The Governor's FY19 budget

Welcome to the FY19 budget process!
Today, Governor Baker released his FY19 budget recommendation. The elementary and secondary budget lines can be found here. This means that the preliminary FY19 foundation budget and chapter 70 aid calculations were also released; see DESE's page here and note the downloads at the bottom of the page (allow me here to put in a plug for both the spreadsheet of all districts and the PowerPoint that explains how it works).

Without repeating what we already knew last week, here's what there is.

• The foundation budget statewide goes up by $304M, of which $130M is the local required contribution and $104M is Chapter 70 aid from the state. That's at a 2.2% increase. The inflation rate on which the foundation budget is calculated this year is 2.56%, which is the highest it's been since FY13 (when it was 3.56%), but still is not anything like actual increases, which run more like 3 to 4%. This includes a $20 minimum per pupil increase.
  Note that there is a change to the amounts per decile in the economically disadvantaged categories; per DESE: "These levels reflect a rate reduction of $300 in response to the significant expansion of student matches towards the low income head count that existed in foundation enrollments prior to the shift to "eco dis". Consistent with the changes in rates that were made during that shift, the rate adjustment was designed to maintain the level of resources available to districts to support the education of this population." I suspect that is not going to fly well with districts that already have a good idea of how far removed that is from the amount actually need.
  The other change within the funding formula this year is the health insurance incremental increase of which the Governor spoke last week. The inflation rate would have increased the health insurance line (benefits) by about $22 per pupil; instead, it's up $74 per pupil (FY19 =$938; FY18 =$864). Remember, due to how the foundation budget is funded, the $24.3M increase in the Chapter 70 line is only part of the story on this health insurance increase. The  full increase within the foundation budget is $72M; local funding will be covering the rest, or $47M. As always, I won't tell you that $72M isn't a lot of money; I will note, though, that it wouldn't cover the health insurance gap in the three largest majority-Chapter 70-funded cities.


• The $15M for students coming in from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is included in a "Foundation Reserve One Time Assistance" line, which includes this language:  

  provided, that financial support shall be provided to said districts, on a full time equivalent basis, and in a manner consistent with the aid calculations made under the chapter 70 school aid program; provided further, that funds distributed from this item, shall not be considered prior year chapter 70 aid and shall not be used in the calculation of the minimum required local contribution for fiscal year 2020

  I would assume, thus, that we're talking the $9723 per pupil for full time ELL students, with some (most?) also having an economically disadvantaged increment (the amount of that varies by district). You get it once; it isn't (yet) added into your Chapter 70 aid. It is left to DESE to determine grant parameters for this fund.


• Stunningly, regional transportation reimbursement is level funded at $61M. I don't know how you argue that the state is fulfilling its commitments when you do that.


• Special education circuit breaker (the circuit breaker "flips" when an out-of-district student costs more than 4x the statewide average per pupil) is increased by $10M to $291M. This is not keeping pace with actual cost increases.


• As in prior years, the Governor is doing his move to merger of several literacy lines (including the Bay State Reading Institute, again).


• METCO, school lunch, AP math and science, Extended Learning Time, Safe and Supportive Schools, mentoring, and Mass Academy of Math and Science are all level funded.


• The charter school reimbursement is again level funded at $80.5M. I'm not going to venture a percentage on that; we haven't had a lot of expansions this past year.


• There's a cut of $38,000 in the House of Corrections education line, which the FY19 document say is based on projected spending. As that would mean that the state is spending less than in FY17, FY16, and FY15, that seems unlikely. And shame on us if it's true. 


• Both the innovation schools line and the MCIEA (the innovative assessment line) are zeroed out (again). No link because there's no account there!


• Adult education not only came in less than last year; it came in less than after the Governor's veto of last year ($28.1M recommended for FY19; $29.6M passed FY18; $28.7M after veto FY18)


• Homeless transportation is level funded from the conference committee at $8.1M; that's down from actual FY17 spending, which was $8.3M. We aren't transporting fewer students, and it doesn't cost less.


• DESE got the $32M requested for assessment (now to see if they hang onto it).


• Here's what made me angry: Last year's Targeted Assistance & Innovation line, which was passed at $6.8M (after $7.2M spending in FY17) is proposed at $6.9M (with projected $7.1M spending FY18) as just Targeted Intervention, which would be enough BUT ALSO this language is added to the line:

  provided further, that funds shall be available for the expansion of empowerment zones or the establishment of innovative partnership zones in additional districts

  Oh, heck, no! There is ZERO evidence that one needs to take the local democratic authority out in order for schools to do well or improve. ZERO!
A number with which the Governor otherwise appears well acquainted.

Please note that the above are JUST the DESE lines; I will add to this as I have a chance to go find the education lines that are elsewhere in the budget. As always, if you have questions/corrections/additions, please let me know!