Mass. Association of School Committees
On August 5, 2026, the Governor signed the PROTECT Act into law. The legislation generally prohibits civil arrests on school grounds and child care premises without a judicial warrant or judicial order. On August 21, DESE released specific model policies and procedures for school districts, charter schools, and educational collaboratives. The resources establish steps for designating school and district points of contact, involving legal counsel,
The FY27 Budget Conference Committee recently released its final report, and just days later both the House and Senate approved the compromise budget without amendment. Governor Healey has now signed the FY27 budget into law.
The final budget totals $63.42 billion and represents:
• A 3.9% increase over the FY26 Genera Appropriations Act.
• $54 million more than Governor Healey’s FY27 proposal.
• $50 million more than the Senate’s FY27 proposal.
• $500,000 more than the House’s FY27 proposal.
The summary below highlights the major education-related investments included in the FY27 budget, along with key updates from the accompanying supplemental budget that affect FY27 funding.
The Senate Ways & Means (SWM) Committee has released its $63.29B budget proposal. This represents a $2.25B (3.7%) increase over the FY26 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and is $66.3M (0.1%) below Governor Healey’s proposal. There are several key differences between the SWM budget, the House budget (finalized last week), and the Governor’s proposal when it comes to public education. The summary below highlights major education-related investments, including updates from the accompanying supplemental budget that impact FY27 allocations.
MASC will continue to closely monitor budget activity and any adjustments throughout the fiscal year. We will share updates and key action items as the process moves forward. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions
More than 300 MA school committee members, administrators, educators, and over 100 high school students, returned to (the newly renovated) Gardner Auditorium at the State House on March 30 for MASC’s annual legislative advocacy program.
MASC President Denise Hurst convened the gathering before welcoming legislators and other special guests to report on current and pending issues and the financial implications of those that will impact public education in the
Districts alerted to Title 1 cutbacks. In early March, DESE updated superintendents and those who manage grants that Title I allocation for the upcoming year is expected to be less for the state and for districts in Massachusetts.
While the federal budget that was passed by Congress and signed into law virtually level funded the federal entitlement grants, allocations to states and then in turn to districts are recalculated each year based on the demographics that determine funding.
This coming fiscal year for school districts, the state has learned that the Massachusetts share of the federal poverty total has dropped by 10%. That will in turn decrease the Massachusetts share of Title I funding, and, in turn, the district by district allocations will also be less.
The Healey-Driscoll Administration has released their $62.8B proposal for the FY27 Budget, which includes several key investments in public education across the Commonwealth. The information below highlights major education-related funding items, including updates from the accompanying supplemental budget that impact FY27 allocations.
As always, MASC will continue to closely monitor budget activity and any adjustments throughout the fiscal year. We will share updates and key action items ahead of the House budget in April and the Senate budget in May, and continue to keep members informed as the budget process moves forward. We’re also looking ahead to our annual Advocacy Day (Day on the Hill) on Monday, March 30—we hope you’ll register and join us. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Chapter 70: Increases Chapter 70 education aid by $241.8M (3.3%),
Statewide Graduation Council releases Interim Report
Earlier this month, the K-12 Statewide Graduation Council issued its recommendations for high school graduation requirements, following the 2024 ballot law vote to eliminate the MCAS graduation requirement. The Graduation Council was formed by the Governor in January, 2025 and charged with advising the Governor and the legislature on the development of a statewide graduation requirement.
State mulls end-of-course tests as possible MCAS replacement
A year after Massachusetts voters overturned using the 10th grade MCAS exam as a graduation requirement, state leaders are considering end-of-course state-administered tests for high schoolers.
Some members of an advisory council on graduation requirements, including MASC President Jason Fraser, indicated they fear such exams would just create another high-stakes test and overturn the will of the voters. Other members of the council worry the proposed recommendation would not go far enough toward establishing a baseline high school diploma. The advisory council, established by Governor Healey in January, has dozens of members, including students, superintendents, top legislators’ appointees, and representatives of higher education.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently released guidance regarding the updated Career and Technical Education regulations, which can be found through the Department’s Office of College, Career and Technical Education page. This guidance should be used to update admissions policies for all CTE schools and for comprehensive districts with CTE programs. For those using the NEPN coding system, this policy would be coded JF.
All districts with middle schools that have access to CTE programs through their high schools or through a municipality’s membership in a regional CTE district must create a Middle School Pathway Exploration Policy, which should include language that “documents how middle school students in the district are made aware of and gain exposure to the vocational technical programs to which their district has access.”
MASC recommends that districts with middle schools whose municipalities are part of a regional CTE district collaborate regarding local practices. MASC further recommends that this language be added to the district’s Course of Study for middle school.
Because both of the above will vary widely by district, MASC has no plans at this time to circulate model policy language.
Both such updates, as with any policy, should be adopted by the full School Committee in a properly posted public session. The Department has set a deadline of November 1 for these updates to be submitted to the Department.
The full guidance report is posted on the DESE website: https://www.doe.mass.edu/ccte/policies/admissions/default.html
On July 4, Governor Maura Healey signed the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) $60.9 billion state budget, a $60.9 billion plan that the administration calls fiscally responsible, lowers costs, protects essential care and services, and moves the Massachusetts economy forward.
However, the Governor also vetoed $130 million that had been included in the conference committee budget, resulting in a final budget that is more than $1 billion less than the H1 proposal and $130 million less than the final conference budget. The administration is also continuing an Executive Branch hiring freeze, halting a planned non-union manager pay raise scheduled for January, saving $17 million, and delaying payment on earmarked funds for local projects in the budget totaling approximately $125 million until later in the year when more is
The FY26 budget extends successful initiatives to make housing, transportation and education more affordable by funding universal free school meals, free community college and fare-free regional transit. The budget lowers child care costs for families—with $475 million in support for Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) to early education and care providers—and alleviates financial pressure on college students by providing an $85 million expansion of scholarships through the MASSGrant Plus financial aid program. The budget also codifies Governor Healey’s proposal to drive down housing costs by banning renter-paid broker’s fees,