Senate Budget disaster

Among the disastrous parts of the Mass Senate's proposed budget is a statewide cut of $79 million in Chapter 70 aid (I'm working on what that means for Worcester), an $110 million cut statewide in special education reimbursements (which would hit Worcester hard), and cutting out the "inflation" part of the foundation formula, which would, before anything else, cut $4 million from the Worcester Public Schools.
That's 80 teachers.
Not to mention that the cut in local aid ($347 statewide) would, in addition to what it would do to parks, fire, DPW, police, the library, would automatically result in a city-side deduction in the school contribution (through, yes, the foundation formula). A cut in local aid is a cut in schools, too.

Senator Harriette Chandler of Worcester (Harriette.Chandler@state.ma.us) is the Assistant Vice Chairman of Ways and Means in the Senate.