Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S2658 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2658
2	2	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
3	3	_______________
4	4	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
5	5	(2023-2024)
6	6	_______________
7	7	SENATE, March 28, 2024.
8	8	The committee on Education, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill,
9	9	Senate, No. 2388) (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Joanne M. Comerford and Natalie M. Blais for
10	10	legislation to provide a sustainable future for rural schools, report the accompanying bill (Senate,
11	11	No. 2658).
12	12	For the committee,
13	13	Jason M. Lewis 1 of 6
14	14	FILED ON: 2/7/2024
15	15	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2658
16	16	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
17	17	_______________
18	18	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
19	19	(2023-2024)
20	20	_______________
21	21	An Act to provide a sustainable future for rural schools.
22	22	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
23	23	of the same, as follows:
24	24	1 SECTION 1. Chapter 15 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following
25	25	2section:-
26	26	3 Section 67. (a) There shall be within the department an office of shared services, which
27	27	4shall be under the supervision and management of the director of shared services. The director
28	28	5shall be appointed by the commissioner.
29	29	6 (b) The office of shared services shall oversee the formation of regional school districts
30	30	7and superintendent unions in the commonwealth. The director of shared services shall assist
31	31	8school districts that are considering forming or are in the process of forming regional school
32	32	9districts and superintendent unions with the research, development and execution of shared
33	33	10services projects and shared services agreements.
34	34	11 (c) Based on the review and analysis received from the center for health information and
35	35	12analysis pursuant to section 25 of chapter 12C of the General Laws, the office of shared services
36	36	13shall provide a report and make recommendations on strategies to improve coverage and reduce 2 of 6
37	37	14costs including, but not limited to, recommendations related to membership in purchasing
38	38	15groups, combining plan design changes with health cost reimbursement arrangements and any
39	39	16other cost-reducing strategies that will not increase insurance costs for employees. The report
40	40	17shall be delivered to the clerks of the house of representatives and senate and the joint committee
41	41	18on education, the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools and posted publicly on the
42	42	19center’s website on or before December 31, 2025.
43	43	20 SECTION 2. Chapter 12C of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the
44	44	21following section:-
45	45	22 Section 25. (a) For the purposes of this section “rural school district” shall mean a school
46	46	23district with both of the following: (i) a student density of not more than 35 students per square
47	47	24mile and (ii) a per capita income of less than the average annual estimated, state-wide per capita
48	48	25income.
49	49	26 (b) The center shall perform a review and analysis of the range of health insurance plans
50	50	27that are in use across rural school districts in the commonwealth and shall provide the review and
51	51	28analysis to the office of shared services pursuant to section 67 of chapter 15 of the General Laws.
52	52	29 SECTION 3. Section 19 of chapter 15A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022
53	53	30Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the figure “71”, in line 83, the following
54	54	31words:- ; provided, however that paraprofessionals seeking to obtain licensure as special
55	55	32educators shall have priority for such grants.
56	56	33 SECTION 4. Section 2 of chapter 70 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
57	57	34amended by inserting after the definition “Required net school spending” the following
58	58	35definition:- 3 of 6
59	59	36 “Rural school district”, a school district with both of the following: (i) a student density
60	60	37of not more than 35 students per square mile and (ii) a per capita income of less than the average
61	61	38annual estimated, state-wide per capita income.
62	62	39 SECTION 5. Said chapter 70B of the General Laws is hereby further amended by adding
63	63	40the following section:-
64	64	41 Section 22. Upon the closure of a school as a result of a school district regionalization
65	65	42effort, the authority, in collaboration with the executive office of housing and livable
66	66	43communities and the executive office of economic development shall offer assistance to the
67	67	44municipality wherein the school is located for the development of a plan for demolition or use of
68	68	45the school building for other purposes, including any technical assistance for school building
69	69	46reuse and the retrofitting of school buildings for other purposes.
