As lawmakers prepare to debate a major overhaul to how the state funds public education, school leaders from rural parts of Massachusetts want to ensure reforms address the unique challenges their districts face.
A group of administrators and educators with the Massachusetts Rural Schools Coalition gathered alongside students on Thursday, urging lawmakers to expand aid in the short term and update the foundation budget formula to consider the higher transportation costs and declining enrollment in rural districts.
“It’s got to change,” said Michael Buoniconti, superintendent of the Mohawk Trail/Hawlemont Regional School District in western Massachusetts. “This is the opportunity. None of you students were born when this (foundation budget) formula was last dealt with in 1993, so when they open this up, this is our chance to get this done.”
Driven by population trends, enrollment has dropped in recent years in many rural districts even as it has remained steady in urban and suburban areas. In Mohawk, for example, the student population has fallen by roughly half since the 1990s.
Because Chapter 70 state funding is tied to enrollment, most rural schools have not seen an increase in revenue to match rising costs, many of which are fixed and cannot be scaled back. An informational video presented Thursday by the coalition warned of an “epidemic” of budget crises in these districts.
State leaders took steps last year to address the problem by dedicating $1.5 million specifically as “rural school aid” to support those areas in need. While supporters describe the funding as a needed boost, they view it as a first step. Sen. Adam Hinds of Pittsfield proposed increasing that amount to $9 million in the fiscal year 2020 budget.
The push comes as the Legislature weighs considerable changes to the foundation budget system. A state commission found that at least $1 billion a year in public school costs are not being recognized by the state, and efforts to pass funding reforms failed during the 2018 session.
When Gov. Charlie Baker filed his proposal to increase education funding in January, he highlighted rural schools as a necessary area of focus. His bill, H 70, would establish a commission to perform a year-long study on such districts and make recommendations on how best to address their needs. The bill would also create a Public School Regionalization Trust Fund, which would absorb the $1.5 million rural aid line item.
“This is a serious issue, and it’s important that we not only develop a clear understanding of what the problem is but also that we’re thoughtful about the solutions,” Education Secretary James Peyser told the News Service in an interview Thursday. “Money may be part of the solution, but other reforms may be necessary to ensure that we come out of this in a stronger position.”
But advocates want to go further. The Rural Schools Coalition suggested Massachusetts follow the model of Wisconsin, where a sparsity aid program gives about $400 per pupil to schools in the least-dense areas. A similar system in Massachusetts would cost about $15 million, they said.
Hinds, who represents more than 20 rural districts, also proposed legislation that would add “rural factors” to the foundation budget formula, requiring the allocation of state aid to consider characteristics such as student population density. The updates Baker suggested are valuable, he said, but would still leave challenges for more sparse areas.
“We’re finding that even if the categories being addressed in the foundation budget formula are met, it still will not meet the needs of rural schools because of the decline in enrollment and the funding following students,” he said.
Sen. Jason Lewis, the new chair of the Joint Committee on Education, said he was optimistic that lawmakers can find a path forward on reform measures this session. After attending the advocacy session Thursday, he said rural districts will be a key topic in conversations.
“We need to look very closely at what they’re proposing, which is some additional changes to the school funding formula to account for their unique funding challenges,” Lewis said. “I also think we need to look at other ways we can assist rural school districts to lower their costs. I know we’re going to talk more in the months ahead about ideas to support the sharing of services, whether that’s technology services, administrative services and others.”