Education
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Bruised Budgets: A Higher Education Funding History Lesson For An Antiracist Future
A well-funded public higher education system has the power to open up countless opportunities for low-income students and families of all races and backgrounds. For …
Bringing in the Relief Part II: The Census Counts for Equity
More than $3.3 billion in CARES Act funding comes to our Massachusetts communities based on population estimates from the census. Learn how the Commonwealth can get its fair share of power and money through a complete, accurate 2020 Census count in our latest report.
Municipal Budgets, Local Aid, and Property Taxes Amid COVID-19
As a result of the pandemic, municipalities face increased spending needs and declining revenues. Many have the ability to raise property taxes, though others are constrained by Proposition 2 1/2. Moreover, property taxes tend to fall hardest on those with lower incomes. Without sufficient municipal aid, cities and towns may be forced to make public cuts which would slow the economic recovery.
ALL EDUCATION REPORTS
A Promise of Equity: Designing a Debt-Free Higher Education Program That Works for Everyone
As Massachusetts considers several proposals to make college tuition-and-fee-free or debt-free, this paper looks at how different design elements of such a guarantee could affect access and affordability for students from less wealthy families, students of color, and immigrant students in Massachusetts.
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.
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.