Budget Amendment ID: FY2022-S3-194

EDU 194

Enrollment deficiency

Mr. DiDomenico, Ms. Rausch, Messrs. Brady, Eldridge, Lesser, Hinds, O'Connor, Crighton and Velis, Ms. Jehlen, Messrs. Gomez and Cronin, Ms. Moran, Messrs. Timilty, Collins and Pacheco moved that the proposed new text be amended in section 2, by striking out item 7061-0011 and inserting in place thereof the following item:-

"7061-0011 For one-time additional assistance to public schools and districts in the commonwealth that have experienced pandemic-related disruptions in their enrollment that negatively affect their chapter 70 aid for fiscal year 2022; provided, that a school district shall be considered eligible for additional assistance if a school district can demonstrate: (i) a significant reduction in student enrollment on September 1, 2020, followed by a significant increase in enrollment on September 1, 2021; and (ii) that said enrollment volatility has materially and significantly impacted their chapter 70 aid distribution; provided further, that the department shall distribute aid from this item subsequent to the receipt of enrollment data from school districts on September 1, 2021; provided further, that the department shall issue a report on enrollment trends based on data from said September 1, 2021 reporting that indicates, in the aggregate and by district, whether and by how much student enrollment has returned to pre-pandemic levels in each public school and district; provided further, that said report shall also contain a proposed methodology and formula, if appropriate, for the distribution of said funds; provided further, that said report shall be issued not later than September 15, 2021, and shall be provided to the joint committee on education and the house and senate committees on ways and means; provided further, that, in developing said methodology, the department shall consider: (a) the relative size of any enrollment loss reported on September 1, 2020, and its effects on the district’s chapter 70 aid, if any; (b) the district’s enrollment history over a 10-year period and whether the enrollment loss of September 1, 2020, was part of a sustained long-term pattern of enrollment loss or a sudden and anomalous loss likely to have been caused by the pandemic and associated shutdowns; (c) the amount of federal funding the district has received and whether it might be used to mitigate any revenue losses caused by enrollment volatility; and (d) whether the municipality is receiving any aid above their target share as a result of having a municipal contribution below their target share; provided further, that, in order to provide the general court with sufficient time to review the report and the proposed methodology, no funding from this item shall be distributed until 1 month from the date of the department’s report; provided further, that every district with year-on-year enrollment growth on September 1, 2021, shall receive funding from this item; provided further, that notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, assistance funded by this item shall only be available on a 1-time non-recurring basis; provided further, subject to further appropriation, if the demand for this appropriation exceeds the amount contained in this line item, the Department shall request the amount necessary to meet the needs of all school districts in the Commonwealth; provided further, that no funds distributed from this item to a municipality or regional school district shall be considered base aid in fiscal year 2023; and provided further, that notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, any funds distributed from this item to a city, town or regional school district shall be deposited with the treasurer of such city, town or regional school district and held in a separate account and shall be expended by the school committee of such city, town or regional school district without further appropriation....................$40,000,000".