Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H298 Compare Versions

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

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2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3595 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 298
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Antonio F. D. Cabral
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act to promote school centered neighborhood development.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Antonio F. D. Cabral13th Bristol1/17/2025Vanna Howard17th Middlesex1/30/2025Rodney M. Elliott16th Middlesex2/4/2025Christopher Hendricks11th Bristol2/4/2025Mary S. Keefe15th Worcester3/5/2025 1 of 6
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3595 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 298
18	18	By Representative Cabral of New Bedford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 298) of
19	19	Antonio F. D. Cabral and others relative to school centered neighborhood developments.
20	20	Community Development and Small Businesses.
21	21	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
22	22	_______________
23	23	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
24	24	(2025-2026)
25	25	_______________
26	26	An Act to promote school centered neighborhood development.
27	27	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
28	28	of the same, as follows:
29	29	1 SECTION 1. The General Laws are hereby amended by inserting after chapter 40Y the
30	30	2following chapter:-
31	31	3
32	32	4 Chapter 40Z. School-centered neighborhood development
33	33	5 Section 1. Definitions
34	34	6 As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires
35	35	7otherwise, have the following meanings:—
36	36	8 "Community school", a public school that establishes a set of strategic partnerships
37	37	9between the school and other community resources that leverage shared accountability,
38	38	10collaborative leadership, capacity building, and family and community engagement, to promote 2 of 6
39	39	11student achievement, and the well-being of students, families, educators, and neighborhood
40	40	12residents through a variety of engaging practices including the provision of wraparound services.
41	41	13 “Community Schools strategy”, a strategy that transforms a school into a community
42	42	14school where educators, local community members, families, and students work together to
43	43	15establish shared vision and goals to strengthen conditions for student learning and healthy
44	44	16development, including but not limited to the organization of in- and out-of-school resources,
45	45	17supports, and student opportunities.
46	46	18 “Council”, the Massachusetts Interagency Council on School-Centered Neighborhood
47	47	19Development, established pursuant to section 2.
48	48	20 “Municipal children’s cabinets”, a standing body that includes municipal agencies,
49	49	21nonprofits, and private sector partners formed to map the cradle-to-career pipeline serving
50	50	22children and families in the community, identify gaps, and implement strategies to close these
51	51	23gaps. In addition to municipal-wide approaches, these strategies may include supporting the
52	52	24production and implementation of school-centered neighborhood development plans for discrete
53	53	25neighborhoods within the municipality.
54	54	26 "Office'', the executive office of housing and livable communities.
55	55	27 “School-centered neighborhood development plan”, a long-term plan for the area
56	56	28surrounding a public school or public schools. The plan shall seek to identify opportunities to
57	57	29build strong mixed-income neighborhoods and schools for children and families and establish
58	58	30goals pursuant to these opportunities, in conformance with the general plan for the municipality.
59	59	31All school-centered neighborhood development plans shall incorporate strategies to ensure that 3 of 6
60	60	32the public schools within the designated area adopt and operate according to the basic tenants of
61	61	33the community school model.
62	62	34 “Lead partner”, a nonprofit or governmental entity that is responsible for coordinating
63	63	35across partner organizations and driving the school-centered neighborhood development plan
64	64	36implementation.
65	65	37 “Research-practice partnerships”, collaborative, long-term relationships between
66	66	38researchers and practitioners that are designed to improve educational outcomes.
67	67	39 Section 2. The Massachusetts Interagency Council on School-Centered Neighborhood
68	68	40Development
69	69	41 There shall be established a council to be known as the Massachusetts Interagency
70	70	42Council on School-Centered Neighborhood Development ("the council"). The council shall
71	71	43consists of eighteen members: the Lieutenant Governor, who shall serve as the chair; three
72	72	44representatives to be appointed by the secretary of the executive office of housing and livable
73	73	45communities; three representatives from the education departments to be appointed by the
74	74	46secretary of the executive office of education; the chief executive officer of the Massachusetts
75	75	47Housing Finance Agency or their designee; the chief executive officer of the Massachusetts
76	76	48Development Finance Agency or their designee; the chief executive officer of the Massachusetts
77	77	49Housing Partnership or their designee; the chief executive officer of the Community Economic
78	78	50Development Assistance Corporation or their designee; the chief executive officer of the
79	79	51Massachusetts School Building Authority or their designee; a representative of the
80	80	52Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents; a representative of the Massachusetts
81	81	53Association of School Committees; two members to be appointed by the Speaker of the 4 of 6
82	82	54Massachusetts House of Representatives; and two members to be appointed by the President of
83	83	55the Massachusetts Senate. All members, except for the chair, shall serve for two years, after
84	84	56which time they will be eligible for reappointment. All members shall not receive compensation
85	85	57for their service on the council. The council shall meet at the times and places to be determined
86	86	58by the chair.
