Colin Jones
Senior Policy Analyst
Colin Jones is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center focusing on early and K-12 education policy and finance.
Prior to joining MassBudget, Colin served four terms in AmeriCorps national service programs focused on project based learning, academic support, and entrepreneurship at the non-profits BUILD in Oakland, California and Citizen Schools Massachusetts. Colin also designed and implemented teen summer jobs programs through the John Hancock MLK Scholars program.
Colin completed his Masters in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, focusing on Urban Policy and Education. At Harvard, Colin also undertook field and course work in non-profit management, state and local finance, budgeting, and philanthropy. Colin holds a Bachelors of Arts in Politics from Oberlin College and is a native of the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts.
Recent
FAQ: Status of the Mass. Early Education Sector During and Beyond the Coronavirus Outbreak
Introduction Quality early education and care (EEC) is not only critical for helping young children to learn and grow, it’s also vital to our economy …
Opportunity Delayed: FY 2021 Governor’s Budget for K-12 Funding Falls Short by $74M for Low-Income Kids
As part of implementing the Commonwealth’s new school funding law, the Student Opportunity Act (SOA), the Governor proposed increasing Chapter 70 aid by $303.5 million over current levels in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget. In this first year, the Governor delivers on one-seventh (14 percent) of the SOA reforms in most areas—special education, health care for educators, social-emotional support, and increments for English Language Learners—keeping those reforms on track for full implementation in seven years. However, not all of the SOA reforms are consistently or equitably phased in by the Governor’s proposal despite this goal being outlined in the law. One critical area that is not on track—increased support for students from low-income families through Low-Income Rates.
FY 2021 BUDGET PREVIEW: Delivering on the K-12 Education Funding Overhaul & the Student Opportunity Act (SOA)
Now that the state has revamped its education funding formula, how will lawmakers fund these changes in this first year of implementation?
