Massachusetts, we have a budget, mostly.

On Monday, Governor Maura Healey signed the FY25 conference committee budget. You can find the Governor's signing statement here along with the record of vetoes. 

As the most of the larger K-12 education accounts of the budget were signed as passed by the conference committee, which I covered here, I'm going to skip those and go right to the vetoes, of which there are quite a number that impact K-12 districts. 

(I know, right? You'd never know this from the coverage.)

Do note, though, that DESE has posted the final FY25 Chapter 70 and net school spending requirements. This means we can play "exactly how far back did making the minimum per pupil increase $104 set us from SOA gains?" which I'll get to in a future post.

The following is taken directly from the line item account veto document.

• Financial Literacy (7010-1194) in the conference committee budget at $250,00, is zeroed out, with the message "other sources of funding for financial literacy appropriated in this budget will mitigate the effects of this veto."
• Advanced Placement Math and Science (7035-0035) has been cut by $1.3M to just over $2M.
• Statewide College and Career (7061-9406) in the conference committee budget at $875,000 has been zeroed out "because it is not consistent with my House 2 recommendation."
• Extended Learning Time Grants (7061-9611) in the conference committee budget at $2.4M has been zeroed out "because funding is intended for the 2024 summer month programming, which cannot be implemented at this point in the fiscal year due to the need for a spring application window."
• After and Out-of-School Grants (7061-9611) is cut by $3M, bringing it to $8.6M, "to the amount projected to be necessary, consistent with my House 2 recommendation. Increased funding in this budget for local school aid will mitigate impacts from this reduction." 
• Mentoring Grants (7061-9634) is cut by $300,000 to $1.5M "consistent with my House 2 recommendation."
• Student Wellness School Supports (7061-9650), funded in the conference committee budget, is zeroed out, with the message: "Funding for critical student mental health supports and wrap-around services is appropriated in this budget through the Social Emotional Learning Grants item and a new $5 M appropriation, funded by Fair Share revenues, for the development of a student mental and behavioral health framework."
• Teacher Diversity Initiative (7061-9805) is reduced by $7.5M to $2.5M, "to the amount projected to be necessary. The amount as adjusted here, in combination with the available balance from FY24, is sufficient to meet projected demand and result in no reduction in FY25 planned spending for this item."

Commentary: which is worse:

1. "Increased funding in this budget for local school aid will mitigate impacts from this reduction" in this "inflation increase? What inflation increase?" year 
   
   OR
   
   
2. "The amount as adjusted here, in combination with the available balance from FY24, is sufficient to meet projected demand" on teacher diversity. In Massachusetts.
   

Yes, the Legislature does still have time to override.