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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2748 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 538
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Leigh Davis
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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 regarding school regionalization.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Leigh Davis3rd Berkshire1/16/2025Natalie M. Blais1st Franklin2/18/2025 1 of 7
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2748 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 538
By Representative Davis of Great Barrington, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 538)
of Leigh Davis and Natalie M. Blais relative to regional schools. Education.
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 regarding school regionalization.
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. Chapter 15 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following
2section:-
3 Section 67. (a) There shall be within the department an office of shared services, which
4shall be under the supervision and management of the director of shared services. The director
5shall be appointed by the commissioner.
6 (b) The office of shared services shall oversee the formation of regional school districts
7and superintendent unions in the commonwealth. The director of shared services shall assist
8school districts that are considering forming or are in the process of forming regional school
9districts and superintendent unions with the research, development and execution of shared
10services projects and shared services agreements.
11 SECTION 2. Section 10 of chapter 70B, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding
12the following subsection:- 2 of 7
13 (d) Notwithstanding the first paragraph of this section, the grant percentage for approved
14school facilities projects in regional school districts shall be at least ninety percent.
15 SECTION 3. Said chapter 70B of the General Laws is hereby further amended by adding
16the following section:-
17 Section 22. (a) Upon the closure of a school as a result of a school district regionalization
18effort, the authority shall relieve any debt that was accrued as a result of the establishment and
19maintenance of the school’s facilities that is owed to the authority by the municipality wherein
20the school is located.
21 (b) Upon the closure of a school as a result of a school district regionalization effort, the
22authority, in collaboration with the executive office of economic development, shall offer
23assistance to the municipality wherein the school is located for the development of a plan for
24demolition or use of the school building for other purposes, including any technical assistance
25for school building reuse and the retrofitting of school buildings for other purposes.
26 SECTION 4. Section 16D of said chapter 71, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is
27hereby amended by striking out subsection (g) and inserting in place thereof the following
28subsection:-
29 (g) A regional school district shall receive state aid for the transitional costs associated
30with the establishment of the regional school district. A regional school district shall be entitled
31to aid under this subsection for the first three years of its operation. The state treasurer shall,
32upon certification by the commissioner, annually, on or before November twentieth, pay to each
33regional school district in its first three years of operation two-hundred dollars per pupil enrolled
34by the regional school district. 3 of 7
35 SECTION 5. Said section 16D of said chapter 71, as so appearing, is hereby further
36amended by adding the following subsection:-
37 (h) A regional school district shall receive state aid to cover the salaries of temporary
38school district employees, including, but limited to, an assistant superintendent, assistant
39business manager, assistant information technology director and assistant pupil services director.
40A regional school district shall receive aid under this subsection for the first 2 years of its
41operation. The state treasurer shall, upon certification by the commissioner, annually, on or
42before November twentieth, pay to each regional school district in its first 2 years of operation a
43sum to be determined by the commissioner.
44 SECTION 6. Said chapter 71 is hereby further amended by inserting after section 16I the
45following 3 sections:-
46 Section 16J. (a) There is hereby established and set upon the books of the commonwealth
47a separate fund known as the School District Regionalization Grant Fund. The fund shall be
48credited with: (i) appropriations or other money authorized or transferred by the general court
49and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) funds from public and private sources,
50including, but not limited to gifts, grants and donations; and (iii) any interest earned on such
51money. Amounts credited shall not be subject to appropriation and shall be expended by the
52department to fund a grant program for the study, planning and implementation of school district
53regionalization efforts to be administered by the department in accordance with this section; and
54provided further, that grant funds awarded pursuant to this section shall be distributed evenly
55over a 3 year period. 4 of 7
56 (b) A qualified school eligible for funding are towns and regional school districts,
57excluding vocational schools, independent agricultural, technical schools and charter schools;
58provided, that a school district shall be eligible for a school district regionalization grant if it is
59considering forming, is in the process of forming or has formed within the past 5 years a regional
60school district or regionalizing services; provided, that, that school district regionalization grants
61shall be allocated equitably in the following priority order: (i) school districts with significant
62enrollment decline as defined by the department of elementary and secondary education; (ii)
63school districts where existing school space is underutilized; and (iii) school districts where the
64regionalization proposal will produce significant expansion of available academic resources and
65supports as a result of cost savings.
