Governor's FY14 Budget Awards Framingham $7.9M More in Education Funds

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick unveiled this week an online map tool that shows members of the public, in real terms, what investing in growth and opportunity will mean for their communities.

“This tool will help people see exactly what to expect in their own backyard as part of the investments we’ve proposed,” said Gov Patrick in a press release. “Meaningful investments in education and transportation today will significantly improve our economic future both in the short term and for generations to come.”

Each map outlines transportation projects in every community that would be funded under the Governor’s FY14 budget proposal, as well as the additional Chapter 70 education funding and support for public colleges and universities communities can expect to receive under the Governor’s investment plan. The maps also show how many children in each community are on the waitlist for early education and care programs. As part of the Governor’s investment plan, the 30,000 child waitlist for early education and care programs across the state would be eliminated.  

Under the Governor’s proposed budget, Framingham would receive more than $7.9 million in additional Chapter 70 education funding, for a total of more than $36 million in Chapter 70 funding in FY14. 

The South Middlesex school district (Keefe Technical) would receive an additional $818,781 in Chapter 70 education funding, for a total of almost $4.1 million in Chapter 70 funding in FY14. 

The Governor’s plan would also move the 1,155 children currently on the waitlist for early education programs in Framingham off of the waitlist and into high-quality early education programs.  

In addition to these education investments, Framingham would receive more than $2.8 million in funding for transportation and infrastructure projects in FY14, increasing to more than $9.5 million over the next 10 years.

The Governor has challenged members of the public to ask themselves what kind of Commonwealth we want and need for our time and the generations to come, and these maps demonstrate exactly how bold investment now will build a stronger Commonwealth in the near term and for future generations.   

“As we continue to discuss the importance of making strategic investments to grow our Commonwealth, this new online tool serves as another resource for residents to understand how investments in education and transportation will directly impact them and their cities and towns,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray in a press release.

Each of the 400 maps in total, representing both Senate and House districts, can be found at www.mass.gov/governor/choosegrowth.

There are two maps per district – one displaying transportation investments and one displaying education investments in each community.   

Patrick’s budget plan includes a $1 billion annual investment in the Commonwealth’s transportation system to maintain the current transportation assets we have today and launch a number of high-impact transportation projects across Massachusetts that, if built, will create thousands of jobs and spur economic development across the Commonwealth.

The plan also includes a $550 million investment in education, reaching $1 billion over four years, to provide universal access to high quality early education for children across the state, from birth through age 5; fully fund K-12 education and allow for extended school days in high-need schools; make college more affordable and accessible for high school graduates; and allow our community colleges to expand their efforts to provide students with the knowledge and skill training needed to succeed in the workplace.

For more information on the Governor’s investment plan visit www.mass.gov/governor/choosegrowth.