2012-2014
Demystifying the Chapter 70 Formula: How the Massachusetts Education Funding System Works
This Facts At A Glance explains the basic structure of the state’s Chapter 70 formula for distributing education aid to local school districts.
Editorial: “Zero-based” budgeting
Still, residents should not let their hopes soar. Eliminating waste is unlikely to be enough. According to the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, since the recession began, Massachusetts has cut about $3 billion in spending. The reductions hit cities and towns especially hard. Comparing fiscal 2009 with Governor Patrick’s fiscal 2012 budget proposal, the center projected a drop in unrestricted local aid of $528 million, or almost 40 percent. Education has suffered big losses as well.
Cutting Class: Underfunding the Foundation Budget’s Core Education Program
Do Massachusetts’s schools have enough money to provide their students with a quality education? That’s the question that motivated Cutting Class. And what we found is that in many areas the answer seems to be no. Schools across the state are hiring fewer teachers, providing less professional development, and spending less on materials & technology than the state funding formula considers adequate.
Cracks in the Foundation of MA K-12 Funding
The foundation budget established under the Education Reform Act of 1993 to calculate adequate baseline spending for the state's public school districts understates the costs of special education and health insurance by more than $2 billion, according to a new report from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.
Center Looks at ‘State of Working Massachusetts’
In this video, MassBudget President Noah Berger discusses the State of Working Massachusetts 2011 with BNN News anchor Christopher Lovett.
BNN News Interviews Noah Berger of the Mass. Budget and Policy Center
MassBudget President, Noah Berger, discusses the Massachusetts economy and a recent “State of Working Massachusetts” report.
2016-2017
How will the state government pave our way to an equitable recovery? What to watch this FY 2022 budget season.
As state lawmakers sprint from one budgeting season to the next, many in Massachusetts are still reeling from the effects of COVID-19. The Fiscal Year …
Editorial: “Zero-based” budgeting
Still, residents should not let their hopes soar. Eliminating waste is unlikely to be enough. According to the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, since the recession began, Massachusetts has cut about $3 billion in spending. The reductions hit cities and towns especially hard. Comparing fiscal 2009 with Governor Patrick’s fiscal 2012 budget proposal, the center projected a drop in unrestricted local aid of $528 million, or almost 40 percent. Education has suffered big losses as well.
Cutting Class: Underfunding the Foundation Budget’s Core Education Program
Do Massachusetts’s schools have enough money to provide their students with a quality education? That’s the question that motivated Cutting Class. And what we found is that in many areas the answer seems to be no. Schools across the state are hiring fewer teachers, providing less professional development, and spending less on materials & technology than the state funding formula considers adequate.
2014-2015
How will the state government pave our way to an equitable recovery? What to watch this FY 2022 budget season.
As state lawmakers sprint from one budgeting season to the next, many in Massachusetts are still reeling from the effects of COVID-19. The Fiscal Year …
Unemployment Insurance Saved the Massachusetts Economy. How Can We Ensure It Will Be Strong for the Future?
More than any other economic program, Unemployment Insurance (UI) has helped the Massachusetts economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. UI enabled many families to remain safe …
Raising Rates on Unearned Income: An Equitable Way to Avoid Cuts and Support a Robust and Just Recovery
For each one percentage point increase in the state tax rates applied to unearned income, the Commonwealth could raise roughly $465 million a year to …
2012-2013
How will the state government pave our way to an equitable recovery? What to watch this FY 2022 budget season.
As state lawmakers sprint from one budgeting season to the next, many in Massachusetts are still reeling from the effects of COVID-19. The Fiscal Year …
Unemployment Insurance Saved the Massachusetts Economy. How Can We Ensure It Will Be Strong for the Future?
More than any other economic program, Unemployment Insurance (UI) has helped the Massachusetts economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. UI enabled many families to remain safe …
Raising Rates on Unearned Income: An Equitable Way to Avoid Cuts and Support a Robust and Just Recovery
For each one percentage point increase in the state tax rates applied to unearned income, the Commonwealth could raise roughly $465 million a year to …
