Baker Budget Would Leave Medford Schools 'Treading Water'

MEDFORD, MA — Medford schools could end up losing money under Gov. Charlie Baker's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which includes full funding of the Student Opportunity Act.

The district would lose money in charter school tuition reimbursement from the state, forcing it to find other funding sources just to "tread water," School Committee member Paul Ruseau said.

"That money has to come from somewhere, and it will be up to the mayor whether that's a cut to the schools, other departments, or if we will finally begin to develop a plan to raise the revenue needed to provide public schools Medford residents deserve," he said.

Gov. Charlie Baker's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year includes full funding of the Student Opportunity Act. If it passes, Medford could end up losing money, School Committee Vice Chair Paul Ruseau said.

The $45.6 billion FY22 budget includes $246.3 million in new funding for the act, which overhauls the formula that determines how much state aid school districts get. The law had already been put on hold once due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It also includes an increase of Chapter 70 aid funding by $197.7 million, or 3.7 percent, significantly less than the $303 million in Baker's FY21 budget that never materialized as the pandemic put a strain on state revenues.

This year's proposed number is lower due to lower inflation and a statewide enrollment drop of 3.26 percent, or 37,000 students. A provision in the formula assures districts will not receive less than they did in FY21 plus $30 per pupil.

Medford falls into the "hold harmless" category of the law, meaning it will receive essentially no new funding, Ruseau said.

The Student Opportunity Act, passed into law in 2019, maps out a path to infusing $1.5 billion into districts over seven years, revamping the formula that determined Chapter 70 funds. It was hailed by lawmakers and education advocates as a needed investment into bridging the inequity gap in school funding.

Funding was scrapped for what would have been its first year due to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, schools were level-funded under the old formula as federal funding backed costs associated with the coronavirus, like personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer and remote learning infrastructure.

But now the formula is working off of numbers that will likely be temporary, as many unenrolled students are expected to return to school once in-person learning resumes.

Medford's foundation enrollment dropped by 208 students this year, and its foundation budget decreased from $59.5 million in FY21 to $59 million in FY22. It is poised to receive $12.2 million in Chapter 70 aid under Baker's proposal, up slightly from $12.1 million in the current fiscal year.

"I look forward to engaging in conversations about priorities for our community and identifying the most impactful way to spend our very limited funds to yet again craft the least harmful austerity budget possible," Ruseau said.