Senator Michael Brady (D-Brockton) announced today, as a member of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, that the House and Senate have reached an agreement to pursue an increase to local aid in the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget.
The agreement funds the first year of the Student Opportunity Act and places the commonwealth on track to full implementation by 2027. Signed into law in 2019, the Student Opportunity Act is a landmark achievement for equitable education and constitutes the largest investment in Chapter 70 aid in over twenty years.
“The rapid outbreak of the pandemic caused many important commitments to be delayed,” said Senator Michael D. Brady, “We are working closely with our partners in the House, local school districts, and education stakeholders to ensure we can get the state back on track to ensure all students can receive a high-quality education.”
The local aid agreement includes the following parameters:
• Funds Chapter 70 at its highest level ever at $5.503 billion, an increase of $219.6 million over FY 2021, which fully funds 1/6th implementation of SOA rates;
• Creates a $40 million enrollment reserve fund targeted to stabilize school districts adversely impacted by pandemic-related enrollment changes; and
• Funds Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) at $1.16 billion, an increase of $39.5 million over FY 2021, providing additional local aid support to our cities and towns