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Dr. David Hopson |
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May 14, 2007 In the midst of a very difficult budget year, for Gateway as well as other area schools, I am heartened by the increasing calls for reforming the way Massachusetts funds public education. In talking with legislators regarding the R.E.D. circuit breaker (for more information visit www.grsd.org) and potential changes in the Chapter 70 formula for determining state educational aid, I am beginning to see some real movement toward revising the formula and taking the differences between school systems into account. We’ve already seen minor changes in local minimum assessments move from average to median citizen incomes in local towns. This change has greatly impacted the Gateway district, with towns that paid more in the past having their minimum contributions reduced over a five-year period. The next step is to convince the state that special funding consideration has to be given to schools outside of the norm, i.e., schools that are smaller than what the formula is based upon, and districts that meet the R.E.D. requirements--are rural (defined as less than 10 students per square mile), economically challenged (those that the state says should get more than 50% of their budget through state aid), and have declining enrollment. On a higher level, the Governor has repeatedly stated that Massachusetts has to look beyond property taxes to fund public education. While he has not provided any specifics to date, the fact that he’s making this part of his educational reform mandate may be good news in the constant battle over funding between municipalities and schools. In addition, The Republican newspaper ran an article this week by Justice John M. Greaney, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that spoke of the need to take another hard look at how public education is funded. Justice Greaney was the justice who handled the Hancock vs. Commissioner of Education case that essentially noted a continued inequity in the way in which public schools are funded. Justice Greaney also noted Governor Patrick’s call for a restructuring of the school financing system. Irrespective of how Gateway’s budget ends up this year, it is vitally important that each of us take up the refrain that I’ve heard many times this year: it’s time to let the state know that educational finance reform is necessary because we (towns and the district) have reached the end of our fiscal rope and have nowhere left to go. This means that everyone—parents, students, elected officials, school staff, and community members—need to take the time to lobby our legislators and governor, publicize our needs, and insist on action to cure the inequity in education funding based upon outdated statistics and the regressive property tax. The time finally appears to be upon us when a concerted effort will yield positive results—the legislators and Governor are discussing change, the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Massachusetts Association of School Committees, and the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools are all pushing for needed change, and a critical mass of cities and towns are facing school funding problems. Justice Greaney quoted U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren regarding the importance of education. This quote seems to sum up both the need for education and the need for equitable fiscal support—“Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments. . . . it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he (or she) is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be available to all on equal terms.” ### |
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