66 (c) Annually, not later than February 1, any district receiving funds under this item shall
67submit a report to the department outlining the progress the district has made in studying,
68planning or implementing regionalization or regionalization services.
69 (d) Annually, not later than December 1, the department shall submit a report to the
70house and senate committees on ways and means detailing the calculation and planned
71distribution of funds to school districts; provided, that, funds distributed from this section shall
72not be considered chapter 70 aid for the calculation of the minimum required local contribution
73for the upcoming fiscal year.
74 (e) Every 5 years, the department shall determine the adequacy of funding for the
75purposes of this section and recommend to the general court any necessary adjustment.
76 (f) A grant awarded to a school district pursuant to this section shall not exceed one
77million five hundred thousand dollars over a 3 year period. 5 of 7
78 Section 16K. (a) There is hereby established and set upon the books of the
79commonwealth a separate fund known as the Regional School District Foundational Aid Fund.
80The fund shall be credited with: (i) appropriations or other money authorized or transferred by
81the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) funds from public and
82private sources, including, but not limited to gifts, grants and donations; and (iii) any interest
83earned on such money. Amounts credited shall not be subject to appropriation and shall be
84expended by the department to fund a grant program for regional school districts that experience
85a drop in foundational aid as a result of regionalization to be administered by the department in
86accordance with this section.
87 (b) A qualified school eligible for funding are regional school districts, excluding
88vocational schools, independent agricultural, technical schools and charter schools; provided,
89that any regional school district within its first 5 years of operation that has received less
90foundational aid than any of its member school districts received in the 5 years preceding
91regionalization shall be entitled to a grant equal to the difference in foundational funding
92between the member school district prior to regionalization and the foundational funding
93received by the regional school district.
94 (c) Annually, not later than December first, the department shall submit a report to the
95house and senate committees on ways and means detailing the calculation and planned
96distribution of funds to school districts; provided, that, funds distributed from this section shall
97not be considered chapter 70 aid for the calculation of the minimum required local contribution
98for the upcoming fiscal year. 6 of 7
99 (d) Every 5 years, the department shall determine the adequacy of funding for the
100purposes of this section and recommend to the general court any necessary adjustment.
101 Section 16L. (a) There is hereby established and set upon the books of the
102commonwealth a separate fund known as the Superintendent Union Formation Grant Fund. The
103fund shall be credited with: (i) appropriations or other money authorized or transferred by the
104general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) funds from public and
105private sources, including, but not limited to gifts, grants and donations; and (iii) any interest
106earned on such money. Amounts credited shall not be subject to appropriation and shall be
107expended by the department to fund a grant program for the development of superintendent
108unions to be administered by the department in accordance with this section.
109 (b) A qualified school eligible for funding are school districts, excluding vocational
110schools, independent agricultural, technical schools and charter schools; provided, that a school
111district shall be eligible for a superintendent union formation grant if (i) school district
112regionalization is not desired by the school district community or is not practicable for any
113reason and (ii) the school district is considering forming, is in the process of forming or has
114formed within the past 5 years a superintendent union pursuant to section 61.
115 (c) Annually, not later than February first, any district receiving funds under this item
116shall submit a report to the department outlining progress the district has made in studying,
117planning or implementing a superintendent union.
118 (d) Annually, not later than December first, the department shall submit a report to the
119house and senate committees on ways and means detailing the calculation and planned
120distribution of funds to school districts; provided, that, funds distributed from this section shall 7 of 7
121not be considered chapter 70 aid for the calculation of the minimum required local contribution
122for the upcoming fiscal year.
123 (e) Every 5 years, the department shall determine the adequacy of funding for the
124purposes of this section and recommend to the general court any necessary adjustment.
125 (f) A grant awarded pursuant to this section shall not exceed two hundred and fifty-
126thousand dollars annually.