Amendment #238 to H3400

Educational Pot Hole Account

[Sponsors] Representative Hill of Ipswich, Representative Levy of Marlborough, Representative Poirier of North Attleboroand Representative Stanley of West Newbury move to amend the bill in Section 2 by inserting after item 7061-0008 the following item: 7061-0011 for a reserve to: (1) assist regional school districts which, prior to fiscal year 2009, have assessed member towns using the provisions of their regional agreement, and which, in fiscal year 2009, will assess member towns using the required contributions calculated pursuant to section 3; (2) assist towns impacted by stresses in the commercial agricultural, fishing or lobster industry whose required local contribution exceeds 75 per cent of their foundation budget; (3) assist towns negatively impacted by shortfalls in federal impact aid for the education of children in families employed by the federal government on military reservations located within the town's limits; provided, that any grants provided under this item shall be expended by a school committee without further appropriation; provided further, that not less than $250,000 from this item shall be awarded to a qualifying community that hosts a Veterans Administration Hospital; (4) assist regional school districts in rural areas which meet each of the following: (a) they have fewer than 30 full-time enrollment students per square mile; and (b) they have experienced more than 7 per cent enrollment decline between fiscal year 2003 and fiscal year 2008; provided further, that preference shall be given to those districts that have joined the group insurance commission before July 1, 2008 ; (5) to assist towns in which in excess of one-third of the total land mass of the town is owned and controlled by the commonwealth and which receive payment in lieu of taxes on less than 25 per cent of said land; (6) assist operating districts in which the chapter 70 aid, so-called, distributed in fiscal year 09 is less than the chapter 70 aid distributed in fiscal year 02; (7) assist towns which host a campus of the University of Massachusetts, but which have a target aid percentage of only 17.5%; provided further, that any grants provided to school districts from this item shall be expended by a school committee without further appropriation; provided further, that the department shall make not less than 80 per cent of the awards from this item not later than October 15, 2012; and provided further, that no funds distributed from this item shall be considered prior year chapter 70 aid nor shall they be used in the calculation of the minimum required local contribution for fiscal year 2011 or 2012………………………..$2,500,000