MA Senate Overwhelmingly Approves Fiscal Year 2024 Budget

The Massachusetts Senate approved on Thursday a $55.9 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24). Following a robust, spirited, and engaging debate process, the Senate approved 478 amendments, adding $82.2 million in spending to the budget. As the Commonwealth continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Senate’s budget prioritizes upholding fiscal discipline and responsibility, and supports the long-term economic health of the state. The Senate budget delivers historic levels of investment in education, housing, regional transportation, health care, workforce development, climate preparedness, and much more, while centering equity and opportunity as part of a broader, more comprehensive strategy to make Massachusetts more affordable, inclusive, and competitive.

“I am so proud that this chamber voted resoundingly for a transformative budget built on the simple principle that our success as a Commonwealth is tied to the success of every single person who calls Massachusetts home,” stated Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “Massachusetts will be competitive so long as people from all over the world can come here to fulfill their dreams – whether by going back to school, advancing their career, starting a business, or finding affordable housing and child care to raise a family. At a time when our world-class educational institutions are more needed now than ever, this budget adds a new chapter in Massachusetts’ storied tradition of making education accessible to all through our Student Opportunity Plan. I want to thank Chair Rodrigues, Vice Chair Friedman, Assistant Vice Chair Comerford, the Committee and all my Senate colleagues for their thoughtful and collaborative work on this budget.”

“In my five years as Chair of Ways and Means, I’ve never experienced a smoother or more democratic process than the Fiscal Year 2024 budget the Senate just approved here today,” said Senator Michael J. Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “The chamber focused on an overarching goal to meet (and in many cases exceed) the pressing needs of our communities, and the Commonwealth at large. This budget is a forward-thinking and responsive proposal that greatly facilitates our long-term economic health and expands access to opportunities to reinvigorate and reinvest in our workforce economy, lessen the wealth-income divide, and empower our communities as we build an inclusive post-pandemic future that equitably benefits all. Focusing on shared priorities and upholding fiscal responsibility, the Senate specifically targeted investments collectively in education, transportation, local aid, health care, housing assistance, workforce development, greatly strengthened the social service safety net. The Commonwealth’s economic foundation is now positioned to deftly deflect ongoing challenges and weather future uncertainty. Thank you to my colleagues in the Senate, especially my colleagues on the Committee, whose advocacy, collaboration, and dedication helped to inform and shape this comprehensive budget plan. A special heartfelt thank you to the Ways and Means staff, whose diligent work over the last several months was largely responsible for producing this budget, their tireless efforts did not go unnoticed! Lastly, a huge and sincere thank you to Senate President Spilka for her resolute and compassionate leadership as we work together to rebuild our economy and bolster our state’s long-term economic health.”

“I am proud of the Senate’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2024, which builds off prior fiscal year investments to deliver a comprehensive, impactful set of services and programs for the residents of the Commonwealth,” said Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington), Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “I am particularly proud of the provisions that safeguard preventive health care services like cancer screenings and access to medications for chronic conditions, in the wake of a partisan federal court ruling that threatens access to these important, life-saving health care services. In Massachusetts, we will continue to protect access to commonsense health care for all our residents.”

“Historic investment in food security and the Commonwealth's food system. Record investment in regional transit authorities. Transformative levels of higher education funding,” said Senator Joanne Comerford (D-Northampton), Assistant Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education. “I am proud of the many ways that this budget rises to meet the need of the Commonwealth’s people while strategically stoking opportunity and growth, maximizing equity, tackling pressing challenges, and seizing the promise of our time. Thank you to Senate President Karen Spilka and Chair Michael Rodrigues for their leadership in crafting this compassionate and responsible budget proposal.”

The Committee’s budget recommends a total of $55.8 billion in spending, a $3.4 billion increase over the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Budget. This spending recommendation is based on a tax revenue estimate of $40.41 billion for FY24, representing 1.6 per cent growth with an additional $1 billion from the new Fair Share surtax, as agreed upon during the Consensus Revenue process in January.

Remaining vigilant about the current fiscal environment, the Committee’s FY24 budget adheres to sound fiscal discipline and builds up available reserves for the state’s Stabilization Fund. The fund has grown to a record high of $7.16 billion and is projected to close FY24 at $9.07 billion. ensuring that the Commonwealth continues to have the means to uphold fiscal responsibility during a time of ongoing economic volatility.

The Senate’s FY24 budget also sets aside $575 million to pay for a progressive tax relief package that will center equity and chip away at the headwinds that threaten Massachusetts competitiveness. This tax package will be discussed and debated following the conclusion of the FY24 budget process.

Fair Share Investments

Consistent with the consensus revenue agreement reached with the Administration and House in January, the Senate’s FY24 budget includes $1 billion in revenues generated from the Fair Share ballot initiative voters approved in November 2022, which established a new surtax of 4 per cent on annual income above $1 million and invests these new public dollars to improve the state’s education and transportation sectors.

To safeguard this new source of revenue, the Senate’s FY24 budget also establishes an Education and Transportation Fund to account for these Fair Share funds in an open and transparent manner. This will ensure the public is visibly informed about how much revenue is collected from the new surtax and how much of this revenue is being dedicated to improving public education and transportation systems in accordance with the ballot initiative.

Notable Fair Share Education investments include: 

• $125 million for Higher Education Capital Funding, focused on reducing backlog of deferred maintenance projects
• $100 million for Financial Aid Expansion to expand financial aid programs for in-state students attending state universities through MASSGrant Plus, bringing the total proposal for this program to $275 million, more than doubling the amount of scholarship funding provided by the state just two fiscal years prior
• $100 million for Massachusetts School Building Authority Capital Supports for cities, towns and school districts experiencing extraordinary school project costs impacted by post-COVID inflationary pressures
• $30 million for Student Support Services to ensure students in the Commonwealth have success on the post-secondary level through wraparound supports, bringing the total program investment to $44 million
• $25 million to reduce the waiting list for the income-eligible child care assistance program, which will create approximately 2,200 new slots for children
• $25 million for capital investments in early education and care programs to build capacity and ensure the ability of programs to safely accommodate additional slots
• $20 million for Mass Reconnect, as a first step toward free community college in the Commonwealth for those aged 25 and older
• $20 million for a Free Community College Program for nursing students as a pilot to support a high-need workforce area and build toward universal free community college in the fall of 2024
• $15 million for Free Community College Implementation Supports to collect necessary data, develop best practices, and build capacity for free community college in the fall of 2024
• $15 million for the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative, which empowers school districts to expand prekindergarten and preschool opportunities through public-private partnerships; this funding is on top of an additional $15 million in non-Fair Share funding for this initiative
• $15 million to expand upon the Senate-championed program that supports early education and care staff members with paying for their own personal child care
• $10 million for Early College and Innovation Pathways

