the time, not just at the office’s “discretion.”[v]
Recommendation: The next administration and judicial branch management should make their records public.
Ensure Policymakers Act in the Public Interest
Among the 49 states that require Statements of Financial Interests (SFIs), Massachusetts ranks last in making such information available to the public. [vi] SFIs are critical for boosting public confidence that legislators and policymakers are acting in the public interest rather than their own. Massachusetts requires that those seeking access to SFIs provide a photo ID, and it reports their identity to the official whose SFI is being requested. Such practices amount to intimidation, serving only to keep financial information hidden from public view. It’s up to the legislature to change the laws on SFIs.[vii]
Recommendation: Enact legislation to make all State Ethics Commission Statement of Financial Interest filings available to the public anonymously in easily searchable and downloadable formats online, as they are in most other states.
Require Financial Impact Analyses Before Bills Pass
Establishing an office run by the Inspector General to independently assess the cost or amount of revenue that would be generated by bills with an expected budgetary impact of more than $5 million would improve decision-making and accountability and promote efficiency and public trust. Such an office would monitor bills to determine if a review is required. The office should publish each analysis, including assumptions, on its website on a timely basis, similar to how the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) makes findings public. This reform would require additional funding for the Inspector General’s Office.[viii]
Recommendation: Establish an independent office similar to the CBO to conduct cost-benefit analyses for bills that would raise revenue or involve spending money.
End Public Collection of Union Dues Without Consent
Public agencies in Massachusetts currently collect and process union dues on behalf of private labor organizations representing public employees. While legal under Massachusetts law, this arrangement uses government infrastructure to benefit private entities and raises constitutional concerns under the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus decision, which requires affirmative consent before union dues can be deducted. Public employees should not be compelled—either practically or administratively—to fund political or advocacy activities without annual, revocable consent.[ix]
Recommendation: Prohibit state and local government agencies from collecting union dues unless the employee provides written, revocable consent each year. Require public employers to stop using government resources to process union dues or political contributions unless specifically authorized by law and with full employee opt-in.
Prevent Surtax Dollars from Replacing Core Funding Promises
When Massachusetts voters approved a surtax on high earners in 2022, they were promised the funds would supplement—not replace—existing investments in education and transportation. However, recent analysis shows that general fund support for both areas has slowed dramatically since the surtax took effect. From FY 2010 to FY 2022, inflation-adjusted education spending grew at an average of 1.8 percent annually, but without surtax revenue, projected growth drops to just 0.03 percent in FY 2024. Transportation funding trends are similarly concerning, with non-surtax support declining 3 percent between FY 2024 and FY 2025. These figures suggest that surtax revenues are being used to backfill general budget shortfalls, rather than driving new investment. Without greater transparency, public confidence in the surtax’s purpose—and the state’s fiscal integrity—will erode.[x]
Recommendation: Require in the final budget the publication of a full baseline education and transportation budget as if the surtax did not exist, including prior-year general-fund spending, the inflation-adjusted trendline, and the resulting baseline for the upcoming fiscal year. This baseline must appear alongside all surtax-funded appropriations so policymakers and the public can see, in one place, whether surtax dollars are being layered on top of existing commitments or used to replace them. This requirement would make any attempt at backfilling immediately visible and restore the “supplement—not replace” promise made to voters.
[i] Tom Birmingham, “Rigorous Civics Education Needed Now More Than Ever,” CommonWealth Magazine, 2021, https://commonwealthbeacon.org/education/rigorous-civics-education-needed-now-more-than-ever/; Jamie Gass, “Civics Education Is Crucial to Engaged Citizenship,” CommonWealth Magazine, 2023, https://commonwealthbeacon.org/education/civics-education-is-crucial-to-engaged-citizenship/; Matt Mulvey, “Examining the Academic Achievement Decline in New England Prior to COVID-19,” Pioneer Institute blog, 2024, https://pioneerinstitute.org/blog/blog-education/examining-the-academic-achievement-decline-in-new-england-prior-to-covid-19/; Civics Education Initiative, “Where It’s Law,” https://civicseducationinitiative.org/where-it-is-law/.
[ii] Mary Connaughton, “We Have a Long Way to Go for Massachusetts Residents to Have the Government Transparency We Deserve,” March 2024, https://pioneerinstitute.org/featured/we-have-a-long-way-to-go-for-massachusetts-residents-to-have-the-government-transparency-we-deserve/; Michael Jonas, “Voters Demand Audit of Legislature; Hurdles Remain,” Commonwealth Beacon, November 2023, https://commonwealthbeacon.org/ballot-questions/voters-demand-audit-of-legislature-hurdles-remain/; Mary Connaughton, “Poll: State Voters Overwhelmingly Support Ending Public Records Exemption, Auditing the Legislature,” July 2023. https://pioneerinstitute.org/featured/poll-state-voters-overwhelmingly-support-ending-public-records-exemption-auditing-the-legislature/; Mary Connaughton, “Question 1 Delivered a Harsh Verdict on the Legislature,” Commonwealth Beacon, November 2023, https://commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/question-1-delivered-a-harsh-verdict-on-the-legislature/; Mary Connaughton, “Time to End MA State Legislature’s Exemption from Public Records Law,” 2022, https://pioneerinstitute.org/better_government/time-to-end-ma-state-legislatures-exemption-from-public-records-law/; Michael Jonas, “Can a Legislative Audit Shine Light on Legislative Gridlock?” Commonwealth Beacon, April 2024, https://commonwealthbeacon.org/government/state-government/can-a-legislative-audit-shine-light-on-legislative-gridlock/.
[iii] Mary Connaughton, “Testimony Before the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Regarding Government Transparency,” March 2015, https://pioneerinstitute.org/pioneer-research/better-government/testimony-before-the-joint-committee-on-state-administration-and-regulatory-oversight-regarding-government-transparency/.
[iv] https://law.justia.com/cases/massachusetts/supreme-court/volumes/425/425mass406.html
[v] Mary Connaughton, “Sunshine Week 2024: Transparency in Massachusetts Government,” March 2024, https://pioneerinstitute.org/better_government/sunshine-week-2024/.
[vi] https://pioneerinstitute.org/state-rankings-financial-disclosure/
[vii] Mary Connaughton and Matthew Graves, “Outdated and Obfuscated: The State of Public Financial Disclosure in Massachusetts,” September 2019, https://pioneerinstitute.org/better_government/study-finds-massachusetts-lagging-on-transparency-of-public-official-statements-of-financial-interest/.
[viii] Congressional Budget Office, “Cost Estimates,” https://www.cbo.gov/cost-estimates; Mary Connaughton, “Sunshine Week 2023: Shining Light on the Workings of Government,” March 2023, https://pioneerinstitute.org/news/sunshine-week-2023-shining-light-on-the-workings-of-government/.
[ix] Commonwealth of Massachusetts, “Public Sector Union Dues and the Janus Decision,” Executive Office for Administration and Finance, https://www.mass.gov/guides/public-sector-union-dues-and-the-janus-decision.
[x] MassOpportunity Alliance, “Fact Check: MassBudget Report Validates Fears About Income Surtax,” July 2024, https://massopportunity.org/content/blog/fact-check-massbudget-report-validates-fears-about-income-surtax/.