BOSTON (AP) - A group of teachers, students and lawmakers is pushing to update the way Massachusetts distributes education dollars to local municipalities.
They say the state’s 24-year-old education funding formula - known as the foundation budget - hasn’t fully lived up to its promise of closing the student achievement gap between wealthier and lower-income communities.
State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz is sponsoring a bill that would overhaul the formula, which she said hasn’t kept up with rising fixed costs like health care and special education that have outpaced initial estimates.
Chang-Díaz pointed to a report by the Foundation Budget Review Commission, which found the original formula underestimated those costs by up to $2 billion every year, reinforcing the achievement gap.
The Boston Democrat unveiled the bill Monday at the Statehouse.
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