Massachusetts isn't using its fiscal capacity and it's poor kids that are hit

Bruce Baker has released his latest version of The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems, and, as Kristin Johnson noted on Twitter this morning, Massachusetts isn't doing what it could:

This new report from @SchlFinance101 is fascinating. Massachusetts is in the bottom quartile for state fiscal effort in K-12 spending. #mapoli #bospolihttps://t.co/3yklDVRNoY pic.twitter.com/TidabLNAaE

— Kristin Johnson (@KrissyCabbage) April 2, 2019

As Baker noted:

FYI - Mass is low on this measure because Mass is a high fiscal capacity state. Mass has relatively robust spending levels nonetheless, but could/should do more for certain high need districts left well behind.

— Bruce Baker (@SchlFinance101) April 2, 2019

And I'll bet you could guess which districts those are.
In particularly, in our "number one but not for all" state, note what this is doing to our low income kids:

Mass adequacy profile, if target outcome is current national average reading/math scores (low bar for mass - still, high pov districts fall short of $ needed to hit this target) pic.twitter.com/T4hzL6K1nF

— Bruce Baker (@SchlFinance101) April 2, 2019

This is particularly important because there is a real danger that the real recommendation (remember what Rep. Vargas did at the FBRC hearing) of 50-100% of the per pupil post update is going to be lost. There isn't much low income representation at the table when it comes to negotiations behind the scenes, and when something comes out, it's inevitably going to be quick, and there's going to be pressure to get it through.
And we keep being told that this is our one shot in this generation.
The data is clear; we have to raise the rates SIGNIFICANTLY--double isn't too much to ask--in order to fulfill the recommendations and more importantly our Constitutional responsibility to our kids.
All kids.