 

Notable Transportation investments include:

• $190 million for MBTA Capital Investments for critical capital resources for both the subway and commuter rail systems
• $100 million for Regional Transit Funding and Grants, which will exclusively be used to support the work of the Regional Transit Authorities that serve the Commonwealth, more than doubling the total funding for RTAs to $194 million, including:
• $56 million to be distributed to RTAs for operating assistance, with special attention paid to those RTAs with historically low state operating assistance
• $25 million for an innovation grant program for transportation providers across the Commonwealth for initiatives such as electrification, infrastructure, capital investments, new and innovative service delivery models, expanded service hours or weekend service, rural connectivity, and connectivity improvements across regional transit authority service areas
• $15 million for fare-free pilot program grants to provide six months of fare-free RTA service across the Commonwealth
• $4 million through the Community Transit Grant Program to support expanded mobility options for older adults, people with disabilities and low-income individuals
• $100 million in supplemental aid for roads and bridges, half of which will be expended consistent with the Chapter 90 program, while the other half will be spent with a focus on the total mileage of participating municipalities
• $50 million for a reserve to provide matching funds for transportation projects that are eligible for federal funds, which will help the state better compete for increased federal transportation funding made available by the Biden Administration
• $50 million for Highway Bridge Preservation, to ensure that consistent funds are provided to make sure that critical infrastructure does not fall into disrepair
• $5 million for MBTA Means-Tested Fares, which will cover initial exploration of the feasibility of implementing a means-tested fare program at the MBTA
• $5 million for Water Transportation, which will cover one-time expenses for a pilot program covering operational assistance for ferry services

Education

The Senate Ways and Means FY24 budget proposal takes the first step toward implementing the Senate’s Student Opportunity Plan by making high-quality education more accessible and by making record investments to support students across the full breadth of the Commonwealth’s education system, from Massachusetts’ youngest learners to adults re-entering higher education. 

Recognizing that investments in our early education and care system support the underlying economic competitiveness of the Commonwealth, the Senate’s budget makes a historic $1.5 billion investment in early education and care. This is the largest-ever proposed annual appropriation for early education and care in Massachusetts history. For context, this area of the budget has increased by more than 77 percent (more than $660 million) over the budget from three fiscal years prior. The FY24 budget will maintain operational support for providers, support the early education and care workforce, and prioritize accessibility and affordability throughout our early education and care system.

Notably, this will be the first fiscal year in which the annual state budget includes a full year of funding for C3 grants, signaling a historic commitment to maintain this crucial lifeline for our early education and care sector. Funded at $475 million, this program, which is open to all early education and care providers, provides monthly payments to programs throughout Massachusetts. These grants, which are received by 88% of early education and care programs in the Commonwealth, have empowered programs to raise salaries, to hire additional staff, to maintain their enrollment levels, and to avoid tuition increases. Without the continuation of these grants, 751 providers (which serve over 15,000 children) have indicated that they would have to close their doors.

Other notable funding includes:

• $45 million for the center-based childcare rate reserve for reimbursement rates for subsidized care, including:
• $20 million in line-item appropriations, and
• $25 million in expected leftover funds from Fiscal Year 2023
• $30 million for the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative, which empowers school districts to expand prekindergarten and preschool opportunities through public-private partnerships. This is double the amount that was appropriated for this initiative in FY23.
• $25 million in new funding to reduce the waiting list for income-eligible child care assistance program, which will create approximately 2,200 new slots for children
• $25 million in new funding for capital investments in early education and care programs to build capacity and ensure the ability of programs to safely accommodate additional slots
• $17.5 million for grants to Head Start programs, which provide crucial early education and child care services to low-income families
• $15 million, an increase of $5 million over FY23, to assist early education and care staff members with paying for their own personal child care
• $10 million for professional development and higher education opportunities for early educators, to assist with recruitment and retention challenges in the workforce
• $5 million, an increase of $1.5 million over FY23, for mental health consultation services in early education and care programs
• In addition to these appropriations, the Fiscal Year 2024 budget includes a policy section that will allow subsidized early education and care programs to provide child care discounts to their own staff members.

For K-12 education, the Senate commits once again to fully funding and implementing the Student Opportunity Act (SOA) by FY 2027, investing $6.59 billion in Chapter 70 funding, an increase of $604 million over FY 2023, as well as doubling minimum Chapter 70 aid from $30 to $60 per pupil. This investment ensures that the state remains on schedule to fully implement the Student Opportunity Act by FY2027 and ensures that all school districts are equipped with the resources to deliver high quality educational opportunities to their students.

In addition to these record investments in early education and public K-12 education, the Committee’s budget expands pathways to affordable public higher education for all by building capacity for free community college for all students in Fall 2024. Laying the groundwork for this momentous change to make higher education more accessible, the Senate budget includes $275 million for the scholarship reserve, $55 million to accelerate and build up capacity to support free community college across all campuses by fall of 2024, and $40 million for free community college programs for students aged 25 or older and for students pursuing degrees in nursing starting in the fall of 2023, thereby addressing a critical need felt across the state.

The Committee’s budget also welcomes students regardless of their race, national origin, citizenship, or immigration status, making clear that all high school students who attend for three years and graduate from a Massachusetts high school are eligible to receive in-state tuition at our public institutions of higher education.

