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You’ll
recall that last year’s level fund budget meant a $3.5 million
reduction in the services we were able to provide. You’ll also recall
that roughly $1 million was restored to the budget in the
August/September timeframe when the state finalized its budget. This
means our starting point is $62.3 million. This chart provides a
what-if analysis of what the district will do at different funding
levels. At $2.1 million in additional funding in FY 22, we will meet
our minimum obligations (bare minimum). It will take an additional
$550K to $1.75 million to more comfortably meet our obligations to staff
and restore from the cuts of last year. The third pool of money, $750K
to $2 million, would allow us to move forward. As always, I will be
seeking to move forward. Specifically on my watch list are funding
middle school health education staffing, addressing screening for
dyslexia and the associated training required to remediate students at
all levels of our district, establishing acceptable maintenance budgets
for our physical buildings and our technology, and investing in current
curricula and textbooks across all subject matters. The list goes on
for sure. I hope that the Mayor’s budget agrees that all three funding
levels are necessary to move our district forward.
If you haven’t fallen asleep yet, and are thinking that you want to know more or have a million questions about the budget, here’s some additional context you’ll find valuable.
The vast
majority of funding for Medford Public Schools comes from right here in
Medford in a typical year (xx%). The Commonwealth does provide funding
to all schools based on the Chapter 70 formula. Medford’s anticipated
allocations from the state for all items (not just schools) are
available here, and you’ll see columns that represent the various steps
in the state process (Medford Cherry Sheet).
Understanding Chapter 70 is fairly complicated. I’d be happy to chat
about it if you are interested. Essentially Chapter 70 sets the funding
level required to educate a child in a given district. It considers a
host of factors. Truthfully it does a better job with some factors than
others. Once that funding level per student is established, Chapter 70
determines how much of that level can be provided by the municipality
and how much the state will chip in to fill the gap. Municipalities can
elect to provide additional funding but must contribute at least that
amount. The Student Opportunity Act (SOA), hailed as a historic
investment in schools with a 7-year phase-in, will essentially change
the formula to do a better job looking at more factors than the current
formula. Chronically underfunded districts (e.g., Brockton, Lynn,
Worcester, Lawrence) will benefit significantly from the SOA. We
should be heading into year 2 of the SOA, but the pandemic delayed year
1. Currently, the discussions at the state level are on how to get back
on track with funding the SOA. No matter how that happens, the early
parts of the SOA funding changes do not offer help to Medford, so our
Chapter 70 funds are unlikely to be affected, even if the legislature
changes the approach to SOA funding. The other thing that the state
defines in the budget process is how much we will pay to charter
schools. Again, charter school funding is a topic unto itself, and I’d
be happy to answer any questions you have. A few key notes about these
numbers for Medford as they stand today:
-
Chapter 70 Reimbursement: $12,275,726 (Both Governor and House Budget)
-
Charter School Reimbursement $913,064 (Governor) and $1,824,085 (House)
- Charter School Payments $8,760,767 (Both Governor and House) up from $8,545,005 in FY21
A substantial part of the discussion at the state level is whether to
use FY21 enrollment numbers to determine payments or to hold
municipalities harmless for the enrollment losses experienced across the
state due to the pandemic. As of now, there are no plans to hold
districts harmless for enrollment losses which is a rather unfortunate
decision by the state and one with significantly negative potential
impacts. We’ll surely be watching this.
The
presidential transition has brought welcome news for schools across the
entire country. In FY21, MPS received about 2.3 million in Federal
Grants outside of monies received due to the pandemic. The President
has outlined a bold agenda related to funding schools and families, and
we’ll be watching that unfold eagerly. The pandemic has necessitated
federal and state support for municipalities. So far, MPS has spent
$4.4 million in grant funding awarded to the district directly (ESSER I,
Remote Learning Essentials, and State COVID Relief) and to the city
overall (CARES Act). ESSER II and ESSER III are slated at $2.3 and $5.3
to be provided directly to MPS for spending over a period of years.
It’s also important to note that spending these amounts will be easy and
complicated simultaneously. This money is a one-time amount intended
to help address needs created or exacerbated by the pandemic. It means
that using it to fill ongoing budget gaps in operating costs is not
advisable because we would essentially create a fiscal cliff. We are
largely still awaiting guidance on spending from these grants, and I
will be closely following this opportunity to invest and aid in our
recovery from the pandemic.
Your
call to action: Reach out to me (jennygraham4sc@gmail.com) if you have
questions or an issue you’d like to discuss. Please also share this
blog with friends and neighbors who want to be informed about our
schools. Share your priorities for Medford Public Schools with the
Mayor. Remember, the Mayor’s budget controls how much money our schools
can spend; the School Committee’s authority is regarding how to spend
the funding received. Subscribing to the newsletter will ensure you
receive these updates as I post them.
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