A View from the Hill
July 7th, 2006
A Budget for Education
By Representative Mark Falzone
The Massachusetts Budget for Fiscal Year 2007 has been passed by the Legislature and awaits action by the governor. I am gratified to report that the budget was passed in a timely manner and, as a member of the Ways and Means Committee who has personally fought for education funding, I am especially pleased that the budget we delivered this year has made education its major priority. Newspaper headlines correctly reported that education funding was the centerpiece of this year’s budget increase, with much of that money going back to municipalities where it can help take the pressure off of property taxes and fees.
The education highlights of this year’s budget are satisfying at several levels. We doubled the increase of Chapter 70 Education Assistance to cities and towns to a 6.6% increase of $217 million, which provides a boost to our local schools trying hard to provide the best K-through-12 education possible. With a significant improvement to the Chapter 70 distribution formula, together with new funds going to cities and towns from uncapping state Lottery Aid, this additional Chapter 70 assistance shores up local finances that have been under great pressure during the recession. As Geoff Beckwith, the executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, said, “This is obviously a good news budget for cities and towns.”
In today’s competitive world we all know the importance of continuing education beyond high school. Yet for many of our students and their hard working families, the costs of private colleges and universities are out of reach. That is why I have backed a major initiative to invest in our public system of higher education. Students who attend the University of Massachusetts and our state and community colleges usually stay in Massachusetts to live and work. By investing in their higher education we create the basis for a future prosperity in Massachusetts, especially in the knowledge-based sectors of the economy on which our Commonwealth depends for its growth and high quality jobs and careers. This year, with a new legislative committee focused entirely on higher education as a priority, the budget expands funding for higher education by $76.6 million, a more then 7% increase, with an additional $209 million for higher education expansion and improvement projects in the recently passed economic stimulus package and capital supplemental budget.
Much recent research points to yet another valuable education investment. The early childhood education that helps prepare youngsters for kindergarten and elementary school, when provided in high quality programs, has been shown to have a long-lasting impact on how well students succeed throughout their academic careers. These voluntary preschool programs, with the social development and skills they instill, create the early successes on which children can build, and should be accessible and available to all our children whether their parents prefer settings in schools, centers or programs such as Head Start. The savings to our Commonwealth will be substantial, both in better educated and more productive citizens, and in funds saved when kids can avoid getting in future academic, social or criminal trouble. The budget this year cautiously establishes a $4.6 million pilot program, which can be expanded for more families in future years if it confirms our hopes for the success generated by high quality preschool education. This pilot project is just one of many programs administered by the new Department of Early Education and Care to enhance the learning experience and care of our youngest children with the eventual goal of universal access.
We have dedicated a penny on the sales tax to the School Building Assistance Program. With a dedicated stream of revenue assured, this program is rapidly working through the backlog of local school building and renovation projects previously approved for state aid and will soon be available for new projects to be placed on the list for state reimbursements. This state assistance is essential so that our local communities can afford to put in place the educational infrastructure of modern school facilities that all of our students deserve to get an appropriate 21st Century education.
Other education achievements in the FY07 Budget include full funding of the Special Education Circuit Breaker, a pilot program for Special Education Transportation Services, support for blind and dyslexic students, more money for vocational and technical program transportation costs, and spending for more than a dozen other targeted programs from teacher training to adult basic education. In addition, the Legislature has increased money for job training in the recently passed economic stimulus bill, and for public libraries which serve as our second system of public education.
As a candidate for a Masters Degree in Public Administration at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, I know personally how important it is to continue getting an education. Already, by spending every spare minute of my own time studying, I have utilized information learned in this academic program to help deliver additional state funds and resources to the communities of my district. With the “Budget for Education” passed by the Legislature this year, I am sure we are encouraging the best from our students who can then, in today’s competitive world, have the tools to embark on a lifetime of learning.