Other education investments include:

• $503.8 million for the special education circuit breaker
• $230.3 million for charter school reimbursements
• $97.1 million to reimburse school districts for regional school transportation costs, representing a 90% reimbursement rate
• $15 million for Rural School Aid supports
• $15 million for Early College programs and $12.6 million for the state’s Dual Enrollment initiative, both of which provide high school students with increased opportunities for post-graduate success
• $5 million to support implementation of the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Higher Education law, including:
• $3 million for grants offered through the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment initiative to help high school students with intellectual disabilities ages 18–22 access higher education opportunities, and
• $2 million for the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Trust Fund
• $2.5 million for the Civics Education Trust Fund, after an increase of $1 million through the amendment process, to promote civics education and civic engagement throughout the Commonwealth.
• $2 million for the Genocide Education Trust Fund, continuing our commitment to educate middle and high school students on the history of genocide.
• $1 million, adopted through the amendment process, for the Department of Higher Education to support Hunger-Free Campuses for both two- and four-year public institutions of higher education and minority serving institutions

Health, Mental Health & Family Care

The Senate budget funds MassHealth at a total of $19.93 billion, providing more than 2.3 million people with continued access to affordable, accessible, and comprehensive health care services. Other health investments include:

• $2.9 billion for a range of services and focused supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• $597.7 million for Department of Mental Health adult support services, including assisted outpatient programming and comprehensive care coordination among health care providers.
• $582 million for nursing facility Medicaid rates, including:
• $112 million in additional base rate payments to maintain competitive wages in the Commonwealth’s nursing facility workforce
• $213.3 million for a complete range of substance use disorder treatment and intervention services to support these individuals and their families
• $119.8 million for children’s mental health services, after an increase of $500K through the amendment process for the establishment of Behavioral Health Pilot Program for K-12 Schools
• $71.2 million for domestic violence prevention services
• $42.9 million for Early Intervention services, ensuring supports remain accessible and available to infants and young toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities
• $33.8 million for Family Resource Centers to grow and improve the mental health resources and programming available to families
• $26.3 million for grants to local Councils on Aging to increase assistance per elder to $14 from $12 in FY 2023
• $25 million for emergency department diversion initiatives for children, adolescents, and adults
• $21.5 million for family and adolescent health, including:
• $9.2 million for comprehensive family planning services, and
• $6.7 million to enhance federal Title X family planning funding
• $20 million to recapitalize the Behavioral Health, Access, Outreach and Support Trust Fund to support targeted behavioral health initiatives
• $19.2 million to support student behavioral health services at the University of Massachusetts, state universities, community colleges, K-12 schools and early education centers
• $15 million for grants to support local and regional boards of health, continuing our efforts to build upon the successful State Action for Public Health Excellence (SAPHE) Program
• $12.8 million for Elder Nutrition Meals on Wheels, after an increase of $1 million through the amendment process
• $6 million for Social Emotional Learning Grants to help K-12 schools bolster social emotional learning supports for students, including $1 million to provide mental health screenings for K-12 students
• $5 million for Children Advocacy Centers to improve the critical supports available to children that have been neglected or sexually abused
• $4.6 million for the Office of the Child Advocate
• $3.8 million for the Massachusetts Center on Child Wellbeing & Trauma
• $2 million for grants for improvements in reproductive health access, infrastructure, and safety
• $1 million, adopted through the amendment process, for the Public University Health Center Sexual and Reproductive Health Preparation Fund for the purpose of reimbursements to public universities for abortion medications
• $1 million, adopted through the amendment process, for the development, expansion and operation of freestanding birth centers and support for community-based maternal health services

The Senate’s FY24 budget codifies into law the federal Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) provisions that protect access to preventive services. By enshrining the ACA protections into state law, insurance carriers across the Commonwealth will be required to provide coverage for preventive services without imposing cost-sharing such as co-pays and deductibles. With this vital step, the Senate is protecting access to preventive health care services for millions of our residents, including screenings for cancer, diabetes, HIV, and depression, as well as preventive medications such as statins, immunizations, and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV), and further protecting the rights and freedoms of residents to make their own health care choices without federal interference.

Through the amendment process, the Senate also took a crucial step toward expanding access to reproductive health by allowing pharmacists to dispense hormonal contraceptives. 

Expanding & Protecting Opportunities

The Senate remains committed to continuing an equitable recovery, expanding opportunity, and supporting the state’s long-term economic health. To that end, the Committee’s budget includes a record investment in the annual child’s clothing allowance, providing $450 per child for eligible families to buy clothes for the upcoming school year. The budget also includes a 10 per cent increase to Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) benefit levels compared to June 2023 to help families move out of deep poverty.

Economic opportunity investments include:

• $444.7 million for Transitional Assistance to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and $201.4 million for Emergency Aid to Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) to provide the necessary support as caseloads increase and to continue the Deep Poverty increases
• $60 million for adult basic education services to improve access to skills necessary to join the workforce
• $36 million for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program, after an increase of $1 million through the amendment process
• $20 million for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund to connect unemployed and under-employed workers with higher paying jobs
• $21 million in Healthy Incentives Programs to maintain access to healthy food options for households in need
• $15 million for a Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Grant Program to provide economic support to communities disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system
• $15.4 million for Career Technical Institutes to increase our skilled worker population and provide residents access to career technical training opportunities
• $5.8 million for the Innovation Pathways program to continue to connect students to trainings and post-secondary opportunities in the industry sector with a focus on STEM fields
• $5 million for community foundations to provide emergency economic relief to historically underserved populations
• $5 million for the Secure Jobs Connect Program, providing job placement resources and assistance for homeless individuals
• $2.5 million for the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Innovation Fund, including $1.5 million to further partnerships with community colleges and state universities to provide cybersecurity workforce training to students and cybersecurity services to municipalities, non-profits, and small businesses
• $600,000 through the amendment process for the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative, which will provide municipalities with technical assistance to promote compact, walkable downtowns that have a vibrant mix of commercial and residential uses, cultural and recreational amenities, and access to public transportation.

Housing

As the Senate puts in motion plans to make the Commonwealth  more inclusive, home affordability remains on the top of residents’ minds. To that end, the Senate’s FY24 budget makes a historic $1.05 billion investment in housing, dedicating resources programs that support housing stability, residential assistance, and homelessness assistance.