70	70	47 SECTION 6. Section 16D of said chapter 71, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
71	71	48striking out subsection (g) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-
72	72	49 (g) A regional school district shall receive state aid for the transitional costs associated
73	73	50with the establishment of the regional school district. A regional school district shall be entitled
74	74	51to aid under this subsection for the first 3 years of its operation. The state treasurer shall, upon
75	75	52certification by the commissioner, annually, on or before November 20, pay to each regional
76	76	53school district in its first 3 years of operation $200 per pupil enrolled by the regional school
77	77	54district.
78	78	55 SECTION 7. Said chapter 71 is hereby further amended by inserting after section 16I the
79	79	56following section:- 4 of 6
80	80	57 Section 16J. (a) There is hereby established and set upon the books of the commonwealth
81	81	58a separate fund known as the School District Regionalization Grant Fund. The fund shall be
82	82	59credited with: (i) appropriations or other money authorized or transferred by the general court
83	83	60and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) funds from public and private sources,
84	84	61including, but not limited to gifts, grants and donations; and (iii) any interest earned on such
85	85	62money. Amounts credited shall not be subject to appropriation and shall be expended by the
86	86	63department to fund a grant program for the study, planning and implementation of school district
87	87	64regionalization efforts to be administered by the department in accordance with this section; and
88	88	65provided further, that grant funds awarded pursuant to this section shall be distributed evenly
89	89	66over a 3 year period.
90	90	67 (b) A qualified school eligible for funding are towns and regional school districts,
91	91	68excluding vocational schools, independent agricultural, technical schools and charter schools;
92	92	69provided, that a school district shall be eligible for a school district regionalization grant if it is
93	93	70considering forming, is in the process of forming or has formed within the past 5 years a regional
94	94	71school district or regionalizing services; provided, that, that school district regionalization grants
95	95	72shall be allocated equitably in the following priority order: (i) school districts with significant
96	96	73enrollment decline; (ii) school districts where existing school space is underutilized; and (iii)
97	97	74school districts where the regionalization proposal will produce significant expansion of
98	98	75available academic resources and supports as a result of cost savings.
99	99	76 (c) Annually, not later than February 1, any district receiving funds under this item shall
100	100	77submit a report to the department outlining the progress the district has made in studying,
101	101	78planning or implementing regionalization or regionalization services. 5 of 6
102	102	79 (d) Annually, not later than December 1, the department shall submit a report to the
103	103	80house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on education detailing
104	104	81the calculation and planned distribution of funds to school districts; provided, that, funds
105	105	82distributed from this section shall not be considered chapter 70 aid for the calculation of the
106	106	83minimum required local contribution for the upcoming fiscal year.
107	107	84 (e) Every 5 years, the department shall determine the adequacy of funding for the
108	108	85purposes of this section and recommend to the general court any necessary adjustment.
109	109	86 (f) A grant awarded to a school district pursuant to this section shall not exceed
110	110	87$1,500,000 over a 3 year period.
111	111	88 SECTION 8. Said chapter 71B of the General Laws is hereby further amended by adding
112	112	89the following section:-
113	113	90 Section 17. (a) There shall be within the department a program to support the
114	114	91development of specialized teachers with targeted funding for local educator preparation
115	115	92programs for special education.
116	116	93 (b) The department shall facilitate the funding and implementation of the program so that
117	117	94school districts can coordinate with educational collaboratives and other providers to build “grow
118	118	95your own” programs and provide paid time off, or childcare stipends, to paraprofessionals
119	119	96studying to become licensed special education teachers.
120	120	97 (c) The program shall provide similar support to teachers currently licensed in other
121	121	98subjects to become special education teachers. 6 of 6
122	122	99 SECTION 9. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the
123	123	100department of elementary and secondary education shall conduct a review of special education
124	124	101regulations of the department as they pertain to the needs of rural school districts.
125	125	102 (b) The department shall request public comment and discussions with special education
126	126	103advocates, educators, school administrators, parents, and experts to explore reform of regulations
127	127	104under 603 CMR 28.00.
128	128	105 (c) The department shall publish a web page that serves as a one-stop resource to allow
129	129	106the public to obtain information and provide comments on individual rules and guidelines under
130	130	107review as well as the department’s regulatory review program generally.