The City Manager owns up

It didn't, of course, make it in the paper, but deep in the City Manager's budget message, he does give the right numbers:

With the overlay appropriation, it is possible to provide for an additional $1.15 million above the minimum required school funding...

(emphasis added)
And then the spin:
This effective increase to the WPS to provide services in the classroom is more than 103% over the state-mandated minimum. While the State formula does not recognize redirected health insurance costs as increased net school spending, we know that dollars are better spent in the classroom than on health care costs. The chart on the next page shows that of the $7.85 million in funds now available for classroom spending at the Worcester Public Schools, only $1.15 million is included in the state calculation of increased Net School Spending

(and you'll remember that the state calculation is so woefully short that several members of the Worcester delegation are working to increase it!)

It's a very pretty chart. It also doesn't change the facts.