HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3272        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 434

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Brian R. Mannal

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to modifying the Chapter 70 funding formula.

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PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Brian R. Mannal

2nd Barnstable

1/16/2015

Timothy R. Whelan

1st Barnstable

8/26/2019

Shawn Dooley

9th Norfolk

8/26/2019

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

8/26/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3272        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 434

By Mr. Mannal of Barnstable, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 434) of Brian R. Mannal and others relative to determining the distribution of state aid for education to municipalities and regional school districts.  Education.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

 

An Act relative to modifying the Chapter 70 funding formula.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Property and income, being the two main measures of a community’s wealth or “ability to pay,” shall be given equitable weight in calculating the distribution of state education aid as well as the current number of pupils in each municipality. A formula based on only one measure of wealth will never produce a fair and accurate gauge of every community’s ability to pay. There are unique regional demographics and economic factors in the Commonwealth that make it impossible. Therefore, notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, it is the intention of the general court to assure fair and adequate funding for public schools in the commonwealth by defining a balanced standard of local funding based on median income, with every community having the choice of state aid as determined by Chapter 70 Section 10 or Chapter 70 Section 10A.

SECTION 2. Section 2 of Chapter 70 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following new definition:—

“Local share of the foundation budget,” shall be the product of seventy-five percent of the municipality’s foundation budget and the municipality’s median income per capita percentage of the state-wide average median income per capita over the last three years.

SECTION 3. Chapter 70 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following new section:—

Section 10A. Subject to appropriation, each municipality shall have the option of receiving state aid as defined in Section 10 or the difference of its foundation budget and its “local share of the foundation budget” as defined in Section 2.