87	87	59 In addition, members of the council shall meet and consult on a regular basis with
88	88	60individuals or groups who have specific expertise in any area to be addressed by the council.
89	89	61 (b)The council shall have the authority to build long-term partnerships to further
90	90	62local school-centered neighborhood development plans, including but not limited to: reviewing
91	91	63existing programs and policies relating to community schools, municipal children’s cabinets,
92	92	64school-centered neighborhood development plans, and school facility construction;
93	93	65recommending strategies to target state housing and community development investments to
94	94	66ensure that these resource allocations encourage and assist municipalities working
95	95	67collaboratively to implement school-centered neighborhood development plans; recommending
96	96	68changes to state tenant selection guidelines to ensure that these regulations further efforts to
97	97	69implement school-centered neighborhood development plans, in accordance with state and
98	98	70federal fair housing law; recommending legislation or changes to regulation of any agency of the
99	99	71Commonwealth to improve the operation of the policies of the Commonwealth relating to the
100	100	72development of mixed-income neighborhoods and schools; and monitoring the progress of any
101	101	73initiatives undertaken in response to the council's recommendations. 5 of 6
102	102	74 (c)The council shall report any findings or recommendations, including any
103	103	75recommendations for legislation or regulation, to the Governor at such periods as determined by
104	104	76the Chair.
105	105	77 Section 3. The Fund for Stronger Neighborhoods and Schools
106	106	78 There is hereby established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund
107	107	79to be known as the Fund for Stronger Neighborhoods and Schools. The fund shall be
108	108	80administered by the secretary of the executive office of housing and livable communities. The
109	109	81purpose of this fund shall be to support collaborative efforts to strengthen neighborhoods and
110	110	82schools. The fund shall consist of: (i) any revenues or other financing sources directed to the
111	111	83fund by appropriation; (ii) bond revenues or other monies authorized by the general court and
112	112	84specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (iii) any income derived from the investment of
113	113	85amounts credited to the fund or repayment of loans from the fund; (iv) funds from public and
114	114	86private sources including, but not limited to gifts, federal or private grants, donations, rebates and
115	115	87settlements received by the commonwealth that are specifically designated to be credited to the
116	116	88fund; and (v) all other amounts credited or transferred into the fund from any other source Any
117	117	89unexpended balances in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall not revert back to the General
118	118	90Fund and shall be available for expenditures in the subsequent fiscal year.
119	119	91 (b) Such funds shall be used to support lead partner organizations, children’s
120	120	92cabinets, community schools, and other local initiatives to strengthen neighborhoods and
121	121	93schools. Funds may also be used to provide third-party technical assistance and other
122	122	94professionals services to launch children’s cabinets or community schools, to produce school- 6 of 6
123	123	95centered neighborhood development plans or community schools strategies, or to research and
124	124	96evaluate any of the preceding practices.
125	125	97 (c) Annually, not later than December 1, the secretary of the executive office of
126	126	98housing and livable communities shall report on the activities of the fund to the clerks of the
127	127	99house of representatives and the senate and to the house and senate committees on ways and
128	128	100means. The report shall include an accounting of expenditures made from the fund with a
129	129	101description of the authorized purpose of each expenditure, an accounting of amounts credited to
130	130	102the fund and any unexpended balance remaining in the fund.
131	131	103 Section 4. Data and Evaluation
132	132	104 Children’s cabinets and lead partners may create research-practice partnerships to
133	133	105improve their understanding of the cradle-to-career pipeline at the municipal or neighborhood
134	134	106level. The council shall support these local efforts by coordinating with relevant state agencies to
135	135	107link local data to data systems maintained by state agencies, in compliance with all state and
136	136	108federal laws to protect individual privacy.