Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said for years the state has been providing a 'one size fits all model' for funding and that is now changing with such programs as rural school aid.
DALTON, Mass. — Rural schools will receive additional support this year after state Sen. Adam Hinds successfully secured a $1.5 million budget allocation for additional aid.
The budget line provides districts below certain incomes and density $100 extra per student. The sparsity aid program helps rural schools with funding struggles keep up with larger schools throughout the state.
"In a rural school our fixed costs are the same, they are just as high as anywhere in the state. The problem is our population is low and the resources available are also low. This shot in the arm is a great start in the right direction," said state Rep. Paul Mark said.
Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley made the announcement of the final totals at a press conference at Wahconah High School on Monday. Central Berkshire Regional School District will receive the highest amount of the 33 districts with $246,056 in additional aid.
Mohawk Trail Regional Schools will see $132,932 extra that Superintendent Michael Buoniconti said will go toward upgrading technology the students use.
"For Mohawk, we are spending almost all of this money on buying Chromebooks for our students in Grades 7 through 12, which is a gamechanger for our kids. It is a game changer with how instruction is going to be delivered, for our student's understanding of digital literacy, it is just a profound difference," he said.
The new program stems first from a student headed by DESE to look at the funding issues associated with rural schools.
"In the last budget cycle, we compelled DESE to look at the fiscal condition of rural schools throughout the commonwealth. The surprise of probably nobody, they confirmed it is true. Student enrollment is going down in rural schools in the last 10 years while it has been flat in the commonwealth. It is true that rural schools are spending more per pupil for their teachers and paraprofessionals and are spending 50 percent more on transportation," Hinds said.
That study also coincides with a study looking at the Chapter 70 school funding formula. A foundation formula commission ruled that schools across the state are underfunded.
This year the Legislature upped its Chapter 70 allocation, upped its regional school transportation aid, and created the rural sparsity aid program.
"It is just the beginning. I think it is an important precedent being established here and I think it is going to grow. The hardest thing to do is to establish the reasoning, the justification, for a new legislative initiative and that's already been done," said state Rep. Stephen Kulik.
"Now the work is to increase it, expanding it, make it stronger, to respond to changing dynamics in our school districts."
State Rep. Paul Mark said rural schools have the same overhead costs as others but less in available resources to pay for it.
Discussion about changing the way schools are funded is expected to continue when the next legislative session opens in 2019. Riley said the current model hasn't provided equity across the state.
"For a long time in education, we've doled out resources on a one-size-fits-all model. Massachusetts is very proud of itself for being No. 1 in the country on various test scores and metrics. That's a great thing. But also when we look deeper into the information what we see is we are really No. 1 for some. Kids living in poverty, kids with special needs, second-language learners, and kids living in a rural area aren't being given the same opportunities that kids are in other places," the commission said.
"It is incumbent upon us to fix that. Today the rural aid announcement is one way toward addressing issues."
Hinds had originally pitched more for the program. He wanted $300 per student for districts with 21 students per square mile. But, being a new program, he had to scale his proposal back to get the needed support. The program now gives $100 per student at schools with less than 10 students per square mile.
Hinds hopes the program will both expand in the number of districts to receive funds and increase the amount of funds received.
"We do hope this effort is just the starting point. We do hope it is the starting point also for keeping the foot on the pedal for other funding areas that include school transportation," Hinds said.
The additional funds each of the 33 schools will receive is available below. Riley said the districts will receive the funds within a couple weeks.
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State Fire Marshal: New Tracking Tool Identifies 50 Lithium-Ion Battery Fires
STOW, Mass. — The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services' new tool for tracking lithium-ion battery fires has helped to identify 50 such incidents in the past six months, more than double the annual average detected by a national fire data reporting system, said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine.
The Department of Fire Services launched its Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Investigative Checklist on Oct. 13, 2023. It immediately went into use by the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office, and local fire departments were urged to adopt it as well.
Developed by the DFS Fire Safety Division, the checklist can be used by fire investigators to gather basic information about fires in which lithium-ion batteries played a part. That information is then entered into a database to identify patterns and trends.
"We knew anecdotally that lithium-ion batteries were involved in more fires than the existing data suggested," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "In just the past six months, investigators using this simple checklist have revealed many more incidents than we've seen in prior years."
Prior to the checklist, the state's fire service relied on battery fire data reported to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System (MFIRS), a state-level tool that mirrors and feeds into the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). NFIRS tracks battery fires but does not specifically gather data on the types of batteries involved. Some fields do not require the detailed information that Massachusetts officials were seeking, and some fires may be coded according to the type of device involved rather than the type of battery. Moreover, MFIRS reports sometimes take weeks or months to be completed and uploaded.
"Investigators using the Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Checklist are getting us better data faster," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "The tool is helpful, but the people using it are the key to its success."
From 2019 to 2023, an average of 19.4 lithium-ion battery fires per year were reported to MFIRS – less than half the number identified by investigators using the checklist over the past six months. The increase since last fall could be due to the growing number of consumer devices powered by these batteries, increased attention by local fire investigators, or other factors, State Fire Marshal Davine said. For example, fires that started with another item but impinged upon a battery-powered device, causing it to go into thermal runaway, might not be categorized as a battery fire in MFIRS or NFIRS.
Albert Ingegni III was applauded for four decades of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals during City Council. Mayor Peter Marchetti presented him with a certificate of thanks for his commitment to the community.
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Between disagreements about site design and a formal funding process not yet established, more time is needed before a decision can be made.
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The Ordinances and Rules subcommittee on Monday unanimously supported a pay raise for election workers, free downtown parking for veterans, and safeguards to better protect wetlands.
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A parking study of North Street will be presented at Tuesday's City Council meeting. The design maintains parallel parking while expanding pedestrian zones and adding protected bike lanes. click for more
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