THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 31, 2024 Page 11 Sen. Lewis applauds Senate’s unanimous passage of FY25 state budget F ollowing a robust debate over several days, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously approved a $58 billion state budget for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25), which starts on July 1, 2024. This budget is fiscally responsible while making significant investments in public education, local aid for cities and towns, mental healthcare, early education and childcare, housing programs and more. “I’m proud that this budget, passed with unanimous, bipartisan support, will deliver critical resources for our public schools and communities, and will make our state more affordable for working families with significant investments in childcare, housing, and healthcare,” said Senator Lewis. “I want to thank all the advocates and constituents who shared their priorities and helpful feedback with me throughout the budget process.” A few highlights of the Senate’s FY25 budget: • $6.6 billion in Chapter 70 funding for K-12 public education, an increase of $319 million over FY24, as well as increasing minimum Chapter 70 aid from Senator Jason Lewis applauds passage of the state budget. (Courtesy of Sen. Lewis’ office) $30 to $110 per pupil • $1.3 billion for Unrestricted General Government Aid to our cities and towns • $1.6 billion for early education and childcare programs, including $475 million for Commonwealth Cares for Children grants, to improve quality, access and affordability for working families • $20.3 billion to fund MassHealth, providing more than two million people with continued access to affordable, accessible and comprehensive healthcare services • $1.3 billion to support a wide range of mental health services and prevention programs that are critical to the well-being of Sen. Lewis announces June Office Hours in Malden S tate Senator Jason Lewis will be holding Office Hours in Malden on Monday, June 3, 2024, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Malden Senior Center (7 Washington St). Any Malden resident is welcome to attend Office Hours, with no appointment necessary, to meet with the Senator and discuss any constituent issues or legislative feedback. Senator Lewis will also be holding Office Hours on the same day in Melrose from 12-1 p.m. at the Milano Senior Center (201 W. Foster St.) and in Wakefield from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Wakefield Senior Center (30 Converse St.). Another option for residents who would like to meet with Senator Lewis is to attend virtual Office Hours, which will be held on Monday, June 17, 2024, adults and children in need • $1.1 billion for housing programs, dedicating resources for housing stability, emergency shelter services, and homelessness assistance and prevention programs. This budget also appropriates a projected $1.3 billion in revenues to be collected from the Fair Share Amendment, which was approved by voters in 2022. These funds will be used to provide universal free school meals for all K-12 students; increase funding for local transportation infrastructure through the Chapter 90 program by more than 50%; increase financial aid for students to attend Massachusetts public colleges and universities; increase investment in the MBTA; and more. Senator Lewis was successful in securing $500,000 to fund a variety of local projects in our communities. He also led the effort to adopt several budget amendments, including: • Creating a Chapter 70 Task Force to study and make recommendations to update municipalities’ required local contributions for funding their public schools • Increasing funding to support genocide and human rights education in public schools • Establishing an advisory commission to select a new state seal, flag and motto. The FY25 Senate budget will be available on the Massachusetts legislature’s website: https://malegislature.gov/Budget/FY2025/SenateBudget. A conference committee will now be appointed to reconcile differences between the versions of the budget passed by the Senate and House of Representatives, before being sent to Governor Healey for her signature or other actions. Malden delegation announces $16,400 state grant for high school internships that enable students to explore the teaching profession Special to The Advocate S tate Senator Jason Lewis and State Representatives Paul Jason Lewis State Senator from 2-3 p.m. on Zoom. For further information or any questions, visit SenatorJasonLewis.com or contact his office at 617-722-1206 or Jason.Lewis@masenate.gov. Like us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/Advocate.news.ma Donato, Steve Ultrino and Kate Lipper-Garabedian are pleased to announce that Malden Public Schools received a $16,400 High School Senior Internship in Education Project (HSSIEP) grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The HSSIEP program provides high school seniors with paid internships to explore the teaching profession as a potential career path. Students gain valuable experience by working with elementary school students in a classroom setting, learning instructional methods from mentor instructors and engaging in educator preparation curriculum. This program helps to grow the educator pipeline by engaging students while they are still in high school and seeks to help encourage a more racially diverse educator pipeline to support a teacher workforce that is reflective of the student populations served in Massachusetts. “These internships are a terrific opportunity for high school students to explore what it is like to be a teacher through a paid, hands-on program,” said Senator Lewis, who is Senate Chair of the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education. “I’m pleased that Malden schools are receiving this grant that not only helps students see teaching as a potential career path, but also helps expand and diversify the teacher pipeline for our public schools.” “I’m thrilled to see Malden Public Schools be a recipient of this important grant,” said Representative Donato. “This grant will help Malden students explore the teaching profession as a possible career path, as well as work to diversify the teaching workforce within our public schools.” “I would like to congratulate Malden Public Schools for receiving such a critical grant,” said State Representative Steve Ultrino, who is House Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Education. “The program not only allows high school seniors to explore a potential career path, but also learn what it means to be an educator through practice in their internship. I look forward to seeing our students participate in this unique opportunity.” “As a former seventh grade teacher, I am mindful of the critical role that hands-on experience plays in informing a student’s learning and exploration of future professions,” said Representative Lipper-Garabedian. “I am thrilled that Malden Schools has been awarded this competitive grant to provide high school seniors with paid internships to explore the teaching profession. This program will aid in growing and diversifying the educator pipeline, ensuring that students of color see their identities reflected in their teachers, which research shows to be crucial for student outcomes.”
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