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