Legislative budget

I'll do a full rundown on the state budget once the Governor signs it, but if you're interested in what the Legislature agreed on, take a look at the Mass Budget and Policy Center's look. 

Several K-12 grant programs receive increases over FY 2013 levels. Of note, the FY 2014 budget provides increases of (Children's Budget program links embedded):

• $10.6 million for the Special Education Circuit Breaker, which appears to fully fund the statutory reimbursement rate of 75 percent. Total funding for FY 2014 is $252.5 million.

• $6.0 million for Regional School Transportation, bringing total funding up to $51.5 million.

• $4.5 million for Charter School Reimbursements, bringing total funding up to $75.0 million. It is important to note that a supplemental budget for FY 2013 that has passed the Legislature and awaits action from the Governor includes an additional $8.0 million for these reimbursements for FY 2013.

• $1.6 million for English Language Acquisition, bringing total funding up to $2.8 million.

• $1.0 million for Innovation Schools, which would fund competitive grants for school districts planning, implementing, or seeking to enhance Innovation Schools in Massachusetts. This is a new program for FY 2014.

• $500,000 for METCO, bringing total funding up to $18.6 million.

A few other programs would be cut from FY 2013 levels. Of note, the FY 2014 budget provides decreases of:

• $4.0 million for Homeless Student Transportation, bringing total funding down to $7.4 million.

• $823,000 for Literacy Programs, bringing total funding down to $2.3 million.

• $480,000 for MCAS Low-Scoring Student Support, bringing total funding down to $9.1 million.