Fiscal Year 2014 Budget – Education and Local Aid

In case you missed it, today marks the first day of debate on the House Ways & Means Fiscal Year 2014 Budget.

As you may have heard, the House of Representatives recently unveiled their $33.8 billion state budget proposal. While the budget presented to the Legislature includes significantly less spending then Governor Patrick’s budget proposal, the House’s plan relies too heavily on revenue found in the recently passed transportation finance bill, and House Republicans will continue to oppose this fiscally irresponsible approach.

Tonight’s debate will now shift its focus to amendments relative to education and local aid. Below, you will find the amendments offered by House Republicans, along with a brief description of the amendment.

Education and Local Aid

Amendment 4 - An Act Relative to the Special Education Circuit Breaker (Hill, Bradford) Increases the total appropriation for the Circuit Breaker - Reimbursement for Special Education Resident account (7061-0012) by approximately $20M.

Amendment 181 - State Aid to Public Libraries (Humason, Donald) Increases the total appropriation for the State Aid to Public Libraries account (7000-9501) by $3.1M, the high-mark level from FY09.

Amendment 235 - Reimbursements to Certain Cities and Towns for Additional Educational Costs (Orrall, Keiko) Adds $500K by creating a new line item (1233-xxxx) for Local Aid for reimbursements for smart growth school costs.

Amendment 254 - Minimum Student Population for School Districts (Diehl, Geoff) Adds a new outside section establishing a commission to study the feasibility of requiring school districts to consist of a minimum of 2,500 students. The commission includes Minority appointments from both the Senate and the House.

Amendment 261 - Amendment to Educator Fingerprinting Act of 2012 (Diehl, Geoff) Adds a new outside section requiring that criminal fingerprinting checks for educators (as mandated by Chapter 459 of the Acts of 2012) be completed by municipal police departments; removes all requirements that fees for the fingerprint background check be paid by the applicant; and eliminates the Fingerprint-Based Background Check Trust Fund.

Amendment 271 - An Act Relative to Sanctuary Cities and Towns (Lombardo, Marc) Adds a new outside section prohibiting the disbursement of unrestricted general government aid to sanctuary cities and towns.

Amendment 273 - An Act Relative to Tuition for US Veterans (Lombardo, Marc) Adds a new outside section that authorizes separating service member to receive in-state tuition at MA public institutions of higher education; provided that they complete the necessary steps to establish residency within one year of matriculation in Massachusetts. The post 9/11 GI Bill only pays in-state tuition and eligible fees and upon separating from service, veterans who settle in states other than their state of residence are initially charged “out-of-state” tuition, which means they must pay the difference between the resident and non-resident charges. This is Issue #8 on 2013 DoD list of top 10 issues impacting military families.

Amendment 281 - Educational Mandate Relief for Performing School Districts (Diehl, Geoff) Adds a new outside section requiring the Department of Elementary and Secondary to offer waivers for new mandates to districts that are performing above the required minimum standard for the mandate.

Amendment 336 - Public School Military Mitigation (Vieira, David) Adds $1.3M to the total appropriations by creating a new line item in the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (7061-0033) for a reserve to assist towns negatively impacted by shortfalls in federal impact aid for the education of children in families employed on military reservations within a town’s limits.

Amendment 366 - Early Education Commission Minority Leader Appointment (Jones, Bradley) Adds the ranking minority members on the Joint Committee on Higher Education and the ranking minority members on the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities to SECTION 95, which creates a new early education commission. Amendment 371 - Higher Education Commission Minority Leader Appointment (Jones, Bradley) Adds the ranking minority members on the Joint Committee on Higher Education to SECTION 94, which creates a new higher education efficiency commission.

Amendment 401 - Tuition and Fee Waivers for Massachusetts Veterans (Jones, Bradley) Adds a new outside section that provides tuition and fee waivers for veterans and active duty servicepersons of Massachusetts who are permanent and legal residents of the Commonwealth, who are attending any public institution of higher education, and whose education costs are not entirely covered by the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Under current law Massachusetts National Guard members receive both tuition and fee waivers while Massachusetts veterans are only eligible for a categorical tuition waiver (and not necessarily a full tuition waiver). The Commonwealth would bear the cost of this bill.

Amendment 412 - In-State Tuition for Separating Service Members (D'Emilia, Angelo) Adds a new outside section that authorizes separating service member to receive in-state tuition at MA public institutions of higher education; provided that they complete the necessary steps to establish residency within one year of matriculation in Massachusetts. The post 9/11 GI Bill only pays in-state tuition and eligible fees and upon separating from service, veterans who settle in states other than their state of residence are initially charged “out-of-state” tuition, which means they must pay the difference between the resident and non-resident charges. This is Issue #8 on 2013 DoD list of top 10 issues impacting military families.

Amendment 442 - An Act Relative to Fully Fund Target Share (Hill, Bradford) Increases the total appropriation for the Chapter 70 account (7061-0008) by $46M. Further, raises the effort reduction percentage in SECTION 3 from 15% to 100% to allow cities and towns greater state funding to fill funding gaps and meet their target local share.

Amendment 444 - An Act Relative to Target Share (Hill, Bradford) Increases the total appropriation for the Chapter 70 account (7061-0008) by $23M. Further, raises the effort reduction percentage in SECTION 3 from 15% to 50% to allow cities and towns greater state funding to fill funding gaps and meet their target local share.

Amendment 449 - PILOT Funding (D'Emilia, Angelo) Increases the Department of Revenue's Reimbursement to Cities in Lieu of Taxes on State Owned Land account (1233-2400) by $4M.

Amendment 455 - Cummings School for Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University (Peterson, George) Increases the total appropriation for Tufts Veterinary School (7077-0023) by $2M.

Amendment 606 - Education Pothole Account (Ferguson, Kimberly) Adds $5M by creating a new line item (7061-0011) in the Executive Office of Education for the Pothole account.

Amendment 682 - An Amendment Relative to In-State Tuition Fairness (Lyons, James) Adds a new outside section requiring that in-state tuition at public institutions of higher education be extended only to citizens or permanent lawful residents of the United States.

Amendment 693 - An Amendment Relative to Target Share Funding (Lyons, James) Changes the language to the Chapter 70 account (7061-0008) to codify the requirement that each city and town receive a minimum of 17.5% of its foundation budget in the form of Chapter 70 state aid. Increases the total appropriation by $88M.

Amendment 698- Providing Reimbursements to Families of Foster and Adopted Children (Fattman, Ryan) Adds $3M to the total budget appropriations by creating a new line item (7066- xxxx) within the Department of Higher Education for the provision of reimbursements to families who were eligible during the fall of 2012 or spring of 2013 due to an “Estimated Financial Contribution” of $10K or more.

Amendment 734 - Special Education Circuit Breaker (Beaton, Matthew) Increases the total appropriation for the Special Education Reimbursement - Circuit Breaker (7061-0012) by $20M.

Amendment 885 - Educational Equipment Grant (Frost, Paul) Adds $20M by creating a new line item (7009-xxxx) in the Executive Office of Education for grants for educational equipment, text books, lab equipment, computers, etc.