Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Senate FY19 budget amendments

The Senate sorts their budget amendments by topic, so this is lots easier! Rather than go line by line, I'm going to arrange these by topic, because some of the hot topics have several amendments (and in many cases, several amendments by Senator Tarr); as always, these are only K-12 and only statewide amendments (not checking earmarks here):

Foundation budget:
...FBRC has been submitted as amendment 236 from Senator Tarr and 238 is to require it every five years
and 249 hands out $30M of any consolidated net surplus to FBRC implementation, Massachusetts Community Preservation Trust Fund, and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Investment Fund .

Per pupil minimum increase:
The House passed a $30/pupil minimum increase; the Senate Ways and Means budget proposes the same (do I need to remind you that these increases aren't progressive?).
  • 157 from Senator Tarr proposes $40/pupil
  • 158 from Senator Tarr proposes $50/pupil
  • 159 from Senator Tarr proposes $100/pupil
Charter schools:
  • 205 from Senator Jehlen would require that the fiscal impacts of charters on sending districts be considered in the granting of charters
  • 262 (same) would prevent the creation of charters without that
  • 311 from Senator O'Connor for $125M for charter school reimbursement (I believe that is full funding)
Special education:
  • 201 from Senator Tarr would use ACTUAL NUMBERS (average of the prior five years) for the foundation budget calculation
  • 223 from Senator Keenan would tie Ch.766 program tuition lines to the cost of inflation
  • 250 from Senator Tarr is a special education net services study
  • 297 from Senator Brownsberger adds $250K of extraordinary relief to the circuit breaker 

Regional transportation:
The Senate Ways and Means budget funds regional transportation reimbursement at $62.5M, when the House settled at $63.5M. Thus it's not suprising that there are several amendments:
  • 161 from Senator Tarr for $86M
  • 162 from Senator Tarr for $77.4M
  • 163 from Senator Tarr for $73M
  • 242 from Senator Gobi is for $71M
  • 237 from Senator Tarr is a regional schools and transportation study 
  • 294 from Senator Friedman would make recovery high schools regional schools for the purposes of transportation reimbursement 
  • 315 from Senator Tarr would create a study of both regional transit and regional transportation
The battle of line 7061-9400 
It is Senator Tarr moving to amend back to DESE's preferred $32M and including history for the MCAS line. You knew someone would. 
On the other hand, Senator O'Connor-Ives amends it to $13M in amendment 265

Rural schools:
Amendment 317 from Senator Hinds creates and amendment 318 funds rural school aid; adds $3M to the bottom line

The rest:
  • 160 from Senator Creighton would raise Mass Mentoring to $750K
  • 165 from Senator Tarr puts dyslexia into the MGL
  • 167 from Senator Creem requires the change in meal change policies that USDA already required be passed and published by back to school
  • 168 from Senator Montigny funds Best Buddies at $500K
  • 169 from Senator DiDomenico adds $600K for Safe and Supportive Schools
  • 176 from Senator Eldridge would bump adult ed $3.5M to $34.5M
  • 177 from Senator Eldridge would create a two generation education commission (parents and children both in school)
  • 178 from Senator Eldridge would add a social worker loan repayment program
  • 179 from Senator Crighton bumps the ASOST-Q Grant to $5.5M and puts in a pilot for community service sharing 
  • 182 from Senator deMacedo outlining which group homes need particular licensing (and I don't know enough about this to tell you more than that)
  • 183 from Senator Crighton for $1M for summer learning programs for low income students
  • 185 from Senator Rush bumps Reading Recovery $500K
  • 186 from Senator Eldridge establishes a water bottle refilling grant program for schools (I like this one!)
  • 190 from Senator Tarr wants MSBA to create "rules, regulations and guidelines for the inclusion of installation plans of an indoor active shooter gunshot detection and alerting system" for schools building with MSBA 
  • 202 from Senator Tarr adds $5M for the now-required substance abuse screening 
  • 213 from Senator Jehlen bumps the innovation school line from $100K to $200K; 243 from Senator Tarr does the same BUT ties the funds up with STEM, extended learning, and such
  • 214 from Senator Jehlen bumps the MCIEA innovative asssessment line from $200K to $400K
  • 216 from Senator Collins bumps the school to career line from $4M to $4.5M
  • 224 from Senator Boncore just straight adds a Reach Out and Read line for $1M, requiring a match
  • 239 from Senator Tarr  adds $100K for empowerment zone grants
  • 244 from Senator Tarr bumps the literacy lines about $150K
  • 246 from Senator Tarr creates an unfunded mandate task force
  • 247 from Senator Lewis adds $50,000 for a gifted and talented needs assessment at the state level
  • 260 from Senator Rush would require 20 minutes of recess
  • 276 from Senator Boncore (clearly at the direction of Stand for Children) would add $700K to the reading lines but make them competitive programs 
  • 295 from Senator Lesser would study the wait list of vocational schools (with a view to fulfilling them)
  • 296 from Senator Brownsberger adds $1M to METCO (bringing it to the House $22.1M) 
  • 302 from Senator Fattman adds a pothole account for midyear ELL students (in the law; no money added)
  • 303 from Senator Fattman would create a carbon monoxide detector fund for schools (no money)
  • 308 from Senator Tarr would phase in a required breakfast after the bell program for schools that are majority low income 
  • 316 from Senator Rodrigues bumps the AP line $300K to $2.8M

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