The budget prioritizes relief for families and individuals who continue to face challenges brought on by the pandemic and financial insecurity, including $324 million for Emergency Assistance Family Shelters and $195 million for Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT), which will provide rental assistance that a household can receive at $7,000. Other housing investments include:

$200 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP), including $20.4 million in funds carried forward from FY 2023, creating more than 750 new vouchers and allowing the program to move to a payment standard with a benefit of 110% of the federal small-area fair market rental price, significantly broadening housing options for those served by the program

• $110.8 million for assistance for homeless individuals
• $107 million for assistance to local housing authorities
• $39.6 million for the HomeBASE diversion and rapid re-housing programs, bolstering assistance under this program to two years with a per household maximum benefit of $20,000
• $26 million for the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP), including $9.1 million in funds carried forward from FY 2023. This funding increase will create 250 new vouchers and will pair with $2.5 million for grants to improve or create accessible housing units. Both programs will also benefit from the inclusion of project-based vouchers in AHVP, which will stimulate the building of new deeply affordable and accessible homes
• $7.6 million for sponsor-based supportive permanent housing
• $6.4 million for the Home and Healthy for Good re-housing and supportive services program, including:
• $250,000 for homeless LGBTQ youth
• $500,000 through the amendment process for a matched savings, coaching, and support program for first-generation, first-time homebuyers across the Commonwealth

 

In addition to these record supports, the budget makes permanent a COVID-era renter protection that slows down the court process in eviction proceedings when the tenant has a pending rental assistance application. 

Community Support

The Committee’s budget – in addition to funding traditional accounts like Chapter 70 education aid – further demonstrates the Senate’s commitment to state-local partnerships, dedicating meaningful resources that touch all regions and meet the needs of communities across the Commonwealth. This includes $1.27 billion in funding for Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA), an increase of $39.4 million over FY 2023, to support additional resources for cities and towns. In addition to traditional sources of local aid, the Committee’s budget increases payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for state-owned land to $51.5 million, an increase of $6.5 million over FY 2023. PILOT funding is a vital source of supplemental local aid for cities and towns working to protect and improve access to essential services and programs during recovery from the pandemic. Other local investments include:

• $194 million for Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) to support regional public transportation systems, including $100 million from Fair Share funds to support our RTAs that help to connect all regions of our Commonwealth.
• $47.3 million for libraries, including $16.7 million for regional library local aid, after an increase of $750,000 through the amendment process, $17.6 million for municipal libraries and $6.2 million for technology and automated resource networks.
• $25 million for the Massachusetts Cultural Council to support local arts, culture and creative economy initiatives.

The FY24 Senate Budget will soon be available on the Massachusetts legislature’s website: https://malegislature.gov/Budget/FY2024/SenateBudget. 

A conference committee will now be appointed to reconcile differences between the versions of the budget passed by the Senate and House of Representatives.

MA Senate Overwhelmingly Approves Fiscal Year 2024 Budget

CommonWealth Magazine: "ed reform money reaching poorer districts"

"THE LOW-INCOME, HEAVILY IMMIGRANT city of Chelsea is getting over $2,600 per pupil more in state education aid than it did two years ago. That translates to nearly $19 million in additional funds each year going into the district’s $118 million budget.  

Mary Bourque, a former Chelsea superintendent and now director of government affairs for the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, called that a prime illustration that the Student Opportunity Act, a landmark rewrite of the state’s public education funding formula, is working. 

“It is benefiting those who were intended to benefit,” Bourque said. 

Passage of the law in 2019 came after years of complaints that the state education funding formula was not keeping pace with actual costs of providing an adequate education. The original formula, established through the Education Reform Act of 1993, was designed to help equalize education funding by steering more state aid to poorer communities, but critics say those districts were increasingly struggling to meet the rising costs of educating low-income students, English learners, and special education students. The revamp of the funding formula boosted state aid for all three categories of students as well as for the increasing costs of employee health care.  "

Continue reading the overall assessment of the Student Opportunity Act

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/on-target-ed-reform-money-reaching-poorer-districts/

Franklin is one of the "minimum aid" for two reasons; one, it is receiving more than the current calculation says it should. The overage amount is second only to Boston. As the local (Franklin taxpayer portion) of Net School Spending increases to the maximum, at that time, Franklin could see increase in benefits. Two, the second reason that Franklin gets minimum aid is due to its declining enrollment. We peaked at 6100 students in 2010 and have dropped to 4710 (as of the Oct 1, 2022 enrollment report).

The Oct 1, 2022 enrollment report as shared with the School Committee 10/25/22

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GI_O0QuahNYT0XsHhYtfd_hX-Fcfm8uo/view?usp=share_link

Additional info on the FY 23 school budget can be found online

https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget/pages/1-fy-2023-budget

CommonWealth Magazine: "ed reform money reaching poorer districts"

Senate President Spilka's Boston Chamber Remarks as Prepared for Delivery - June 21, 2022

It is a great honor to speak with you today. As the Senate heads into the final month of formal sessions, we are poised to try to tackle some of the big issues facing the people of the Commonwealth, and I am feeling optimistic about what we have accomplished and what I believe we can accomplish by working with our partners in the House and the Baker Administration.

Just last week, the Legislature sent the Governor a conference committee VOTES Act, designed to increase voting access by enacting vote-by-mail and expanded early-voting options, widely used in the 2020 election, on a permanent basis. It was my hope that this legislation would include same-day voter registration. Although we couldn’t reach a compromise on this provision, I will continue to advocate for its adoption, as so many Senators remain in favor of this provision.

We also recently passed our Fiscal Year 2023 budget, in which the Senate prioritized workforce development so that employers have access to a larger pool of local talent to hire and partner with. Together with our first ARPA allocation, we have made historic investments in the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, Adult Basic Education, our cybersecurity workforce in partnership with our public community colleges and universities, as we in the Legislature believe the Commonwealth can and should be a leader in cybersecurity, because we see it as a natural priority, and organizations working with people displaced from jobs during the pandemic, historically underserved populations, and individuals reentering their communities from the corrections system.

Finally, despite our current economic uncertainty and all our recent investments in our people, the Commonwealth’s Rainy Day Fund has never been higher. As Ways & Means Chair and now as Senate President, it has been my priority to grow our rainy day fund, and I’m proud to say that it’s now over $6 billion. So when we need it next, we’ll be prepared.

As for the Student Opportunity Act, many of you know that I ran for the Legislature on this issue, because I wanted to achieve real transformative change for all of our students. That’s why I’m proud that, in our recent budget, we invest a record $6 billion in Massachusetts public K-12 schools, thereby providing students with high quality educational opportunities while addressing pandemic costs—and keeping us on track to fulfill the promise of the Student Opportunity Act in seven years.

We also doubled the increase in the amount of local aid to cities and towns, to $1.2 billion, and invested over $900 million in increased funding towards housing stability and assistance to those living with homelessness. The measures we’re taking, including subsidizing rents and the cost of moving, provide concrete help to individuals and families experiencing housing instability while preventing costs from being passed on to local landlords.

