Chapter 70 comment

MA Elem. & Secondary Ed. Leadership and Action Document had this to say:

Aid and Grants—In addition to the state aid administered through Chapter 70, the Department of Education awards more than $800 million in grant funding for over 100 grant programs from either state, federal or private sources to schools and districts each year to fund innovative programs. Schools and districts apply for these funds and use them to support targeted programming in areas such as: Title I services, special education programs, universal school breakfast, Safe and Drug-Free Schools initiatives, extended learning time, and academic support services (MCAS remediation). Since the administration of our grant programs exists within constraints of state or federal funding sources, there may not be logical alignment in support of achieving our vision of preparing all students for tomorrow’s opportunities. While our current system needs to continue to comply with the state and federal funding requirements, we can streamline it and increase coordination of various grant initiatives, to enable schools and districts to plan for and use their grant funds for maximum positive impact on student learning.

Now I understand that it is a town charter item that needs to change. However, when I am at a State education meeting and they are telling me that the money is for education - NOT other items in the budget, but they know that it is a town charter change process. I am still being told that it is for education and that the Dpt. of Ed. should be seeing it go to educational items in the budget.... Now, I know, if all was right with the world, and we know Auburn isn't- everything would be funded correctly, but it isn't, so how do we fix it?

I did get interrupted before I got clarification on the final point of -if we got audited as a town for the Chapter 70 funding and it all didn't go to educational items (for the money that is above and beyond the per pupil allotment) would the amount Auburn received be changed? I plan to inquire on this using a town with similar town charter structure, ours, and then to see why Shrewsbury is so well funded.

The Chapter 70 money is a complex question not just because of who should get it in our town, but of the formula for the amount of money the state gives each town as well. Clarity of this formula is critical for us on the state side if we are to get the correct amount of funding from the state for our schools, especially if we as an educational system are going to count on this money year to year as we should be doing.

Here is the state site for Chapter 70 information: http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/chapter70/