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Boston Globe
11-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Here's what education gets out of Massachusetts' new state spending plan
The spending plan slashed $130 million, including by trimming the Statewide College and Career Readiness Program, which provides online materials for students to reach college readiness, and reducing charter school reimbursements, which districts receive as partial reimbursement for student tuitions costs. Here's how the new Massachusetts state budget will impact education: Advertisement Fair Share funding and rising costs School districts faced rising costs from inflation and the end of COVID relief programs. Current state funds like the Student Opportunity Act, which largely targets schools with underserved communities, have The new state budget increased the opportunity act's minimum per-pupil cost to $150, up from $104. However, advocates like Jessica Tang, of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, said there needs to be a permanent change to the Chapter 70 school funding program to account for inflation. To offset this need, the Fair Share supplementary budget, which is funded by revenue from the millionaies tax, added $1.5 billion for education. Advertisement Tang said that instead of using the money to expand education programs, the surtax funds are being used to fill gaps left by potential cuts in federal funding to programs like Medicaid, which reimburses school districts for important medical services. Tang mentioned Healey vetoed $20 million in charter school reimbursements in the state budget, which help mitigate funding losses from Chapter 70. Viviana Abreu-Hernandez, the president of the MassBudget policy organization, said the federal government is 'I'm afraid that the budget is not going to be enough once the federal cuts materialize, particularly for the children that need more support to be successful,' Abreu-Hernandez said. Vocational and technical schools The new state budget allowed to move forward The new system will allow schools to use student interest, middle school attendance, and lack of serious disciplinary issues as weights in a lottery. Lew Finfer, from the Vocational Education Justice Coalition, said the lottery system will help expand vocational school access to students from marginalized backgrounds. 'They're creating a system where conceivably every student can at least get into the lottery,' Finfer said. The state House budget included a two-year moratorium on the lottery requirement, but that was excluded from the final budget. Advertisement Mary Tamer, the executive director of MassPotential, said admission changes have to account for greater student demand, with more than 6,000 students waitlisted for vocational school seats. 'The question becomes: Will the state provide resources to create more schools?' Tamer said. Finfer said the supplementary budget accounts for at least $100 million to fund comprehensive schools that offer vocational or technical programs, which will renovate and expand existing spaces to provide around 3,000 new seats. Career readiness and higher education Healey vetoed more than $800,000 in college and career readiness programs, because they did not align with her initial budget recommendations, and she cited other programs that support career readiness. However, she added $50 million for the state's early college initiative, which allows high school students to earn college credits. 'This year's funding for early college is well positioned to catalyze growth and impact that we need to see,' said Chessye Moseley from the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College, about the program reaching 11,000 students next year. Tang said the state needs to continue promoting affordable higher education with the free community college program, and at the same time ensure there are options for students who prefer other career pathways. 'We need to focus on how do we continue to have high standards for schools and colleges, and support families and their needs,' Tang said. Literacy and student support Literacy rates in Massachusetts dropped, with four in 10 third- to eighth-graders achieving reading proficiency, Tamer said. The new state budget allocates $15 million to Tang said there is a need to expand funding for current teacher development, instead of just allocating funds to outside organizations. Advertisement Tamer said Massachusetts is following the footsteps of states like Ohio, which invested more than $100 million in literacy programs that showed significant improvements. Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez, said the state will continue to work with districts to ensure they support the rising population of students with special needs, as well as multilingual learners, whose needs are more expensive. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education expects $8.9 billion in funding. 'It is harder today to be a teacher than ever before,' Martinez said. Vatsady Sivongxay, from the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance, said the state needs to be bolder in its funding, given school districts continue to layoff councilors and education specialists. Sivongxay, who is a parent of the Cambridge public schools, said parents should expect fewer specialized educators in kindergarten classrooms next school year. '[My son] benefits from having support staff,' Sivongxay said about her fifth-grader who does not have a specialized education program. 'He appreciates and loves all of the staff equally.' Maria Probert can be reached at
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Springfield School Committee approves $670 million budget
