Monfredo: Let’s Support the Student Opportunity Act Bill

Saturday, October 12, 2019

John Monfredo, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

John Monfredo

The Student Opportunity Act bill modeled after the MTA Promise Act and passed by the State Senate by a 39 to 0 vote is one more opportunity for the state to get it right. This bill will fulfill the recommendations stated in the 2015 foundation budget review commission report for it addresses the needs of our most underserved students in the Gateway cities. It is the most significant update to the funding formula since it was established in 1993.

The Foundation Budget Review Commission made up of education stakeholders determined four years ago that the formula was out of date and the system was inequitable leaving too many low-income children behind.

This bill is a step closer to ensuring that every student in our state, no matter what community they live in, has the same access to a great public education. The bill would increase Chapter 70 aid and other education funding by $1.5 billion over inflation after a seven-year phase in and would begin in the fiscal year 2021. Our Worcester Delegation has supported this bill and it will now move forward to the House side.

The bill will assist school districts that serve high and low-income students significantly. At the same time districts across Massachusetts will benefit from updates to the existing funding formula along with increased state investments in other vital education aid programs such as transportation, school buildings, and special education.

According to the information given out at the Education Association meeting chaired by State Senator Harriette Chandler and Richard Shea from the MTA the bill will modernize the K-12 education funding and policy landscape in four areas:

Fully implements the recommendations of the Foundation Budget Review Commission to ensure that the school funding formula provides adequate and equitable funding to all districts across the state.
Provides additional state financial support to help public schools and communities deliver a high-quality education to every student … increase foundation rates for guidance and psychological services, fully funds charter tuition reimbursements, expands the special education circuit breaker and lift the annual cap on Mass. School Building Authority
Implements policy designed to maximize the impact of new funding in improving student outcomes and closing opportunity gaps … establishes the 21 century education trust fund, school districts must develop and make public available plans for closing the opportunity gap, the secretary of education will collect and publish data on student preparedness in each district and high school for post-graduate success in college and the workforce, and establishes a Data Advisory Commission to help improve the data at the state, district and school levels to inform strategies that strengthen teaching.
Identifies education policy areas requiring further analysis … an analysis of the method to determine required local contributions in the Chaper70 formula for the purpose of improving equity, predictability, and accuracy.

This bill represents the most significant change to the Foundation Budget since 1993. However, we still need to have the bill passed by the House and then reviewed by a joint committee before sending it to the Governor. In the interim let’s contact our House representatives and the Governor and lobby for passage.

Remember, “A school is a building with four walls and the future inside it.” Let’s encourage our elected officials to support our children by giving teachers the tools they need so that all children can achieve and move forward as educated, compassionate citizens of the 21st century.