Outside Section 41

Study Commission on State School Aid Formula

SECTION 41.   (a) There shall be a special commission to study the state school aid formula established by chapter 70 of the General Laws.

(b) The commission shall consist of the secretary of education, who shall chair the commission, the commissioner of education or his designee, the commissioner of early education or her designee, the commissioner of higher education or his designee, the secretary of administration and finance or his designee, the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on education, the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on higher education, the chairs of the house and senate committees on ways and means or their designees, a representative chosen by the speaker of the house of representatives, a representative chosen by the president of the senate, a representative chosen by the house minority leader, a representative chosen by the senate minority leader, a representative of each of the following organizations: Massachusetts Municipal Association, Massachusetts Teachers Association, Massachusetts Federation of Teachers, Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Massachusetts Association of Elementary School Principals, Massachusetts Association of Secondary School Principals, Massachusetts Association of School Business Officers, the Suburban Coalition, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, Stand for Children, Early Education for All, the Federation of Children with Special Needs, and 7 members to be selected by the governor.

(c) The commission's study shall include, but not be limited to, a review of the adequacy of the foundation budget, consideration of the appropriate statewide targets for local contribution and state shares of the foundation budget, the possibility of including competitive funding as part of the overall school funding package, the advisability of providing the department of elementary and secondary education with the power to direct spending or otherwise place conditions on district and school spending in underperforming districts or schools, the means by which spending authority might be delegated to the school level through the formula or other regulatory means, the accuracy of the current inflation measures used in the chapter 70 formula, the source of and potential remedies for any existing discrepancies between the fiscal demands placed upon and the fiscal assistance provided to municipalities and school districts with similar fiscal capacity and educational responsibilities, including those placed and provided under chapter 70, a consideration and evaluation of all the financial resources made available to schools and districts, from all sources, including federal funds, and how they relate to student learning and educational opportunity, a review of successful educational programs in schools and school districts that achieve their success at relatively lower per pupil costs when compared with school districts serving student populations with similar academic and socio-economic characteristics and an assessment of the possibility of replicating such programs in other schools and school districts, and any other issues identified as important by the commission.

(d) The commission shall report its conclusions in writing not later than December 1, 2010 to the governor, the secretary of administration and finance, the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on education. The report shall include a list of items requiring further study and evaluation through a contracted adequacy study or other academic and statistical research; a recommendation about the scope, goals, recommended budget and preferred methodology of any further study; Any such additional study shall be completed not later than December 1, 2011.
 
 

Summary:
This section establishes a special commission to study the "Chapter 70" state school aid formula.