SPRINGFIELD — The School Committee approved a $670.9 million budget that focuses on boosting services for students with disabilities, increasing school-based funding and working on district-based priorities such as improving early literacy. The budget, which will cover fiscal year 2026 that begins in July, calls for an about $43.6 million increase over this year's spending, which is an about 7% increase, said Patrick Roach, chief financial officer for the school. But overall, when grants which are mostly from the federal government, are included, the budget will actually decrease by about 7%. That reduction is mainly because federal pandemic relief money known as ESSER funds, has run out this year. 'We spent our ESSER funds on one-time (expenses) so there are no cuts,' he said. That money was spent on a wide variety of different things including playgrounds, high school fields, an amphitheater and improving ventilation and adding air condition in schools. Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, who serves as chairman of the School Committee, said he continues to be concerned about possible cuts to federal grants the schools do rely on, adding the information changes daily. If that funding is eliminated, the city could lose about $25 million in money that provides free lunch to all children and another $9 million that goes to classroom services. While the schools may be at risk of losing federal grants, a lot of the increase in general spending has come from the state's Student Opportunity Act legislation passed in 2020 that hiked education spending annually by about $1.5 billion. Most of the funds are earmarked for the state's poorest school districts which includes Springfield, Roach said. 'We have pushed the majority of that money out to the schools,' he said. 'We also use it to make sure we have money to fund the teacher raises and the other collective bargaining agreements,' he said. Teachers, who are working on an expired contract, and the School Committee are in negotiations. While the city has offered 3% raises to educators, there have been sticking points about sick time benefits, Roach said. The School Committee passed the budget in a unanimous vote Wednesday with no members proposing changes. It will now go to the City Council to be approved with the rest of the budget. Prior to the vote the spending has been reviewed item-by-item in subcommittee, said Christopher Collins, a School Committee member and chairman of its finance subcommittee. Committee Vice Chairwoman LaTonia Monroe Naylor said she appreciated the work that went into ensuring disabled students are getting the help they need in the budget, especially with the numbers increasing to 27% of the school population. 'There is a really big concern and a lot of really important dollars are focused on that,' she said. 'The (education) chiefs are really taking a really hard look at how do we address the needs of our most vulnerable students.'
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Local educators rally for fair wages as contract talks persist
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Teacher rallies across western Massachusetts continue to push for fair wages amid contract negotiations. The Chicopee Education Association says the city has enough funds to raise its wages. The city's mayor issued a statement in response. Chicopee educators took their fight to City Hall Wednesday night ahead of the school committee meeting. They are calling for fair contracts and livable wages as the committee deliberates contract negotiations. 'We watch and wonder why the school offers us 2%? That's less than $540 for the whole year,' says one teacher. 'Before taxes, $3 a day–before taxes!' The Chicopee Education Association argues that since the passage of the Student Opportunity Act in 2019, state aid to Chicopee schools has increased by more than half. Educator wages are missing the mark. Benjamin Eisen with the Chicopee Education Association told 22News that what the committee has brought to the table just won't cut it, 'For the last 4-5 years working here, we have been hemorrhaging teachers, clerks, paraprofessionals–people are fleeing Chicopee. It is not sustainable, and we are trying to change that here.' In a statement to 22News, on behalf of the school committee, Mayor John Vieau says, in part, that the committee recognizes that our staff is the foundation of Chicopee Public Schools and they are committed to negotiating contracts that are both fair to staff and responsible to the community. 'The school committee recognizes that our staff is the foundation of all we do in the Chicopee Public Schools, and we value their contributions. We are committed to working with the union leadership to negotiate contracts that are both fair to our staff and responsible to the community. We recognize that negotiations can be challenging, and we remain committed to doing the work necessary to find common ground so we can continue to provide our students with the excellent education that they deserve.' Chicopee Mayor John Vieau He goes on to say that negotiations can be challenging, but they will work to find common ground in order to provide students with the education that they deserve This is a developing story, and we will continue to follow the latest movements on the contract negotiations. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Affordability crisis': House budget won't raise taxes on Bay Staters, Mariano says
House Speaker Ron Mariano said Thursday that the House's fiscal year 2026 budget will not raise taxes or fees on residents or businesses in Massachusetts, and that his chamber will focus on the state's 'affordability crisis' this session including with a new emphasis on how policy impacts energy costs. Mariano promised at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce event Thursday morning that the House Ways and Means budget proposal, expected next week, will 'continue to fund free school meals for all public school students in Massachusetts, along with another year of meeting our commitment towards the full implementation of the Student Opportunity Act.' There has been uncertainty about whether the state would be able to continue to pay for the school meals program, as it is subsidized by federal funds, which may be affected by President Donald Trump's large-scale cuts. The speaker railed against Trump in his speech, heightening rhetoric about the president as budget-writers have tried to craft a spending plan while dealing with changing news from Washington D.C. every day. Trump's second term has had a strong emphasis on cutting federal spending and workforce levels, part of an effort his White House says is focused on reducing government waste and fraud. 