MASSACHUSETTS STATE BUDGET

Massachusetts Fiscal Year 2020 Budget

On April 25th, 2019, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed its version of the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Budget, which continues the Commonwealth’s focus on high-quality public education and student health by allocating $5.1 billion for Chapter 70 education funding, $16.5 million for low-income students, and $2 million to establish the SHARE grant program. This results in a $236 million increase in funding for schools. Overall, this is a great advancement benefiting students across Massachusetts.

In addition to the highlights outlined above, the House approved many additional education priorities. For the Early Educators Rate,­ ­the House budget includes a 3-4% increase in early educators’ pay for subsidized programs, aiming to increase teacher retention and improve the quality of students’ early education. In terms of the Civics Education Programs, the House budget allocates $1 million in support of educational civics courses aligning with the JFK Library Foundation and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute. For METCO, the House budget includes a $1.46 million increase from FY19 funding levels. This will work to enhance student diversity in schools throughout the Commonwealth and provide learning opportunities for many hardworking students. Lastly, the House budget provides $650,000 for the Healthy Relationships Grant Program, a $500,000 increase from FY19. The program will address teen domestic violence and sexual assault, and advocate for healthy relationships.

In addition to education funding, the House also identified other priorities. These include Housing and Homelessness Funding: the House budget continues to work to provide access to safe and affordable housing by allocating $72 million for Public Housing Subsidies, and $53.4 million for individual homeless shelters. The House budget will also work to fight the opioid epidemic by including $49.4 million for the Substance Use Disorder Trust Fund, an additional $1.5 million for Massachusetts Access to Recovery Services, and $143.9 million for the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services to help build five new rehabilitation centers across the state. Finally, the House budget designates $46 million for State Parks and Recreation and $61 million for the Department of Environmental Protection in order to maintain and protect state parks and the environment.

For further information on the FY20 House budget, please click here.