Mass. Senate establishes source of fiscal aid for rural schools in 2019 budget
Boston — Sen. Adam G. Hinds, D-Pittsfield, has announced that the Massachusetts Senate Wednesday adopted his amendment, No. 318, to the fiscal year 2019 state budget establishing Rural School Aid and funding it with $1.5 million dollars.
“Rural schools face significant and unique fiscal challenges due to population decline, density and ability to pay,” said Hinds. “This proposal is a direct response to local and regional officials throughout my district who confront those difficulties. If we do not do something to help these school districts financially, Massachusetts is at risk of providing unequal education opportunities for children who live in rural areas. That cannot be allowed to happen.”
In the FY 2018 state budget, Hinds, who represents 52 communities across four counties in western Massachusetts and serves as Senate co-chair of the Legislative Rural Caucus, secured a reporting mandate directing the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to conduct a feasibility study relative to establishing a formula for aid to be distributed to rural school districts. A report filed by DESE in January found that rural districts across the Commonwealth face unique challenges that impact their ability to deliver quality services to their students. After the report was released, Hinds convened a forum for municipal and school officials at Mohawk Trail Regional School in March, during which DESE’s director of school finance Rob O’Donnell discussed the report’s recommendations and potential strategies to support rural school districts in FY 2019.
Hinds’ amendment establishes a new school aid formula to provide additional school aid to qualifying rural school districts. This Rural School Aid is separate from Chapter 70 aid and is subject to annual appropriation. Qualifying schools are defined by two major factors:
- The “rural factor,” or student density per square mile of a school district; and
- Ability to pay, or the average per capital income of a school district.
As adopted and funded by the Senate Wednesday, school districts with fewer than 10 students living per square mile will be eligible to receive an additional $100 in Rural School Aid per student in FY 2019.
In total, 40 rural school districts across the Commonwealth are eligible to receive Rural School Aid in FY’19, including Central Berkshire Regional, Chesterfield-Goshen, Conway, Farmington River Regional, Florida, Franklin County Regional Vocational Technical, Frontier Regional, Gateway Regional, Hampshire Regional, Hancock, Hawlemont, Lanesborough, Mohawk Trail, Mount Greylock, Northern Berkshire Regional Vocational Technical, Pioneer Valley, Ralph C. Mahar, Rowe, Savoy, Southern Berkshire Regional, Westhampton, Williamsburg, and Williamstown school districts.
Hinds’ rural school aid amendment was co-sponsored by colleagues from across the Commonwealth, including Sens. Julian Cyr, D-Truro; Anne Gobi, D-Spencer; Don Humason, R-Westfield; Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton; and Barbara L’Italien, D-Andover.
Hinds hopes to expand his Rural School Aid program in future fiscal years. If funded at $3 million dollars, a second tier of 22 additional rural school districts would be eligible to receive an additional $75 per student in Rural School Aid. These school districts have more than 10 but fewer than 20 students per square mile.
FY 2019 will begin Sunday, July 1, 2018. After the conclusion of the Senate budget debate this week, a six-member conference committee will be appointed to negotiate a final FY 2019 budget for approval by the House of Representatives and the Senate.
