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Enrollment Decline and Fiscal Pressure in Massachusetts Public Schools: A Focus on English Learners
This report is accompanied by a 2-page Summary Report, included within the PDF download. A parent or guardian bringing their child to school may not mind seeing fewer kids in the classroom. Smaller class sizes can sound like a good thing. But the statewide decline in school enrollment poses a big challenge. For public school districts, declining enrollment creates financial pressure because schools are largely funded based on the number of students they serve. Still, buildings require electricity and maintenance, and teachers still need salaries and benefits. As enrollment falls, but fixed costs1</ rise, districts are left with many of ...
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MassBudget Preliminary Analysis of Senate Ways and Means FY 2027 Budget Proposal
This analysis represents the next step in the FY 2027 state budget creation process. The Senate Ways and Means (SWM) Committee’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget proposal, released on May 5, allocates approximately $63.3 billion in spending for the Commonwealth. This proposal includes $2.7 billion from the Fair Share surtax, the voter-approved ballot initiative that enacted a surtax on the highest incomes in Massachusetts. This is the next step in the FY 2027 state budget cycle, after the House finalized its FY 2027 budget proposal on April 29. The SWM proposed budget follows a similar approach to the governor’s proposal, ...
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MassBudget Statement on Senate Ways and Means FY 2027 Budget Proposal
Today, the Massachusetts Senate Ways and Means (SWM) committee released their proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027. This follows the House of Representatives finalizing their FY 2027 budget proposal last week. The SWM proposal outlines a plan to spend over $63.3 billion for the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1, of which $2.7 billion is revenue from the Fair Share surtax. The Senate passed a FY 2026 supplemental budget last month, which included $1.38 billion in Fair Share surtax funds. Taken together with the FY 2027 SWM budget proposal, the Senate would invest $4 billion in new Fair Share ...
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MassBudget In-Depth Analysis of House FY 2027 Budget Proposal
This analysis represents the next step in the FY 2027 state budget creation process. The House of Representatives budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 is the first annual state budget offered by the Legislature since the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act (OB3) was passed by the United States Congress on July 4, 2025. The past year has raised alarms over deep federal spending cuts, raised tariffs, foreign wars, intensified immigration enforcement, and other unprecedented federal threats and disruptions. On top of these threats, two proposed ballot initiatives in Massachusetts, if passed, would deeply curtail the Commonwealth’s ability to ...
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MassBudget Preliminary Analysis of House Ways and Means FY 2027 Budget Proposal
House Ways and Means’ (HWM) proposed budget follows a similar approach to the governor’s proposal, bracing for difficult times ahead while making ample use of the Fair Share surtax. The House Ways and Means (HWM) committee’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget proposal, released on April 15, allocates approximately $63 billion in spending for the Commonwealth. This proposal includes $2.7 billion from the Fair Share surtax, the voter-approved ballot initiative that enacted a surtax on the highest-income earners in Massachusetts. This is the next step in the FY 2027 state budget cycle, after Governor Maura Healey released her FY 2027 budget ...
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MassBudget Statement on House Ways and Means FY 2027 Budget Proposal
Today, the Massachusetts House Ways and Means (HWM) committee released their proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027. This follows Governor Maura Healey’s FY 2027 budget proposal released in January. The HWM proposal outlines a plan to spend over $63.3 billion for the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1, of which $2.7 billion is revenue from the Fair Share surtax. Statement from Viviana Abreu-Hernandez, Ph.D., MassBudget President “The HWM FY 2027 budget proposal once again shows the value and importance of the Fair Share surtax, which allows the Commonwealth to continue and increase critical investments in education and transportation. We ...
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Amicus Letter of The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center
The Honorable Maura A. Looney John Adams Courthouse, One Pemberton Square, Room 1200 Boston, MA 02108 Re: Amicus Letter of The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) Finfer, et al vs. Campbell, et al, SJC-13885 Dear Clerk Looney, The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) submits the below amici letter in the above-entitled case. Statement of Interest The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization focused on fact a, analyzing, and promoting progressive policy solutions to Massachusetts’s most pressing tax and budget issues. MassBudget is among the very few organizations in the Commonwealth that brings ...
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New IRS Data Points to Affordability and Not Taxes as the Cause of Massachusetts Outmigration
Read MassBudget’s initial statement about the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) state-to-state, county-to-county, and gross migration data for the United States on March, 19, 2026. Data Highlights On March 19, 2026, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released the 2022-2023 state-to-state, county-to-county, and gross migration data for the United States. This dataset compares tax returns that were filed and processed by the IRS during calendar year 2022 versus those filed and processed during calendar year 2023. The data allow for a look at moves made by filers across these two periods. The Massachusetts data offer several key takeaways. First, Massachusetts is not ...
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Pathways to Universal Pre-K (UPK) Series: Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative (CPPI)
This report is the first in a series exploring the pathways to achieving universal pre-K in Massachusetts. This research is funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Access to high-quality child care is critical for a child’s educational and developmental success. It also ensures that working families can maintain financial security through employment. Massachusetts has some of the highest child care costs in the nation, which causes significant strain for many families, especially families with low and moderate incomes. The child care system in Massachusetts is multifaceted and can be complex. Through our mixed-delivery system, families can seek care in ...
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Testimony relative to “the Impact of Federal Policy on the Racial Wealth Gap”
March 31, 2026 The Honorable Sen. Liz Miranda, Chair The Honorable Rep. Bud L. Williams, Chair Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion State House, Room 313 ...
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