SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1169        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 236

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Sal N. DiDomenico

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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 education finance reform.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1169        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 236

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

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An Act relative to education finance reform.

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.  The first paragraph of subsection (ff) of section 89 of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “district” in the last line the following words:-

; however, in calculating a district’s actual net school spending for the purposes of the above foundation spending percentage, a district’s net school spending shall include charter school tuition funded by the district but shall exclude that portion of the district’s charter school tuition that is directly funded by the Commonwealth.

SECTION 2.  The third paragraph of subsection (ff) of section 89 of said chapter 71, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the number “70” the following words:-

; however, in calculating a district’s actual net school spending for the purposes of the above foundation spending percentage, a district’s net school spending shall include charter school tuition funded by the district but shall exclude that portion of the district’s charter school tuition that is  directly funded by the Commonwealth.

SECTION 3.  The fourth paragraph of subsection (ff) of section 89 of chapter 71, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “year” the following words:-

, minus the amount calculated under subsection (gg) of this section.

SECTION 4.  The fourth paragraph of subsection (ff) of section 89 of chapter 71, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting at the end of the last sentence the following words:-

, including those amounts calculated under subsection (gg) of this section and that are directly funded by the commonwealth.

SECTION 5.  The sixth paragraph of subsection (ff) of section 89 of chapter 71, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking “a district’s total charter school tuition amount” and inserting in place thereof the following words: the total charter school tuition amount owed by the district

SECTION 6.  The sixth paragraph of subsection (ff) of section 89 of chapter 71, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “amount” in the second sentence thereof the following word:- owed

SECTION 7.  Subsection (ff) of section 89 of chapter 71, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking the seventh paragraph in its entirety and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

The state treasurer is hereby further authorized and directed to disburse to the charter school an amount equal to the charter school’s total charter school tuition amount including those dollars owed by districts and those funded directly by the commonwealth to the charter schools pursuant to subsection (gg) of this section and the ninth paragraph of subsection (ff) of section 89 of said chapter 71.

SECTION 8. The ninth paragraph of subsection (ff) of section 89 of said chapter 71 is hereby further amended by striking out the first sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:-

The department shall provide funding from the Commonwealth General Fund directly to all charter schools for the per pupil capital needs component of the total charter tuition costs. 

SECTION 9. Said section 89 is hereby further amended by striking out subsection

(gg) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(gg) The commonwealth, for any district whose charter school tuition costs, not including the capital per pupil component, is greater than its charter school tuition amount for the previous year, shall directly fund to the charter school 100 per cent of the increase in the year in which it occurs, and 50 per cent and 25 per cent of the increase in the second and third years following; provided, however, that no funds for such direct funding shall be deducted from funds that are distributed pursuant to chapter 70.

SECTION 10.  This act shall take effect upon its passage.