As we continue to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever that we ensure that the Commonwealth not only maintains but grows its economic vitality while ensuring the wonderful quality of life we aspire to here. And as we rethink the way that we work, our priorities in a post-COVID world, and grapple with economic realities in an inflationary environment, it’s clear that there are aspects of our economy and our society that just aren’t serving us well anymore.

When it comes to both early education and care, and mental and behavioral health, it seems as if we are still trying to exist in a post World War II structure, where men were assumed to be the primary breadwinners and no one talks about their feelings. But think of everything we have achieved since then—not only have we put a man on the moon, we now carry tiny powerful computers in our pockets. We’ve passed marriage equality, and we’ve made great strides in rights for women, our trans brothers and sisters, and immigrants—and we continue to work towards a more just and equitable Commonwealth for all.

Much of the technology used to propel our world forward—and the groundbreaking social policy used to propel our society forward—was invented right here in Massachusetts. Yet our antiquated beliefs about child care and mental health—and the systems we’ve built to support them—are dragging us down, and need to be urgently addressed if we are to remain economically competitive.

Take early education and care. Before the pandemic, women in Massachusetts were participating in the workforce at increasing rates, surpassing the national rate by 2019—but the pandemic has brought women back to where they were after the 2009 recession. In fact, the percentage of women participating in the U.S. labor market in October 2020 was the lowest since 1988. And while a February 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows that men have now recouped all their labor force losses since February 2020, over 1 million fewer women were in the labor force in January 2022 as compared to February 2020. Given how many women either need to work or prefer to work, this reflects an unsustainable trend.

But a lack of affordable early education and care options dampens the economy in other ways too.

According to a recent news article, parents of a four-year-old in Massachusetts can expect to pay 27 per cent of a typical family’s wages on child care—the highest percentage of any state in the U.S. except for Hawaii. In fact, the Economic Policy institute has pointed out that childcare workers themselves cannot afford childcare – because the cost of childcare in Massachusetts is more than 75 percent of the wages earned by a typical childcare worker, which is truly outrageous.

And so I’m proud to report that the Senate is tackling this issue from many different angles—and I’m also excited that there is action in the Legislature to address this important issue this session.

In our Fiscal Year 2021 budget, we created a Special Legislative Early Education and Care Economic Review Commission. That commission submitted its final report in March 2022, and included some pragmatic recommendations for the Legislature in the areas of stabilization, family affordability and access; and workforce compensation.

I’m excited to announce that the Senate will be releasing a bill shortly. This legislation, if and when it is fully implemented, will be transformative in expanding access to high quality, sustainable, and affordable early education and care for young children and families in Massachusetts. It also recognizes that our workforce needs significant supports, through salary, and education and training.

To provide a crucial down payment on our efforts to shore up childcare and early education, the Fiscal Year 2023 Senate budget invests a record $1.13B to transform the childcare system, an increase of $309.6M over FY 2022. The Senate budget also formalizes the practice of reimbursing providers based on enrollment rather than attendance, which will provide more stable payments for our early educators. We also dedicate a new $250M to continue the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) Stabilization Grant Program through at least the end of the calendar year. We believe that the C3 grants provide the bedrock funding necessary for the continued development of this sector. And, in recognizing that we need to do more for all our providers, particularly subsidized providers, we are putting this provision in our budget to demonstrate the Senate’s commitment to funding this year after year.

I’m optimistic our House colleagues will support these critical infrastructure investments.

With implementation of the SOA well underway, I believe that it’s time to turn our attention to early ed and care—and pursue the same type of transformational change in a multi-year process. The business community has been at the table on the early education and childcare issue – and we need you to stay. With your support, we can continue to shore up our childcare and early education infrastructure to better serve our businesses, our communities, our families, and most importantly, our children.

Another area where we can’t let the systems of the past impinge on our future is mental health.

I’d like to start by saying how grateful I am to Speaker Ron Mariano, Chair Adrian Madaro, and the entire House for passing their version of the Mental Health ABC Act 2.0 last week. I am extremely hopeful that we will finally get a comprehensive reform bill done this session, and it can’t come soon enough.

 

In this post-pandemic, inflationary environment, the stress of finding childcare, putting food on the table, and keeping a roof over your head is detrimental to our overall wellbeing, and yet our mental health care system remains broken, disrupting both people’s lives and our economy.

According to the Lancet, poor mental health was estimated to cost the world economy approximately $2.5 trillion per year in poor health and reduced productivity in 2010, and—in part due to the effects of the pandemic—that cost is projected to more than double to $6 trillion by 2030.

So, investing in mental and behavioral health makes good sense all around. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, for every $1 put into scaled up treatment for common mental disorders, there is a return of $4 in improved health and productivity.

That’s why, for Fiscal Year 2023, the Senate budget includes over $1B for mental health supports. These investments are paired with $400M from the American Rescue Plan Act legislation, primarily focused on building and sustaining this much- needed workforce.

Just two weeks ago, I attended the commencement ceremony at William James College, where they are intentionally working to foster a new generation of diverse mental and behavioral health professionals who can help us build the future when it comes to mental health access and care.

The Senate also included funding for a mental health clinician loan forgiveness program, a student telebehavioral health program and a public awareness campaign, and $15M in capacity-building initiatives to tackle the heartbreaking reality of emergency department boarding, along with an additional $100M plus to provide tools to sustain momentum around increased SEL supports, children mental health supports, and to Family Resource Centers.

And because substance use disorder is so often the result of unmet mental health needs, the Senate also dedicates significant funding in this area, including $209.3 million for a complete range of substance use disorder treatment and intervention services to support individuals and their families.

It’s clear that the need for mental health care has risen to the top of the agenda for many, and that may be one of the very few silver linings of the pandemic. I’m proud of all the work the Senate has done to advance this critical issue—and I hope you will all join us in getting this over the finish line—and then let your employees take the time they need to access mental health care! It will truly benefit us all.

Another area where our past threatens our future is our transportation system. By now, we’ve all read about the damning Federal Transportation Authority report. If Jim were here, I know he’d have something to say about this.

As he stated in the Globe, safety concerns are a top reason why employees are hesitant to return to work—and you have to wonder, what is stopping them from looking for work elsewhere? And we all know that when employees leave, employers are often forced to follow.

