Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Brian Allen, the deputy superintendent, chief operating officer, and chief financial officer for the Worcester Public Schools, discusses the guiding principles of Chapter 70 during an MMA webinar.
An MMA webinar today reviewed components of the public education foundation budget, how the local contribution and state aid are determined, and the phase-in schedule for the Student Opportunity Act.
Brian Allen, the deputy superintendent, chief operating officer and chief financial officer for the Worcester Public Schools, discussed the guiding principles of the foundation budget, which he described as a shared municipal-state responsibility.
“The maximum local contribution is set at 82.5% of the foundation budget,” he said, “which means that the formula would fund a minimum of 17.5% of the foundation through state aid, even for the wealthiest of communities.”
Allen explained that a per-pupil-based formula, which uses enrollments as of Oct. 1 from the previous fiscal year, is used to calculate the foundation budget.
He said there are six factors across the foundation budget and local contribution that impact a district’s Chapter 70 aid: enrollment, wage adjustment factor, inflation, property value, income, and municipal revenue growth factor.
MMA Deputy Legislative Director Jackie Lavender Bird moderated 30 minutes of questions and answers, which addressed inquiries about the wage adjustment factor, net school spending requirements, and how to forecast Chapter 70 funding.
• Overview of Chapter 70 Funding For Education presentation (5.5M PDF)