Edward J. Kennedy Jr., a lifelong resident of Lowell, was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate in November 2018. He represents the First Middlesex District, which includes the city of Lowell and the towns of Dunstable, Groton, Pepperell, Tyngsboro, and Westford. A graduate of Boston University, Ed also holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Framingham State University.
A plaque at the Kirk Street entrance of Lowell High School describes education as “the most powerful lever to a democracy in raising the standard of its citizenship.” Senator Kennedy shares strongly in this outlook, and believes fully funding the Commonwealth’s schools and ensuring every child has the resources they need to be successful is a fundamental responsibility of government. Guided by his unique perspective as the former chair of Lowell’s School Committee, Senator Kennedy has long been a proponent of updating the Commonwealth’s education funding formula, known as the Foundation Budget, established in 1993, which underestimates the actual spending of every district in the state. In the early days of his first term in the Senate, Kennedy co-sponsored the PROMISE Act, a bill aimed at updating the education funding formula to account for costs which soared since the formula was established – including health insurance costs, special education costs, and costs for educating ELL students and low-income students. He has also co-sponsored legislation to create universal access to pre-kindergarten education to ensure every child’s education begins on a solid foundation.
Representing a district that includes a major public research institution and a community college, Senator Kennedy is a strong advocate for keeping public higher education affordable while maintaining quality. In his first term, Senator Kennedy has introduced legislation intended to make critical investments to enhance physical and cyber security measures at institutions of public higher education to make sure Massachusetts students, faculty, and staff are safe on our campuses. Senator Kennedy is also keenly aware of the burden that student loans pose to young people at a pivotal point in the lives, often hindering career opportunities and jeopardizing the financial standing of recent college graduates. He is the sponsor of legislation intended to encourage employers to repay the student loans of employees, and supports other creative solutions to ease the burdens created by the student loan crisis.