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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1564 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 185
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Pavel M. Payano
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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 :Pavel M. PayanoFirst EssexVanna Howard17th Middlesex1/30/2025John F. KeenanNorfolk and Plymouth2/21/2025 1 of 6
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1564 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 185
By Mr. Payano, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 185) of Pavel M. Payano, Vanna
Howard and John F. Keenan for legislation to promote school centered neighborhood
development. 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 Chapter 40Z. School-centered neighborhood development
4 Section 1. Definitions
5 As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires
6otherwise, have the following meanings:—
7 "Community school", a public school that establishes a set of strategic partnerships
8between the school and other community resources that leverage shared accountability,
9collaborative leadership, capacity building, and family and community engagement, to promote
10student achievement, and the well-being of students, families, educators, and neighborhood
11residents through a variety of engaging practices including the provision of wraparound services. 2 of 6
12 “Community Schools strategy”, a strategy that transforms a school into a community
13school where educators, local community members, families, and students work together to
14establish shared vision and goals to strengthen conditions for student learning and healthy
15development, including but not limited to the organization of in- and out-of-school resources,
16supports, and student opportunities.
17 “Council”, the Massachusetts Interagency Council on School-Centered Neighborhood
18Development, established pursuant to section 2.
19 “Municipal children’s cabinets”, a standing body that includes municipal agencies,
20nonprofits, and private sector partners formed to map the cradle-to-career pipeline serving
21children and families in the community, identify gaps, and implement strategies to close these
22gaps. In addition to municipal-wide approaches, these strategies may include supporting the
23production and implementation of school-centered neighborhood development plans for discrete
24neighborhoods within the municipality.
25 "Office'', the executive office of housing and livable communities.
26 “School-centered neighborhood development plan”, a long-term plan for the area
27surrounding a public school or public schools. The plan shall seek to identify opportunities to
28build strong mixed-income neighborhoods and schools for children and families and establish
29goals pursuant to these opportunities, in conformance with the general plan for the municipality.
30All school-centered neighborhood development plans shall incorporate strategies to ensure that
31the public schools within the designated area adopt and operate according to the basic tenants of
32the community school model. 3 of 6
33 “Lead partner”, a nonprofit or governmental entity that is responsible for coordinating
34across partner organizations and driving the school-centered neighborhood development plan
35implementation.
36 “Research-practice partnerships”, collaborative, long-term relationships between
37researchers and practitioners that are designed to improve educational outcomes.
38 Section 2. The Massachusetts Interagency Council on School-Centered Neighborhood
39Development
40 (a)There shall be established a council to be known as the Massachusetts Interagency
41Council on School-Centered Neighborhood Development ("the council"). The council shall
42consists of eighteen members: the Lieutenant Governor, who shall serve as the chair; three
43representatives to be appointed by the secretary of the executive office of housing and livable
44communities; three representatives from the education departments to be appointed by the
45secretary of the executive office of education; the chief executive officer of the Massachusetts
46Housing Finance Agency or their designee; the chief executive officer of the Massachusetts
47Development Finance Agency or their designee; the chief executive officer of the Massachusetts
48Housing Partnership or their designee; the chief executive officer of the Community Economic
49Development Assistance Corporation or their designee; the chief executive officer of the
50Massachusetts School Building Authority or their designee; a representative of the
51Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents; a representative of the Massachusetts
52Association of School Committees; two members to be appointed by the Speaker of the
53Massachusetts House of Representatives; and two members to be appointed by the President of
54the Massachusetts Senate. All members, except for the chair, shall serve for two years, after 4 of 6
55which time they will be eligible for reappointment. All members shall not receive compensation
56for their service on the council. The council shall meet at the times and places to be determined
57by the chair.
58 In addition, members of the council shall meet and consult on a regular basis with
59individuals or groups who have specific expertise in any area to be addressed by the council.
60 (b) The council shall have the authority to build long-term partnerships to further local
61school-centered neighborhood development plans, including but not limited to: reviewing
62existing programs and policies relating to community schools, municipal children’s cabinets,
63school-centered neighborhood development plans, and school facility construction;
64recommending strategies to target state housing and community development investments to
65ensure that these resource allocations encourage and assist municipalities working
66collaboratively to implement school-centered neighborhood development plans; recommending
67changes to state tenant selection guidelines to ensure that these regulations further efforts to
68implement school-centered neighborhood development plans, in accordance with state and
69federal fair housing law; recommending legislation or changes to regulation of any agency of the
70Commonwealth to improve the operation of the policies of the Commonwealth relating to the
71development of mixed-income neighborhoods and schools; and monitoring the progress of any
72initiatives undertaken in response to the council's recommendations.
73 (c)The council shall report any findings or recommendations, including any
74recommendations for legislation or regulation, to the Governor at such periods as determined by
75the Chair.
76 Section 3. The Fund for Stronger Neighborhoods and Schools 5 of 6
77 (a)There is hereby established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a
78separate fund to be known as the Fund for Stronger Neighborhoods and Schools. The fund shall
79be administered by the secretary of the executive office of housing and livable communities. The
80purpose of this fund shall be to support collaborative efforts to strengthen neighborhoods and
81schools. The fund shall consist of: (i) any revenues or other financing sources directed to the
82fund by appropriation; (ii) bond revenues or other monies authorized by the general court and
83specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (iii) any income derived from the investment of
84amounts credited to the fund or repayment of loans from the fund; (iv) funds from public and
85private sources including, but not limited to gifts, federal or private grants, donations, rebates and
86settlements received by the commonwealth that are specifically designated to be credited to the
87fund; and (v) all other amounts credited or transferred into the fund from any other source Any
88unexpended balances in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall not revert back to the General
89Fund and shall be available for expenditures in the subsequent fiscal year.
90 (b) Such funds shall be used to support lead partner organizations, children’s
91cabinets, community schools, and other local initiatives to strengthen neighborhoods and
92schools. Funds may also be used to provide third-party technical assistance and other
93professionals services to launch children’s cabinets or community schools, to produce school-
94centered neighborhood development plans or community schools strategies, or to research and
95evaluate any of the preceding practices.
96 (c) Annually, not later than December 1, the secretary of the executive office of
97housing and livable communities shall report on the activities of the fund to the clerks of the
98house of representatives and the senate and to the house and senate committees on ways and
99means. The report shall include an accounting of expenditures made from the fund with a 6 of 6
100description of the authorized purpose of each expenditure, an accounting of amounts credited to
101the fund and any unexpended balance remaining in the fund.
102 Section 4. Data and Evaluation
103 Children’s cabinets and lead partners may create research-practice partnerships to
104improve their understanding of the cradle-to-career pipeline at the municipal or neighborhood
105level. The council shall support these local efforts by coordinating with relevant state agencies to
106link local data to data systems maintained by state agencies, in compliance with all state and
107federal laws to protect individual privacy.