THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2024 Page 11 Local Aid and Education The FY25 House budget funds Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) at $1.283 billion, and Chapter 70 education funding at $6.863 billion, representing a $309 million increase over the funding provided for Chapter 70 in the FY24 budget. The budget also funds the fourth year of a six-year implementation plan for the Student Opportunity Act (SOA), which was enacted in 2019 to ensure that public schools have the necessary resources to provide high-quality education to students, regardless of zip code or income level. The budget provides an additional $74 per pupil in minimum aid supplements, increasing the minimum aid total to $104 per pupil. Additionally, the budget includes the following education initiatives: • $493 million for the Special Education Circuit Breaker program • $199 million for charter school aid • $99 million for regional school transportation • $29 million for homeless student transportation The House’s FY25 budget continues to fully fund universal free school meals programming for every public-school student in the Commonwealth. Massachusetts is one of only eight states in the country with permanent free school meals for all students, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Due to this program, which the House has extended each year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, since 2019, more than 100,000 additional kids ate school lunch daily through October 2023, according to the Feed Kids Campaign. This budget also invests $30 million for improved early literacy programming to ensure highquality reading instruction is available to students in pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade. Public Transportation The House budget includes a record investment of $555 million for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), as well as $184 million for the Regional Transit Authorities that serve commuters across Massachusetts. These investments include: • $314 million operating transfer to the MBTA • $184 million to support operations and transit improvements at the state’s 15 Regional Transit Authorities • $75 million for MBTA capital investments in physical infrastructure • $65 million for projects that address safety concerns at the MBTA related to the fi ndings of the Federal Transit Administration’s Safety Management Inspection initiated in April 2022 • $40 million to create an MBTA Academy to support recruiting and training eff orts, and establish a pipeline for a skilled workforce across departments • $35 million to create a Resilient Rides program to support climate adaptation and climate readiness capital improvement projects in the stations are rails located in the most climate-vulnerable areas of the system • $20 million for reduced MBTA fares for riders with low incomes • $5 million for grants for ferry services Early Education and Care Continuing the House’s longstanding commitment towards investing in the early education and care (EEC) workforce, the House budget includes $45 million to sustain FY24 rate increases and provides an additional $20 million in FY25 rate increases for child care providers across the Commonwealth. Other early education and care investments, some of which are made permanent through this budget, include: • $475 million for Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grants • $357 million for child care for children involved with the Department of Children & Families and the Department of Transitional Assistance • $417 million for child care for low-income families • $30 million to reduce the income-eligible waitlist • $20 million for child care resource and referral agencies • $17.5 million for Head Start grants • $10 million for an EEC educator scholarship program • $10 million for an EEC educator loan forgiveness program To create a new funding source for EEC initiatives, the budget the House passed would allow the Massachusetts Lottery to sell its products online. A portion of the new revenue collected from online lottery sales, estimated to be $100 million annually, would fund C3 grants, which provide long-term stability for high-quality and affordable care for families. In order to ensure grants are providing optimal results for families and communities with the greatest needs, the House budget provides an equitable funding formula for C3 grants that supports the state’s most vulnerable children, setting aside $240 million (50.5 percent) for providers serving at least 25 percent of children who are eligible for Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA), $135 million (28.4 percent) for providers serving less than 25 percent of children eligible for CCFA, and $100 million (21.1 percent) for providers who do not serve any families eligible for assistance. It also caps the grant amount for-profit, multi-state or franchised organizations receive at 0.33 percent of funding annually. As federal funding for the C3 program is no longer available, the Department of Early Education and Care must recommend a new C3 funding formula after 5 years. Affordable and Accessible Housing The FY25 budget maintains the House’s commitment to protect renters and homeowners across the Commonwealth from eviction and homelessness by investing in the following programs: • $325 million for the Emergency Assistance (EA) program, which provides shelter to families with children and pregnant women • $219 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) • $197.4 million for Rental Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program • $57.3 million for HomeBase • $10 million for shelter workforce assistance • $8.9 million for the Home and Healthy for Good program, MASS HOUSE | SEE Page 17
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