Most MA School Districts Will See Only Small Gains In State Aid

BOSTON — Nearly 60 percent of Massachusetts school districts would get the minimum possible increase in state education money under the new formula passed by state lawmakers and signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in November.

Under the Student Opportunity Act, 182 school districts, or 58 percent of the state's 316 public school systems, would receive a $30 per-pupil increase in state aid next year, the minimum allowed under the law, according to preliminary estimates released last month by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

That’s well below the $100-per-pupil the Massachusetts Municipal Association has been lobbying for over the past several years.

The new law increases state aid for public schools in Massachusetts by $1.5 billion over seven years. The law, aimed at closing the so-called "opportunity gap," increases state funding for school districts serving higher proportions of students from low-income families.

The estimates released last month were intended to help communities plan their local budgets for the fiscal year beginning July 1, and are subject to change as lawmakers work on the state budget. Under Baker’s current budget proposal, 80 percent of Student Opportunity Act money would go to the 18 percent of school districts with the highest proportion of low-income students.

That means most communities in the state would see a minimal increase in state education aid while also being required to spend more of their local tax revenue on schools.

Somerville, for example, would see the biggest increase in per-pupil spending under the state's new formula. By combining state and local money, Somerville schools would spend $14,836.27 per pupil, up 13.4 percent from $13,084.37 this year.

But that increase will not come from increased state aid, which is pegged at the $30-per-pupil minimum; instead, the new rules require Somerville to increase its minimum local contribution by 6.96 percent to remain eligible for state aid, known as Chapter 70 funding.

Under the new formula, school districts that will see the biggest gains in overall per-pupil spending will also be required to make big increases in the amount they must contribute from local funds:

Middle- and upper-income suburbs planning their budgets for next year have warned that they will face deficits. In Swampscott, Selectman Chair Peter Spellios said the state formula does not take into account the town’s higher school costs, leaving the town trying to find a way to fill a school budget deficit.

"We live in a town that has a very high medium income and high property values, but that doesn't reflect our diverse socioeconomic status and the complexities that come with that," Spellios said.

Under the new formula, Swampscott would need to contribute at least $18.9 million to education in Fiscal Year 2021, up 3.3 percent from this year.

Meanwhile, the biggest jumps in direct state aid are going to small districts serving 1,000 or fewer students, according to the estimates:

The Massachusetts Teachers Association, the union representing most public school teachers in the state, had wanted the Baker administration to front-load $400 million of the $1.5 billion in the Student Opportunity Act in the first year under the law. But the administration chose a slower rollout and opted to spread the money evenly over the seven years covered by the bill, with $304 million coming in the first year.

School systems have until April 1 to submit preliminary spending plans to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education showing how they will use the additional state money. The plans have to be approved by the school committee and show how the money will be used to close the achievement gap. Those plans may include extended learning time, programs promoting social, emotional, or physical health, increased professional development and early education, among other initiatives, according to the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.

"Many of the budget decisions will involve new or expanded programs that represent policy, new positions and job descriptions, or matters that could impact collective bargaining," the association said in a note to members.