SECTION 1. Chapter 70 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 4 the following section:-

Section 4A. (a) The department, in consultation with the executive office of education, shall a convene data advisory committee to promote the improved use of school-level data to inform effective resource allocation decisions at the local level. The data advisory committee shall include, but not be limited to, a representative from the following organizations: the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Inc.; the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Inc.; the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials, Inc.; the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators, Inc.; and the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools, Inc. The data advisory committee shall assist the department to identify, advise and analyze cost-effective ways to achieve the following goals including, but not limited to: (i) streamlining financial reporting, eliminating duplicate reporting requirements and improving data quality; (ii) strengthening the department’s capacity to analyze and report staffing, scheduling and financial data in ways that support strategic resource allocation decisions at the district and school level; (iii) strengthening district capacity to use data to make strategic resource allocation decisions; and  (iv) establishing a data collection and reporting system that: (1) tracks funding allocated for English language learner and low-income students to ensure that spending is targeted to the intended populations and to provide a data source for the foundation budget review commission about the accuracy and adequacy of the low-income and English language learner increments; and (2) allows for access to school-level expenditures and data across all districts to inform the public and policy-makers about effective school-level interventions and investments. 

(b) The data advisory committee shall report its progress to the board, the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on education and the chairs of the senate and house committees on ways and means not less than semiannually, by December 1 and June 1, and shall make recommendations as necessary for the department to achieve the goals of this section. The department may, in consultation with the data advisory group, develop or procure the data collection and reporting system under clause (iv) of subsection (a).