I really want to like this editorial

I do...it gets so much right! It gets that we need all four parts implemented! It gets that studies have been done! It gets that kids can't wait!
And then...we fall into this:

The Senate’s approach could lead to misallocation of resources. For instance, it’s unlikely that the cost of educating a 15-year-old from Central America with limited literacy in his or her native language is the same as educating a 5-year-old native Spanish speaker. While the 2015 foundation budget review commission recommends a flat increment added to the rate per pupil, a study like the one proposed in the House would ensure that such differences are reflected in funding.

First of all, Boston Globe, this is precisely the sort of thing a newspaper is supposed to be good at: you're supposed to follow an issue, report on it, and then, when a year or more later, people make the same tired arguments, you can say, "Hey, we had this debate already and HERE was the answer that was decided!"
Except you didn't follow the FBRC meetings that closely, so you don't know that this precisely argument--do you tie the money to particular spending---was had at length in the meetings. The conclusion? THE STATE OWES THE DISTRICTS THIS MONEY FOR SERVICES PROVIDED! The districts are already providing services to kids; they just aren't being funded for it. You don't get to layer on NEW requirements. KNOCK IT OFF!

Plus let's be real for a minute: the top rate this year for ELL is $2354 for middle school students, which has been the highest rate since this part was implemented. The recommendation from the Commission was that all students be moved to this rate. Thus for every ELL student they serve, a district gets at most $2354 on top of the amount of funding that comes along for that child already.

What do we need for kids who are learning English? We need additional curriculum. We need maybe some additional services (both for them and their families). Most of all, of course, we need teachers.
Do some quick math: for every ten kids learning English, a district gets $23,540...not going to get a teacher for that. Or for twenty...you have to get quite a number of kids before you have enough funding to hire an additional teacher.

Can we get a grip for a minute and realize that A) this isn't a ton of funding and B) we already know what districts are going to do with it. They're going to do what districts did, for example, when kids from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands showed up and the funding came through: they're going to get those kids the services they need!

You came so close, Boston Globe!