THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 11, 2019 Page 17 VOTED | FROM PAGE 12 by Senator Jason Lewis, the education committee and the Senate, as well as the tireless work and advocacy done by students, parents, teachers, administrators, advocates and others to bring this bill to fruition. Massachusetts made a commitment to public education in the 18th century, and today we are much closer to bringing that commitment into the 21st century to meet the needs of students today. I look forward to this bill passing the House and becoming law.” Taking into account these new investments, policy updates and the needs of all types of districts, the Student Opportunity Act creates new ways to monitor and measure progress, support eff ective approaches to closing opportunity gaps, and deliver results for all students. The Student Opportunity Act fully implements the recommendations of the 2015 Foundation Budget Review Commission (FBRC), ensuring that the school funding formula provides adequate and equitable funding to all districts across the state. The bill provides an estimated $1.4 billion in new Chapter 70 aid over and above infl ation when fully implemented over the next seven years. The bill modernizes the K-12 education funding and policy landscape in four areas: • Estimates school districts’ employee and retiree health care costs using up to date health insurance trend data collected by the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC). • Increases special education enrollment and cost assumptions to more accurately refl ect district enrollment. • Increases funding for English learners (EL) that is diff erentiated by grade level to refl ect the greater resources required to educate older EL students. • Addresses the needs of districts educating high concentrations of students from low-income households by providing additional funding based on the share of low-income students in each district; districts educating the largest percentage of low-income students will receive an additional increment equal to 100 percent of the base foundation; • Returning the definition of low-income to 185% of the Federal Poverty Level, as opposed to the 133 percent level that has been used in recent years. In addition to implementing the FBRC’s recommended formula changes, the Student Opportunity Act provides additional state fi nancial support in several categories to help public schools and communities deliver a high-quality education to every student. Those fi scal supports include: • Increasing foundation rates for guidance and psychological services in recognition of the growing need for expanded social-emotional support and mental health services. • A commitment to fully funding charter school tuition reimbursement, which provides transitional aid to help districts when students leave to attend charter schools, within a three-year timetable. • Expanding over four years the special education circuit breaker, which reimburses districts for extraordinary special education costs, to include transportation costs in addition to instructional cost. • Raising, as the result of a further amendment, the annual cap on Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) spending, for construction and renovation by $200 million (from $600 million to 800 million), enabling more projects across the state to be accepted into the MSBA funding pipeline, which reimburses towns and cities for a portion of school building costs. In addition to new funding and other support, the Student Opportunity Act establishes the 21st Century Education Trust Fund to provide districts and school’s access to fl exible funding to pursuing creative approaches to student learning and district improvement. In order to track and reproduce successful school and district-level innovations and policies, the legislation calls on school districts to develop and make publicly available plans for closing opportunity gaps. These plans will include specifi c goals and metrics to track success. In addition, the state’s Secretary of Education will collect and publish data on student preparedness in each district for post-graduate success in college and the workforce. Moreover, the Student Opportunity Act establishes a Data Advisory Commission to help improve the use of data at the state, district and school levels to inform strategies that strengthen teaching, learning and resource allocation. Following robust debate on the fl oor, the Senate adopted several amendments to the Student Opportunity Act related to recovery high schools, the MSBA and municipal fi scal challenges related to Chapter 70. To ensure that education-funding levels remain adequate, eff ective and equitable, the legislation also includes forward looking provisions to address additional funding challenges and policy areas. The Student Opportunity Act: • Directs the state Department of Revenue (DOR) and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to analyze the method of determining required local contributions in the Chapter 70 school funding formula for the purpose of improving equity, predictability and accuracy. • Establishes a Rural Schools Commission to investigate the unique challenges facing rural and regional school districts with low and declining enrollment. The Commission will make recommendations for further updates to help impacted districts and communities. On October 7, the Massachusetts House of Representatives referred the Student Opportunity Act to the House Committee on Ways and Means. ~ Home of the Week ~ EAST BOSTON....Mixed Use Building - Nicely located Store Front with two residential apartments above. Store is leased for $3,000, 3 room, 2 bedroom apartment and 4 room, 2 bedroom apartment. All separate gas utilities and electric meters, corner lot, according to seller roof approximately 6 years old, water approximately $1,400 per year, insurance $3,000 per year. All rents are below market value - great visibility and opportunity with vacant of all residential tenants. View the interior of this home right on your smartphone. ~ LEGAL NOTICE ~ COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Middlesex Divison Docket No. 19P3389EA Estate of: EDWARD C. GIARDINO Also Known As: EDWARD GIARDINO Date of Death: JUNE 5, 2019 INFORMAL PROBATE PUBLICATION NOTICE To all persons interested in the above captioned estate, by Petition of Petitioner KAREN C. GIARDINO of MALDEN, MA a Will has been admitted to informal probate. KAREN C. GIARDINO of MALDEN, MA has been infomally appointed as the Personal Representative of the estate to serve without surety on the bond. The estate is being administered under informal procedure by the Personal Representative under the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code without supervision by the Court. Inventory and accounts are not required to to notice regarding the administration from the Personal Representative and can petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration. Interested parties are entitled to petition the Court to institute formal proceedings and to obtain orders terminating or restricting the powers of Personal Representatives appointed under informal procedure. A copy of the Petition and Will, if any, can be obtained from the Petitioner. October 11, 2019 ~ LEGAL NOTICE ~ COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Middlesex Probate and Family Court 208 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA. 02141 Docket No. MI19P3830PM In the matter of: Charles Applin Of: Malden, MA RESPONDENT (Person to be Protected/Minor) CITATION GIVING NOTICE OF PETITION FOR APPOINTMENT OF CONSERVATOR OR OTHER PROTECTIVE ORDER PURSUANT TO G.L.c. 190B, §5-304 & §5-405 To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a Dexter House Health Care of Malden, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Charles Applin is in need of a Conservator or other protective order and requesting that Kati M. Amarantes of Bedford, NH (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Conservator to serve Without Surety on the bond. The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondent is disabled, that a protective order or appointment of a Conservator You have the right to object to this proceeding. court on or before 8:30 A.M. on the return date of 10/22/2019. IMPORTANT NOTICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person. If appointed at State expense. WITNESS, Hon. Maureen H. Monks, First Justice of this Court. Date: July 26, 2019 TARA E. DeCRISTOFARO REGISTER OF PROBATE October 11, 2019
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