It’s high time that Massachusetts has the public transportation system to match the values and aspirations of its residents, not just here in Boston but throughout the entire state. As a Commonwealth, we need to take a comprehensive look at what we have, what we want, where we're going and how we pay for it—statewide.

This is important not only to provide a top-notch transportation system, but to reach our climate goals as well. In the climate bill now in conference committee, the Senate focused on electrifying our public transportation and cars, which is essential to reaching the future we envision.

Just this morning, the Speaker and I are announcing our support for continued discussions on East-West rail, including the $50 million we included in the last transportation bond bill, with the intent to include significantly more in the upcoming one. I’m hoping that the creation of this new transportation system will open up opportunities for economic development, just as the South Coast rail and the Green Line extension have done.

But we can’t just focus on these large-scale projects at the expense of the Regional Transit Authorities that service our local communities, and that’s why the Senate added $2.5 million in our budget for RTAs for the first time to explore opportunities for means-tested, discounted or fare-free pilot programs. And although I am disappointed the Governor vetoed the Senate’s attempt to move forward on a low-income fare program at the T and the Commuter Rail last session, I am looking forward to continuing that conversation with my colleagues in the upcoming transportation bond bill currently moving through the legislature. As that bill moves, we will continue to have these important discussions on the future of transportation in our state, and I look forward to the Boston Chamber continuing to be a partner in those talks.

Finally, the Speaker and I have also announced this morning that the Joint Committee on Transportation will hold an oversight hearing on the MBTA. The Federal Transit Administration’s findings and the MBTA’s subsequent service cuts don’t inspire public confidence in our transit system. Given the FTA’s interim findings and alarming directives there is an increased need to better understand the agency’s shortcomings and help restore public confidence, and so we need to learn more so that the Legislature can help ensure the T returns to safe and reliable service.

Finally, I believe our state’s strong financial position means that the Legislature can safely balance targeted spending, in areas like housing, childcare and higher education, with tax relief for individuals and families, and other ways to put money back in people’s pocket.

Last year, the Senate converted tax deductions for young children, elderly or disabled dependents and business-related dependent care expenses into refundable tax credits. This meant an additional $16 million to 86,000 low-income working parents and caregivers, thereby helping to lift families out of poverty, and we were happy to see the Governor expand this Senate initiative in his tax relief proposal, as these are dollars that go directly back into the economy.

In addition, the very first commitment we made with funds from the American Rescue Plan was a billion-dollar investment. We put $500 million towards businesses, in the form of unemployment insurance relief, giving them more resources to hire, innovate and invest back into the economy, and $500 million to frontline workers who couldn’t telecommute and who put themselves at risk, providing $500 checks for those who can use it the most.

$500 payments were delivered to nearly 240,000 people in March in the first round of the program, and the second round is distributing $500 checks to approximately 300,000 additional workers this month—a phenomenal number.

We are currently in discussions about a tax relief proposal, which may include changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit and the estate tax, among others. We will continue to ensure that Massachusetts is open, competitive, and inclusive, and that these same values guide our tax relief proposal.

As I conclude, it is clear that we have a lot of work ahead of us. But I am, as I said, I am hopeful about the future. Everywhere I go, I see people of all backgrounds and experiences wanting to row in the same direction when it comes to what is best for our children and families, our mental health, and our economy.

And it is indeed an honor to be in a leadership position in this time, even if it is a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty.

I’d like to thank all of you for your leadership in the business community, and for caring so very much about our Commonwealth. I look forward to our continued partnership.

 

"School funding is both enormously important and extremely complicated"

It is timely that the Franklin School Committee has a workshop scheduled to help the new members understand the Franklin school budget. While much has been written around the impact of the Student Opportunity Act (SOA) and how it will help MA better fund schools, this Shanker Report looks at state to state funding comparisons and finds MA lacking.

This helps position the Franklin budget in the overall bigger picture of school funding across the nation. 

"This year's Shanker Institute report on the adequacy and fairness of school funding, which uses 2019 data, gives a stark picture of where we have been in Massachusetts. 

2019, of course, is when, in November, we FINALLY got a revision to the state formula, one-sixth (mostly) of which was FINALLY implemented this current fiscal year.

The work of Bruce D. Baker of Rutgers University), Matthew Di Carlo and Kayla Reist of the Shanker Institute, and Mark Weber, also at Rutgers University, the report looks at effort, progressivity, and adequacy; that is: how much are states actually trying in using the fiscal resources they have for schools, and do they make sure poor kids are getting more resources, and are districts getting enough money to get to outcomes needed.

And we don't look so hot, Massachusetts. "

Continue reading the article online

https://who-cester.blogspot.com/2021/12/how-much-has-massachusetts-really-been.html

You can go directly to the Shanker Report ->

https://www.schoolfinancedata.org/the-adequacy-and-fairness-of-state-school-finance-systems-2022/

The MA profile can be found here ->

https://www.schoolfinancedata.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/profiles19_MA.pdf

our effort level ranks #43 in the nation (out of 49)

MA State News: vehicle inspection outage continues; vaccine certificates; school funding by Legislature

"After a more than weeklong outage in the state’s vehicle inspection system, service stations on Wednesday finally started receiving a software fix that is expected to solve the malware attack that hamstrung the testing program in Massachusetts and seven other states.

The contractor targeted by the attack, Applus Technologies, sent the software updates on flash drives to more than 1,700 shops in Massachusetts and walked operators through a reboot intended to protect the machines.

The inspection system has been offline since the attack on Applus on March 30, and is unlikely to be back online this week, according to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/07/metro/contractor-dispatches-potential-software-fix-vehicle-inspection-stations-mass-7-other-states-system-still-out/

"Baker unwilling to talk vaccine passports"

"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER is uninterested in talking about vaccination passports.

Asked whether Massachusetts might consider creating vaccine passports – which would impose restrictions on unvaccinated individuals – Baker did not explicitly say no, but said his focus is on getting people vaccinated. “Having a conversation about creating a barrier before people had an opportunity to be eligible to be vaccinated, let’s focus on getting people vaccinated,” Baker said, speaking after visiting a vaccination site in Revere."

Continue reading the article online  https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/baker-unwilling-to-talk-vaccine-passports/ 

"Legislature will increase school funding next year"

THE LEGISLATURE HAS agreed to take a more generous approach to funding public schools next year than Gov. Charlie Baker did, responding to concerns from education advocates that Baker’s proposal was inadequate.  

