Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Senate supplemental strikes the ESSER spending requirement

 Good news: the Senate supplemental budget filed yesterday includes $75M in extraordinary relief for special education expenses, but it strikes the language the House included that required ESSER to be "obligated" to qualify.

Language from the Senate bill below:

1599-0012 For a reserve to support reimbursements for extraordinary relief to school districts pursuant to section 5A of chapter 71B of the General Laws and item 7061-0012; provided, that funds shall be made available for reimbursements in fiscal year 2024 to school districts that experience increases to instructional costs reimbursable under said section 5A of said chapter 71B and incurred such instructional costs during fiscal year 2024 that exceed 25 per cent of such instructional costs incurred during fiscal year 2023; provided further, that funds shall also be made available to reimburse districts in fiscal year 2024 for 100 per cent of any such instructional cost increases exceeding 5 per cent where the total of such increase also exceeds 0.5 per cent of total actual net school spending in fiscal year 2023; provided further, that funds paid from this provision in fiscal year 2024 will not be reimbursable in fiscal year 2025; and provided further, that the funds appropriated in this item shall not revert but shall be made available through June 30, 2025 and may be transferred to item 7061-0012 and expended subject to the conditions specified in said item in the general appropriations act for that year
$75,000,000

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