What's the deal with local aid?

I asked a few of the financial mavens I barrage with questions to explain unrestricted local aid to me last year, and I was met with, more-or-less, a head shake. Now I understand why.

The Mass Budget and Policy Center tackles the other half of the state budget that has a lot to do with local budgets: unrestricted local aid. A few highlights:

• there isn't an overall formula
• changes in calculations haven't taken into consideration changes in wealth that have happened in the past several years.
• there have been cuts and restorations, but they've been the reverse of progressive.
• reform is difficult (maybe impossible) without increases in revenue

Well worth reading!