The legislative approach reflects a different time frame for phasing in an updated school funding formula, and the creation of a new fund to help districts that saw pandemic-related enrollment drops. But some advocates are still unhappy with lawmakers’ compromise approach, saying it does not fully address districts’ needs.

The chairs of the House and Senate ways and means committees announced in a joint statement Tuesday that they plan to put $5.503 billion into Chapter 70, the K-12 school funding formula, in their fiscal 2022 budget, which represents an increase of $219.6 million over the current year. That is $21.9 million more than what Baker had proposed. 

 Continue reading the article online https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/legislature-will-increase-school-funding-next-year/

“We’re a year behind in fulfilling the promise of the Student Opportunity Act"

"The Baker-Polito Administration today filed its Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) budget recommendation, a $45.6 billion proposal that continues the Administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and addresses critical priorities including promoting economic growth, fully funding the first year of the landmark Student Opportunity Act, and supporting cities and towns across Massachusetts. This balanced proposal does not raise taxes on the Commonwealth’s residents and preserves substantial financial reserves for the future.

Submitted as House 1, this budget recommendation provides $246.3 million in new funding for the Student Opportunity Act including an increase of $197.7 million in Chapter 70 funding, with a particular focus on school districts serving low-income students. The Administration is also proposing to allow municipalities to count $114 million in federal dollars towards their Chapter 70 required local contribution increases to further deliver on the commitments in the Student Opportunity Act. Additionally, House 1 maintains the Administration’s promise to cities and towns with a $39.5 million increase in unrestricted local aid, which is equivalent to the 3.5% consensus tax revenue growth rate."

Continue to read the press release from Gov Baker's office

https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-files-fiscal-year-2022-budget-proposal

To review the budget letter and funding details

https://budget.digital.mass.gov/govbudget/fy22/

Chapter 70 info for FY 2022 from DESE

https://www.doe.mass.edu/finance/chapter70/fy2022/preliminary.html

Insights into the details of the budget and slick accounting used

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/baker-releases-fy22-budget-with-drop-in-spending-no-new-taxes/

Critics of the budget proposal outline details

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/school-advocates-call-bakers-funding-proposal-inadequate/

Gov Baker budget press conference:  https://youtu.be/S3KlSfJdu5s

CommonWealth Magazine: Student Opportunity Act to be funded in FY 22 budget; sports betting bill filed again

 

"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER will propose fully funding the first year of the recently updated school funding formula when he releases his fiscal 2022 budget proposal next week – a commitment that was delayed by a year due to COVID-19.  

Baker made the announcement on Friday at the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s annual meeting, which was conducted virtually due to COVID-19. 

Baker did not go into details other than to say the administration will “keep our commitment to local school districts by fully funding the first year of the Student Opportunity Act.” 

The governor did not give an exact dollar figure for how much additional money he will put into education aid. But based on past estimates, it will likely be more than $300 million. "

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/baker-will-propose-implementing-first-year-of-new-school-funding-formula/

"Sports betting is back.

State Sen. Brendan Crighton, a Lynn Democrat, reintroduced a bill this week to legalize sports betting in Massachusetts, reviving a debate that died without action at the end of the last legislative session.

“Looking at the states around us, folks are going to bet on sports whether or not we legalize this, but right now the money’s going to the black market and to other states,” Crighton said in an interview with CommonWealth. “With the black market, you’re not getting any consumer protections. We think it’s important to bring people out of the shadows into the regulated market.”

Last summer, the Massachusetts House voted on a bill to legalize sports betting. The House then included sports betting in its version of an economic development bill. But the Senate never held a vote on the policy, and it was left out of the final version of the economic development bill."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/the-download/sports-betting-bill-refiled-seeks-more-revenue-2/

 

Governor's budget "cuts the amount of K-12 school funding"

From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:

THE UNVEILING of Gov. Charlie Baker’s revised fiscal year 2021 budget raised eyebrows. Some called it a “miracle budget” because he proposed a balanced budget without large-scale cuts and — notably — without raising taxes.

To be clear, raising taxes on families and businesses already facing financial hardship is not the right thing to do — on this point, we agree with the governor.

Where we disagree is the idea that the state can get through this storm without raising any taxes. The wealthiest households and large, profitable corporations should be paying more taxes to support communities in this time of dire need.

We commend the administration for some proposals, like delaying the state charitable deduction, and for its overall budget-balancing prowess. However, there are many areas where this budget falls short of our communities’ needs.

.......

The prime example is K-12 school funding. A new law, the Student Opportunity Act, recognized the need to dramatically increase state support for students in low-income families, English Language Learners, and those receiving special education.

Not only does the governor’s new budget delay the Student Opportunity Act’s implementation, it also cuts the amount of K-12 school funding from his January proposal by $195.5 million. (The slight increase in his budget compared with last year accounts only for inflation and normal enrollment growth.) The pain of these cuts will fall hardest on our students, particularly from Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities, which the new law was intended to support.

On top of these challenges, schools are trying to retrofit buildings for safe ventilation, ensure all students have access to online learning, and support children facing trauma. Federal relief will cover some of these unexpected costs, but that relief is insufficient, often restrictive, and contingent upon a mercurial Congress.

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/bakers-covid-budget-doesnt-rise-to-the-occasion/

 

Links to the Governor's updated budget can be found online

https://www.mass.gov/lists/the-governors-revised-fiscal-year-2021-budget-recommendation-october

 

	Chapter 70	Unrestricted Gen'l Gov't Aid
FY 2021 - January 2020	5,479,534,540	1,160,218,724
FY 2021 - October 2020	5,283,651,632	1,128,617,436
Difference	-195,882,908	-31,601,288

The rainy day fund, pandemic spending, deceptive framing all in one MA FY 21 budget

Pulling together multiple sources today.

"Despite the pandemic-related recession and high unemployment rates, and an expected drop in state tax revenues, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday released a budget proposal for the current fiscal year that is actually higher than the budget he proposed in January.

Baker, a Republican, is recommending a fiscal 2021 budget of $45.5 billion, or 3.8 percent more than was spent in fiscal 2020. The budget he released in January would have spent $44.6 billion, or 2.3 percent more than in the prior fiscal year.

The high budget is largely driven by excessive spending in MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program. It would be paid for with an influx of federal money as well as a $1.3 billion draw from the state’s $3.5 billion rainy day fund.

