Jones, Tarr Secure $145,000 for Four North Reading Initiatives in Fiscal Year 2026 State Budget

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) have secured a total of $145,000 in state funding assistance for four North Reading initiatives as part of the $61.01 billion Fiscal Year 2026 state budget that was enacted by the House and Senate on June 30. This funding will be used to support local education, public safety and accessibility projects, but is still preliminary and needs to be approved by Governor Maura Healey before any money can be disbursed to the town.

The state spending plan, which is currently under review by the governor, also calls for an increase in both Chapter 70 education aid and Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) for cities and towns, which will be funded statewide at $7.36 billion and $1.323 billion, respectively. The budget sets minimum per pupil aid at $150 per student, an increase from the Fiscal Year 2025 rate of $104 per student, while also fully funding the fifth year of the Student Opportunity Act.

North Reading is scheduled to receive $8,066,587 in Chapter 70 school assistance, an increase of $339,300 over Fiscal Year 2025. The town will also get $2,210,362 in UGGA funding to support other essential municipal services – including public safety, library services and local parks – which represents an increase of $24,049 over current funding levels.

The Fiscal Year 2026 budget provides $180 million so local school districts can continue to offer universal free school meals to students for breakfast and lunch, regardless of family income. It also contains a provision requiring the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to conduct a review of the current funding formula for K-12 education as it relates to local contribution requirements. DESE is due to report back with its findings and recommendations by June 30, 2026.

Representative Jones and Senator Tarr successfully advocated for the inclusion of a $50,000 earmark in the state budget for security and software upgrades in the North Reading Public Schools, along with $25,000 to support a full-day kindergarten program. This funding builds on a $100,000 earmark Jones and Tarr secured in a recent supplemental spending bill that was signed into law on June 24 which is directed at capital improvements to facilitate full-day kindergarten in the North Reading Public Schools.

Jones’ and Tarr’s efforts on behalf of the town have also yielded a $35,000 earmark for the Third Meeting House to pay for the design and/or construction of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements. An additional $35,000 is included in the budget for the North Reading Fire Department to purchase turnout gear for firefighters.

“Working together with Senator Tarr, we were able to secure critical state funding assistance to help address some of North Reading’s top priorities,” said Jones. “The resources provided through the state budget will support kindergarten programming as well as important security and software improvements in the North Reading Public Schools. This money will also be used to protect our local first responders by ensuring that North Reading’s firefighters are equipped with the proper safety gear, in addition to allowing the town to make accessibility upgrades at the Third Meeting House so it can be utilized by all North Reading residents.”

“Creating full-day kindergarten programs, increasing security for schools, protecting first responders, and increasing public access are all important priorities for North Reading, and through our partnership with town officials we have been able to not only identify them, but to invest state resources in them,” said Senator Tarr.

Governor Healey has until July 10 to approve the budget and to issue any vetoes or proposed amendments.