Key Comparisons – House W&M vs. Governor FY26 Budgets
Chapter 70 Aid: Funded at $7.12B, up from $6.86B in FY25 and slightly higher than the Governor’s proposal. Fully implements the Student Opportunity Act in year 5 of the 6 year implementation plan. House increases minimum per-pupil aid from Governor’s proposes $75 to $150 (which would benefit 77% of school districts (245 out of 318) that were set to receive an increase of less than $150 per student for FY26).
Circuit Breaker Reimbursement: Funded at $674.7M, significantly higher than both FY25 and the Governor’s proposed level. This number includes $190M from the recently approved FY25 Supplemental Budget that is marked for FY26.
Charter School Reimbursement: Level-funded by the House, the proposal would meet the state’s obligation to mitigate Ch. 70 losses; Governor proposed a 6.7% reduction.
Regional School Transportation: Both the House W&M and Governor Budget proposals fund the item at $122M – representing a 23% increase over FY25. According to updated cost projections from DESE, the proposal would reimburse 98% of anticipated claims. $15M of he $122M allocation stems from the FY25 Supplemental Budget.
McKinney-Vento: The House bill would level-fund reimbursements for the transportation of homeless students at $28.6M for FY26. According to updated cost projections from DESE, the House proposal represents 58% of anticipated claims for FY26.
School Meals Reimbursement: $190M allocated; $20M more than the Governor’s level-funded proposal.
Early Literacy Programs: Funded at $15M by the House; $5M less than last year, and $10M less than the Governor’s proposal.
Rural School Aid: Funded at $7.5M; half of last year’s amount and less than the $16M proposed by the Governor.
Executive Office of Education: Funded at $3.2M; Governor proposed nearly level-funding at $13.3M.
Green Energy Infrastructure Grants (School Upgrades): Funded at $20M; double last year’s allocation.
Early College Pathways: Funded at $14.2M; significantly more than the Governor’s $2.5M proposal.
Items in only the House or Governor’s FY26 Budget
Line Items Omitted in House Budget (included in Governor’s): Social-Emotional Learning Grants; Mental Health & Wraparound Supports; Genocide Education Trust Fund. Combined total: nearly $14M in the Governor’s FY26 plan and previously funded in FY25.
Line Items Included in House Budget (not in Governor’s): Wellness supports; Civics Education; and College & Career Readiness. Combined total: $2.875M.
Development in Voc-Tech Admissions Policy
The House budget proposal includes language establishing a Task Force on Vocational-Technical Education Admissions. The 15-member group would be charged with examining and making recommendations on:
- Admissions policies under Chapter 74,
- The collection and analysis of admissions and waitlist data at both the district and state level, and
- Standards for oversight and enforcement related to these admissions practices.
The task force would be co-chaired by the House and Senate Education Committee chairs and include legislators, agency representatives, and members from education and municipal organizations, including MASC. The group is required to hold its first meeting by September 15, 2025, conduct at least one public hearing, and file a report with its findings and recommendations by September 15, 2026. The language would also prohibit DESE from making changes to the voc-tech admissions policy before the report from the task force is completed. |