“The rainy day fund is there to support services when it’s raining, and I think most people would agree it’s raining,” Baker said at a State House press conference."

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/government/baker-releases-45-5-billion-revised-fy21-budget-proposal/

"The revised budget is built on a projection that state tax revenues will be $3.6 billion lower than originally estimated, due to the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic. Overall, the updated budget would be balanced through a blend of increased federal assistance, a drawdown of $1.35 billion from the state’s $3.5 billion stabilization fund (preserving $2.1 billion for future needs), and changes to a range of appropriation recommendations.

The Division of Local Services released revised Cherry Sheet amounts for each city and town today based on the new budget recommendation. The DLS update includes receipt and assessment items for municipalities and regional school districts. (Link to updated Cherry Sheets for regional school districts.)

The governor said that he hoped the Legislature would return a final budget to him by Thanksgiving."

https://www.mma.org/gov-files-revised-fy21-budget-with-ugga-ch-70-matching-july-commitment/

"Today, Governor Baker filed his FY21 budget with you. While I had hoped for better than the inflation-only increase that was passed in July, I to some degree was also resigned to it. However, to hear the Governor repeat the deceptive framing posed by Secretary Peyser yesterday, that the funding to schools this year surpasses that laid out by the Student Opportunity Act, is infuriating. I have had reason to wonder if the Governor has any understanding of the school funding formula before this, but this statement has confirmed that he either does not or chooses willfully to ignore the principle upon which it is based.

Pandemic funding is precisely that: it is funding for an EMERGENCY. To have that funding then touted as filling the gaping hole in our basic needs is simply wrong; having to spend money to repair my car does not take away my need for gas money.

Moreover, the funding for the pandemic has been flat: it is distributed regardless of student need, regardless of community need. Every student in every district, whatever its wealth, received that emergency funding. The state's funding formula, on quite the other hand, is progressive: it recognizes that greater need requires greater resources to meet.  "

http://who-cester.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-plea-from-worcester.html

Commonwealth Magazine: "Business groups urge shifting aid from wealthier to poorer school districts" ; "MassDOT, Boston stick with auto-centric approach"

From CommonWealth Magazine we share two articles of interest for Franklin:  

"LESS THAN A year after Massachusetts enacted sweeping legislation to revamp its school funding formula to steer millions of dollars in new aid to low-income districts, a new report suggests the state should go even further in ensuring that support goes to the neediest districts.

Although the more than $5 billion of state funding to schools is largely directed to lower-income school districts, nearly $800 million is allocated without regard to need. A report released Monday by the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education and Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce says the state should pull back on that funding and redeploy those dollars to low-income districts that continue to struggle to adequately fund schools.

“If ever there was a moment to promote equity in funding education, now is the time to do it,” said Ed Lambert, executive director of the business alliance. “For every dollar we send to communities that can afford to fund schools on their own we’re moving further, not closer, to equity.”

Lambert said uncertainties introduced by the pandemic about the state’s ability to meet its commitments to poorer districts under the funding measure passed last year make the case even more urgent for cutting the amount of aid distributed on a “need-blind” basis."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/business-groups-urge-shifting-aid-from-wealthier-to-poorer-school-districts/

"THIS IS A TALE of two transportation issues – a window on how we may be losing the opportunity moment provided by a generationally disruptive pattern break.

The pattern break, of course, is the COVID-19 pandemic. Every pattern break in history changes the ways we do things going forward. The example I give most often is the experience of 9/11. That pattern break changed forever the way we approach flying and aviation security, it changed the ways we enter public and private buildings, it changed the urban streetscape as barriers originally installed as ugly concrete blocks gave way to highly designed barriers that blend seamlessly into the architectural fabric of the urban landscape.

The COVID-19 pattern break will be as or more significant than the 9/11 break. The impacts of the pandemic reach into almost every aspect of our lives – how we work, how we use and enjoy public and private spaces, how we move from place to place, how we utilize essential services.  The list is nearly endless.

The pandemic won’t last forever – nothing does.  But its effects will stay with us for a long time, some perhaps permanently.  Each of us has been challenged to manage and deal with the realities of this harsh moment – the need to isolate from others, to wear masks outside the home, to significantly alter our desires and habits. But each of us also is being challenged to think about how to build a better future."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/transportation/doubling-down-on-the-past/ 

In the News: "Student Opportunity Act funding in question"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Pushed by Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, and signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker in November, the $1.4 billion Student Opportunity Act aims to invest in students who have been left behind, such as those with disabilities or limited English skills. It implements the recommendations of a state commission, which reported in 2015 that the state’s outdated school funding formula, known as the foundation budget, underestimates the cost of education by $1 billion annually.

The injection of new cash from the state is meant to begin next fiscal year, which begins July 1. It was included in Baker’s FY2021 $44.6 billion budget, which was based on the projection that the state would collect an estimated $31.15 billion in tax revenue during fiscal 2021.

But economic activity has halted in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. Nonessential businesses have shut down and residents are staying home to adhere to physical distancing guidelines.

As a result, financial experts expect state revenues will fall."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200412/student-opportunity-act-funding-in-question-coronavirus-pandemic-slows-state-revenues

State revenues are likely to fall, driven by the same circumstances on the local level Franklin's revenues are likely to fall as well. How much is still too early to say. Assuming the 4th quarter of Fiscal Year 2020 sees the dip, the current year budget will need looking at. The revenue forecast for FY 2021 is already in jeopardy as stated by Town Administrator Jamie Hellen in the most recent interview.  (4/10/20(  https://anchor.fm/letstalkfranklin/episodes/Update-from-Town-Administrator-Jamie-Hellen-eclf6n

Getting back to the school budget, the Franklin School Committee holds their budget hearing Tuesday with a remote meeting. The budget presentation and related documents were shared here on Sunday.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/04/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda.html

Presentation Link =
https://www.slideshare.net/shersteve/fps-fy-2021-budget-hearing-presentation-20200414 

All the documents released for this budget hearing can be found online https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget/pages/fy-2021-budget

Links I would bring attention to

• Executive Summary  https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget/files/2-exec-summary
• Budget presentation  https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget/files/open-hearing-presentation
• Overview A  https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget/files/6-overviewa
• Overview B  https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget/files/6-overviewb

Franklin, MA:: School Committee Agenda & Budget Hearing April 14, 2020