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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1793 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 569 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Kimberly N. Ferguson |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act regarding school transportation funding. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Kimberly N. Ferguson1st Worcester1/15/2025Natalie M. Blais1st Franklin1/15/2025David K. Muradian, Jr.9th Worcester1/16/2025Steven J. Ouellette8th Bristol1/15/2025Donald R. Berthiaume, Jr.5th Worcester2/2/2025David F. DeCoste5th Plymouth1/22/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1793 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 569 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Ferguson of Holden, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 569) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Kimberly N. Ferguson and others relative to school transportation funding. Education. |
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| 20 | 20 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 21 | 21 | | _______________ |
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| 22 | 22 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | An Act regarding school transportation funding. |
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| 26 | 26 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 27 | 27 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 28 | 28 | | 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after |
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| 29 | 29 | | 2section 7C the following 2 sections:- |
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| 30 | 30 | | 3 Section 7D. (a) To provide for the reimbursement of the part of the cost of transportation |
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| 31 | 31 | | 4not reimbursable under section 7A, the state treasurer shall annually, on or before November |
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| 32 | 32 | | 5twentieth, pay to a rural school district the sums required for full reimbursement of extraordinary |
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| 33 | 33 | | 6transportation costs incurred directly by a rural school district as a result of the transportation |
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| 34 | 34 | | 7between school and home of any pupil. |
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| 35 | 35 | | 8 (b) Rural school districts may establish a Rural School Transportation Reimbursement |
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| 36 | 36 | | 9Account. Reimbursements made by the commonwealth pursuant to this section may be deposited |
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| 37 | 37 | | 10into the account. |
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| 38 | 38 | | 11 (c) Regional school districts that receive reimbursement pursuant to section 16C shall not |
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| 39 | 39 | | 12be eligible for school transportation reimbursement pursuant to this section. 2 of 2 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 13 Section 7E. (a) There is hereby established and set upon the books of the commonwealth |
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| 41 | 41 | | 14a separate fund known as the Non-Resident Pupil Transportation Fund. The fund shall be |
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| 42 | 42 | | 15credited with: (i) appropriations or other money authorized or transferred by the general court |
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| 43 | 43 | | 16and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) funds from public and private sources, |
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| 44 | 44 | | 17including, but not limited to gifts, grants and donations; and (iii) any interest earned on such |
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| 45 | 45 | | 18money. Amounts credited shall not be subject to appropriation and shall be expended by the |
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| 46 | 46 | | 19department of elementary and secondary education to reimburse schools for the costs associated |
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| 47 | 47 | | 20with the transportation of pupils who attend schools in school districts that are not located within |
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| 48 | 48 | | 21the municipality that the pupil resides in to be administered by the department of elementary and |
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| 49 | 49 | | 22secondary education in accordance with this section. |
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| 50 | 50 | | 23 (b) A qualified school district eligible for funding shall include any school district that |
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| 51 | 51 | | 24enrolls pupils in its schools who reside outside of the municipality where the school is located. |
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| 52 | 52 | | 25 (c) Annually, not later than December first, the department of elementary and secondary |
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| 53 | 53 | | 26education shall submit a report to the house and senate committees on ways and means detailing |
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| 54 | 54 | | 27the calculation and planned distribution of funds to school districts; provided, that, funds |
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| 55 | 55 | | 28distributed from this section shall not be considered chapter 70 aid for the calculation of the |
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| 56 | 56 | | 29minimum required local contribution for the upcoming fiscal year. |
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| 57 | 57 | | 30 (d) Every 5 years, the department of elementary and secondary education shall determine |
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| 58 | 58 | | 31the adequacy of funding for the purposes of this section and recommend to the general court any |
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| 59 | 59 | | 32necessary adjustment. |
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