'When I spoke with you all last year, President Biden was still in office, which meant that Massachusetts had a reliable partner at the federal level. On January 20th though, we lost that partner, and now as much as $15 billion for Massachusetts could be in jeopardy,' he said. Mariano said Trump has 'decimated' institutions such as the Department of Education, 'is wreaking havoc on programs that millions of vulnerable Americans rely on,' and has 'worked to exact revenge on his political opponents.' The speaker said the president's executive order targeting offshore wind 'could also put the commonwealth's ever-important climate goals out of reach.' Still, he said the House wouldn't be 'distracted' by the president and federal level. The House will vote to establish an internal procedure to better predict the impact that future policy decisions will have on energy costs, he said, as well as take up legislation aimed to bolster access to early college programming for Bay State students. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Boston Globe
27-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Even well-to-do towns like Milton are hard hit by school fiscal problems
As Massachusetts districts struggle with inflation and other rising costs, even well-to-do communities like Milton, where home values average a million dollars, are feeling the financial pinch, often in very big ways. 'What's occurring in Milton is really a microcosm of the perfect storm that's been happening in districts across the Commonwealth, where several major costs have been rising exponentially while revenue has remained relatively flat,' said Elizabeth Carroll, the Milton School Committee chair. 'That's especially true in a town like ours where we lack any significant commercial tax base." Advertisement Likewise, The financial hardships are emerging nearly seven years after state lawmakers Advertisement 'This should be a golden era of school funding investment in Massachusetts because of the Student Opportunity Act, but we had the highest inflation since the 1970s,' said Colin Jones, deputy policy director at the left-leaning Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center. Related : Districts experienced inflationary increases of just over 7 and 8 percent during the 2022-23 and the 2023-24 school years. The funding gap added to other swelling costs, including salaries, insurance premiums, transportation contracts, and costs for out-of-district special education programs. Meanwhile, the loss of federal pandemic relief funds have expired. The state's school funding debate in Massachusetts has largely focused on districts in the greatest financial need, which received the lion's share of the additional state aid approved in 2019, and on rural and regional school districts with declining enrollments. But the financial strains in tony districts exemplify how deep and widespread the problems have become. Affluent communities like Milton receive less per student than other districts under the state's school funding formula, which relies strongly on property wealth and household income levels, out of a belief that their residents can afford to pay more in taxes. Under Governor Maura Healey's proposed state budget for next year, Milton would receive $12.5 million in education aid, known as Chapter 70, which goes to the school system and other educational expenses, such as charter school tuition. In order to maintain level services, Milton school leaders are aiming to spend about $73 million next year. Advertisement Milton stands apart from its affluent peers in some ways that raises questions about its financial commitment to its schools. Per student spending in Milton, which averages $18,925 in 2023, is nearly $3,000 below the state average, putting it in the bottom 30th percentile in the state, according to the most recent data. Milton has had three operating overrides in the last 20 years, which were in 2017, 2009, and 2006, and ranged in value between $2.4 million and $3.4 million, according to the state Department of Revenue. Voters approved each one. Advocates for this year's override are hoping to achieve similar success. Related : Haley Byron, who has three children at Tucker Elementary School, is supporting the override. She is worried about critical school and town jobs getting cut. Particularly alarming to her is the potential elimination of the full-day prekindergarten at Tucker. 'I don't know what's more important than educating our kids and investing in them and the people taking care of them and teaching them,' Byron said. If the override passes, the property tax bill for an average single-family home, which is currently assessed at $1,028,457, would increase by an additional $1,063 for fiscal year 2026, resulting in a total tax bill of $12,857, according to the town's website. If the override fails, taxes would still go up, but not by as much, $389. Brendan Bonn, president of the Milton Educators Association, said a rejection would be 'extremely aren't going to get what they deserve.' Many questions remain over how Milton schools racked up its deficits. A recent School Committee presentation noted spending amounts in some parts of the budget relied on past budgeted figures instead of actual spending, which was much higher. Such has been the case with utilities and substitute teachers, as the district has underbudgeted by hundreds of thousands at least two years in a row. Advertisement It is a problem the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education identified in 2022 when it conducted a targeted review of the district, recommending that Milton include 'actual expenditures from previous years in budget documents.' For the most part, though, the review found Milton schools to be in good shape financially. The district also has added nearly 80 positions since 2018, some funded with federal pandemic aid and other grants. Amid the budget crisis, Superintendent Peter Burrows In hindsight, Richard G. Wells, Jr., the Select Board chair, said the town probably should have pursued an override last year, noting the financial crisis in the schools is the most pressing issue in the town. 'If you look at the town of Milton as a human body, it's hemorrhaging,' Wells said, 'and you have to find a way quickly to stop the hemorrhaging.' James Vaznis can be reached at
