SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1945        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 324

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Bruce E. Tarr

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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 school choice.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1945        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 324

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 school choice.

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. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary for each student enrolling in a receiving district, there shall be a maximum school choice tuition amount of six thousand five hundred dollars. A sliding scale fee structure shall be used to calculate the amount of tuition a district must pay. Said tuition amount shall be based on the district’s overall percentage of students categorized as economically disadvantaged and calculated as follows: the percentage of economically disadvantaged designated students in a district is multiplied by six thousand five hundred dollars. That sum is then subtracted from the maximum tuition of six thousand five hundred dollars to determine the cost of tuition for the sending district; provided, however, that for special education students whose tuition amount shall remain the expense per student for such type of education as is required by such non-resident student.

The state treasurer is hereby authorized and directed to deduct said school choice tuition amount from the total education aid, as defined in chapter seventy, of said student's sending district, prior to the distribution of said aid and to deposit said aid in the School Choice Tuition Trust Fund established by section twelve C. In the case of a child residing in a municipality which belongs to a regional school district, the school choice tuition amount shall be deducted from said chapter seventy education aid of the school district appropriate to the grade level of the child. If, in a single district, the total of all such deductions exceeds the total of said education aid, this excess amount shall be deducted from other aid appropriated to the city or town. If, in a single district, the total of all such deductions exceeds the total state aid appropriated, the commonwealth shall appropriate this excess amount; provided, however, that if said district has exempted itself from the provisions of chapter seventy by accepting section fourteen of said chapter, the commonwealth shall assess said district for said excess amount.