Amendment #61 to H3400

Chapter 70 Adequacy Study

[Sponsors] Representatives Lewis of Winchester and Ehrlich of Marblehead move to amend the bill by adding the following section:-

SECTION X.    Chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following new section:-

Section 94.  In order to determine, as a basis for legislative action, the resources needed to achieve the commonwealth’s educational goals, a committee, to be known as the Education Resource Study Committee, made up of the chairs of the joint committee on education, the secretary of administration and finance, or her designee, the secretary of the executive office of education, or her designee, the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, or his designee, is hereby authorized to conduct a study to determine the resources necessary to achieve the commonwealth’s educational goals.  The committee shall contract with an independent consultant to conduct an assessment to ascertain the resources and the costs of the resources needed to provide all students in Massachusetts with the opportunity for a high quality education to enable them to reach their potential as set forth in the Education Reform Act of 1993.

For purposes of its work, the committee and consultant shall have access to all necessary papers, vouchers, books and records pertaining to the department of elementary and secondary education and to any school district in the commonwealth.  The department of elementary and secondary education shall cooperate with the committee and consultant for any purpose connected to its work pursuant to this act including, but not limited to, participating in interviews and producing books, records and documents.  School districts and their personnel shall make every effort to cooperate with reasonable requests of the committee and consultant for any purpose connected to its work pursuant to this act and to the extent possible shall participate in interviews and producing books, records and documents.  The committee and consultant may request reasonable assistance from the commissioner of elementary and secondary education and from the superintendent of any school district.  The commissioner shall furnish the committee and consultant with any relevant information in his possession which is requested by the committee and consultant.  School districts shall endeavor to provide relevant information in their possession to committee and consultant to the extent possible consistent with the need to maintain the confidentiality of information in their possession.

The committee shall:

(1)  Prepare a request for proposals for the conduct of a resource study, advertise nationally for such proposals, evaluate the proposals and contract with an appropriate independent entity or independent consultants to conduct a professional evaluation of

a) the extent of educational and other resources required by school districts so that they are able to implement fully each of the seven curriculum frameworks and fulfill the goals of the Education Reform Act and this act, and

b) the resources required by the department of elementary and secondary education so that it is able to fulfill its responsibilities under the provisions of the Education Reform Act. Such responsibilities shall include providing technical assistance to school districts so that they can improve the capacity of school districts to implement the curriculum frameworks effectively and devising instructional strategies which improve learning for diverse student populations

(2) Include in its request for proposals the requirements that in conducting its study, the consultant shall do the following:

(a) consider and evaluate all the resources which relate to student learning and educational opportunity, including, but not limited to:   class size; special education programs, including programs for English language learners; pre-school programs for all 3 and 4 year-olds and full-day kindergarten; additional resources needed to assure educational opportunity for low-income students; salaries needed to attract and retain high quality professionals; technology; extra-curricular programs; remedial programs for students at risk of failing to satisfy graduation requirements; books and other curriculum materials;  and equipment for science lab programs.

(b)  Reexamine the manner in which the Chapter 70 foundation budget is adjusted for inflation, including, but not limited to, the following: the choice of a price index; the possibility of using different price indices for different components of the foundation budget(e.g., a health care index applied to the employee health insurance component); and whether the current 4.5% cap should be raised or eliminated altogether.  The overriding purpose of the re-examination is to ensure that the inflation adjustment to the foundation budget matches changes in actual education costs.

(c) provide the committee with a proposed work plan before beginning the study;

(d) interview and consult with representatives of educational professions and other groups involved in issues of educational policy and finance, including, but not limited to the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the American Federation of Teachers/Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy, the Council for Fair School Finance, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, , the Massachusetts Parent Teacher Organization, Stand for Children, academics and researchers involved in educational strategies, and the general public through public hearings and through such other means as the consultant shall direct;

(e)  review successful educational programs in schools and school districts with diverse socio-economic characteristics and racial make-up and assess the possibility of replicating such programs in other schools and school districts;

(f) consider and evaluate opportunities for greater efficiencies and cost savings within and among school districts, including, but not limited to consolidation of districts, consolidation of purchasing and other administrative functions, and leveraging online/distance learning capabilities;

(g) file monthly progress reports with the committee outlining the work of the previous month and the work planned for the upcoming month;

(h)  after the completion of one-third of the work and again after completion of two-thirds of the work, participate in a forum with the committee to provide an opportunity for public comment;

(i)  issue a preliminary report on its work and the cost study and solicit comments, criticisms and suggestions from professional educators, education administrators and experts in education policy and finance concerning the report; and

(j)  deliver a final report to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Joint Committee on Education no later than September 1, 2012.

Section X. A sum of $600,000 will be appropriated for the design and completion of this study.