FY27 Budget Priorities: Municipal and School Funding Crisis

We are writing as Massachusetts residents and taxpayers who care deeply about the future of our Commonwealth. Many of us are parents, grandparents, educators, or community members with a vested interest in the continued success of our public schools. We have been advocating for change with our legislators, but the wheels of democracy are moving too slowly to prevent our municipalities and school districts from driving off a financial cliff this year. Districts and municipalities throughout the state are in financial peril, and we look to you to help right the course. If we do not act now, while municipalities and districts are developing their FY27 budgets, it will be too late. Educators will be laid off. Services statewide will be reduced or disappear entirely. Our students will suffer the consequences. The crisis is clear: municipalities are caught in an unsustainable squeeze as rising health insurance and pension costs consume more of their budgets, leaving less for schools. School districts face their own cost pressures while waiting for adequate state support. This demands both immediate relief in the FY27 budget and long-term structural reforms. WHAT WE NEED IN THE FY27 BUDGET: Relief for municipalities: Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA): A real increase of at least 3-5%, not the inadequate 1.1% in FY26 Enhanced PILOT reimbursements for communities with state-owned properties Support for school districts: Chapter 70 Aid: Robust increases that continue implementing the Student Opportunity Act Special Education Circuit Breaker: Increase the reimbursement rate from 75% to 90% and lower the cost threshold—districts are drowning in special education costs School Transportation: Move toward full reimbursement for regional and vocational transportation, and establish at least 25% reimbursement for in-district transportation (which currently receives nothing) McKinney-Vento Transportation: Full funding—the 58% reimbursement in FY26 was inadequate Charter School Reimbursement: Ensure 100% funding so districts aren't penalized Rural School Aid: Restore and increase support for declining-enrollment districts Universal School Meals: Continue full funding WHAT WE NEED FOR THE LONG TERM: Bill S.400 and its companion bills (S328, S337, S345, S348, S354, S369, S385, S388, S394, S407, S416, S440, and S460) addressing education funding adequacy and equity have been sitting in Senate Ways and Means since October 2025. These bills represent the structural reforms that go beyond annual budget increases—reforms we desperately need. We urge you to: Publicly support this package of education funding reform legislation Use your influence with legislative leadership to get these bills moving Make structural funding reforms a priority in your legislative agenda The time for waiting has passed. Municipalities cannot give schools what they don't have. Schools cannot provide adequate education without proper funding. Both immediate relief and lasting reform are necessary—and both are urgent. We recognize the many competing demands on the state budget. However, investing in our municipalities and school districts reaches the largest number of people, including our most vulnerable residents. Strong schools strengthen communities, support working families, and give every child a fair shot at a better future. When the state adequately funds education, municipalities can allocate more resources to roads, public safety, parks, and services that benefit everyone—not just families with children in school. Your administration has shown it can act boldly when necessary. The recent $250 million investment in ConnectorCare protected 270,000 middle-class families from devastating premium increases. That same kind of decisive action is needed now for education funding. We call on you to demonstrate that same leadership for our schools and communities. Massachusetts students, towns, and taxpayers cannot wait any longer.