Billionaire Mike Bloomberg funnels $2.5M toward opposing MCAS ballot measure

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has donated $2.5 million to the “Vote No on 2” campaign that opposes a ballot measure to remove the MCAS high school graduation requirement in Massachusetts, campaign finance filings show.

The donation was made in the past week, according to filings on the Office of Campaign and Political Finance's website. It's the single largest contribution to the “No on 2” campaign, with less than a week left until the election.

Bloomberg's donation is large enough to comprise roughly half of the $4.8 million the "No on 2" campaign has raised to date.

In a statement to WBUR Monday, a “No on 2” spokesman confirmed the contribution by the billionaire businessman.

“Mike Bloomberg has been a fierce advocate on issues affecting children, such as reducing gun violence and improving education,” the spokesman said. “We appreciate that he is supporting our broad and bipartisan coalition of teachers, parents, education and business organizations, and elected officials in opposition to Question 2.”

Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association — the state teachers union which is leading the support for Question 2 — said he became aware of the donation on Friday.

"I think voters in Massachusetts are smart enough to listen to the thousands of educators that have knocked on doors, made phone calls and held signs in favor of Question 2, instead of a handful of billionaires that have long been resistant to progressive and positive changes for all of our students," Page said Monday.

The union has poured nearly $12.7 million so far into support for the initiative, mostly all in-kind contributions, campaign finance reports show.

Question 2 seeks to remove the state requirement that all Massachusetts public high schoolers pass the Grade 10 MCAS in English, math, and science to earn a diploma.

Prior to Bloomberg’s donation, the single highest dollar contribution to the No on 2 campaign was $250,000 by New Balance chairman Jim Davis earlier this month. Several other business and finance leaders have donated $100,000 apiece. The most vocal opponents to the ballot measure include those from the business community and several top state officials, including Gov. Maura Healey and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler.

Bloomberg’s philanthropic organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The business titan and philanthropist is a native of Medford and graduate of Harvard Business School. He has contributed to the cause of state standardized testing in the past. In 2011, the New York Times reported that Bloomberg helped restore New York’s high school Regents exams by raising $1.5 million, including $250,000 of his own money, following a shortfall in the state testing budget.