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May 11, 2006 - Yesterday, Senator Richard T. Moore (D-Uxbridge) and his Senate colleagues reported a Senate plan will include a total of nearly $150 million in local aid dollars, which is over $9 million in increases for communities in the Worcester/Norfolk district. The highlight of the proposal is a significant overhaul of the Chapter 70 school funding formula, which will provide an additional $210.4 million in aid to cities and towns across the Commonwealth.

“The Senate is committed to providing our students with the best possible education, and we have done so by allocating $210 million more than the House budget,” said Senator Moore. “This Senate plan will improve the quality of education by making significant changes to the contentious formula.”

"We applaud the Senate for exceeding the funding levels proposed by the House and the governor," Catherine A. Boudreau, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association said in a release. "State investment does matter when we set out to improve student achievement. Consistent, predictable and strong funding from the state through the foundation budget formula is essential to ensure that all children in Massachusetts receive a quality education."

By addressing both the inequities in the formula as well as the inadequacies in the foundation budget districts receive from the state, the proposal is a comprehensive plan to reform Chapter 70 funding.

Specifically the Chapter 70 proposal:

• Increases the assumed in-district special education foundation enrollment percentage from 3.75% to 4% for K-12 academic schools and from 4.75% to 5% for vocational schools.

• Increases English language learners’ teacher/specialist foundation per pupil allotment by $125, and the low-income students’ teacher/specialist foundation per pupil allotment by $50.

• Increases the cap on the foundation inflation index from 4.5% to 5%.

• Reduces the number of categories used to calculate district foundation budget from 18 to 11 to more accurately reflect actual district expenditures.

• Weighs each district’s aggregate income and aggregate property wealth equally in calculating its target local contribution; districts may reduce their contribution to this target over five years.

• Sets the maximum local contribution for any district at 80% of the foundation budget, thereby setting the minimum state aid target floor at 20% of the foundation budget; these targets will be reached over five years.

• Establishes state aid target share at 40% of the statewide foundation budget. A school district will receive its state aid from whichever of the following categories results in the largest allotment:

    “Foundation aid” makes up the difference between local contribution and foundation budget.

    “Growth aid” reflects changes in a district’s foundation budget (typically due to enrollment).

    “Down payment aid” is FY06 state aid plus 20% of the difference between a school district’s FY06 state aid and 100% of its target share.

    “Minimum aid” ensures that no district receives less than a $50 per pupil increase over FY06.

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means proposal will fully uncap lottery revenues, allowing a total of $920 million of aid to go directly to communities across the Commonwealth. The local aid plan also increases funding for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) by $9.2 million, totaling $25.3 million, which will allow communities to be reimbursed for state-owned land within their borders.

The following is the specific local aid numbers for the communities in Senator Moore’s district. Listed below, please find the total amount of Chapter 70 school aid for FY2006, the Senate Ways and Means funding, and the difference in funding over last year.

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