Ok, @MA_Senate budget tweeting thread is going to be spotty today, but here's a few things:
$30/pupil minimum increases
$40/decile on the low income rate #MAEdu
There is BOTH a regional district budget review commission AND a local contribution review commission (the Senate is really opening some cans of worms there!)
There is NOT #FBRC language, so it looks as though @MA_Senate is putting all of its eggs in this basket today.
(sorry, getting carried away on the animal metaphors)
There's 100% gap reduction (which is a nice gift to towns)
ELL is an INCREMENT (holy overhaul there!) which is a nice little #FBRC implementation bump!
It's not flat, though; it varies by grade level.
Also, man, the Senate keeps hammering away on low income.
They've got this in an outside section (ready?):
(new 3B of Ch.70)
"Section 3B. The department of elementary and secondary education shall make available to school districts a form to certify family income level for the purpose of calculating low-income enrollment."
" A school district may choose to have its low-income enrollment established through collection of the forms or through a direct certification system established by the executive office of health and human services, which may include the virtual gateway system."
AND THEN:
" Section 16 shall apply in fiscal year 2020. The department of elementary and secondary education shall provide school districts with the family income certification form described in section 3B of chapter 70 of the General Laws...
"within a reasonable time prior to the low-income enrollment count process for the purposes of calculating chapter 70 aid in fiscal year 2020."
So...yeah. That's a direct cert opt in or out measure. #mabudget
DESE's line gets a bump but it's an earmark (no, really, we love you Ashland ;) )
METCO is...down a million from the House (?) to $21.1M #MAEdu
early literacy is bundled slightly differently but still there
school-to-career is up a bit (like $90K) to make it an even $4M #mabudget
(Back to Senate budget)
The ELL account is about a million less (I don’t know why it is $1,550,002) from the House; it removes an earmark for Gateways. #mabudget
Adult ed is up a million and a half from the HW&M budget ($32.5M) #mabudget
Regional school transportation is $62.5M (same as House W&M before amending)
The Senate puts in $250K for transportation for non-resident pupils to voke techs (with a proviso that more funding be requested as needed)
McKinney-Vento reimbursement down a million from the House budget (so $8M)
AP line down $300K from House
Breakfast the same, lunch strips the House earmark.
Ch.70 is up $35.6M (as described in the sections above) overall #mabudget
$15M for kids from Puerto Rico is there; low income shift pothole is not, but they’ve adjusted the low income deciles instead.
This is big:
Full (they intend) funding of the circuit breaker of $318M (House had $300M)
Federal impact aid is back at $1.3M (wasn’t in the House)
The other biggie on reimbursement shifts:
$100M for charter school reimbursement (up from $90M in the House, up from flat funding in the Governor’s)
Innovation schools planning back in for $100K
MCAS (the battle of line 7061-9400) BACK DOWN to $27M and no mention of history. #mabudget#MAEdu
And (relatedly?) @MassCIEA has their line back: $200K #MAEdu
Targeted intervention line $6.7M (down $500K) from House #mabudget
Extended learning time is the same ($13.9M)
Recovery high schools up $625K (to $3.1M) #mabudget
After and out of school line is up $481K, but it’s earmarked (shout out to Recreation Worcester, $400K)
Safe and supportive schools is down $100K from the House (so $500K)
Yes, Mass Academy of Math and Science has their $1.4M
Youth build programs up $650K from House #mabudget
I mean, here's the thing on hot school buildings in New England:
A) we didn't build for this. We absolutely have not built schools that were intended to have classes running in them during weeks of 90 plus degree days until recently.
B) We didn't, because we didn't need to! We didn't HAVE classes running in buildings for multiple 90-plus degree days.
(Ergo, incidently, why A/C is in admin...they're there all summer.)
C) We do now, not only because climate change, but yeah, in part climate change (also the 180/900/990 requirements from the state PLUS caution around driving=tight scheduling timelines)
Well, the first thing is, while we may pick it up, so far the House is being pretty careful about references to the Commission (which I'm echoing by not tagging them with #FBRC).
Where's the references to the Commission?
Three years out.
Work of more than a year.
Hours and hours of testimony.
Pages and pages of research.
Hours and hours of discussion.
4 o’clock. Tea time. Time for some #FBRC myth busting.
The first objection I hear all the time to passing an #FBRC bill is:
"We don't have the money!"
Read.
The.
Bill.
The bill calls for a phased-in implementation done by annual meetings to agree among Gov-House-Senate on that year's implementation.
It's a commitment and it's a plan.