Policy Paper: Stronger Education for our Children
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Jen Benson speaking with voters

"Every child deserves a quality education. I have spent six years fighting to improve education in our local school district and, if elected, I will do everything in my power get our schools the resources they need to educate the workers and leaders of tomorrow."

         Jen Benson, candidate for State Representative

Strong public education is the foundation of our democracy, and also the foundation of our economic successes as a Commonwealth. The Massachusetts Education Reform of 1993, and the No Child Left Behind law of 2002 have put increasing pressure on our schools to show continuous improvement while also preventing students from falling through the cracks of the public education system. This is a good thing. On the other hand, the funding and support for our public education system has not kept pace with these increasing demands on our schools. I am proposing changes to the way we fund education which would improve education for our children, while reducing the burden on our most vulnerable families and towns, increasing access to community colleges, and providing better transportation support for school districts.

Reform Special Education Funding

It is the responsibility of our government and our public schools to provide a quality education to all students, including those who have disabilities or special needs. The current mechanism used to fund special education in Massachusetts is broken. It does not serve special education students adequately because the money for an education plan is tied to the school district, rather than to the child. The current funding mechanism is painful for our towns and school districts because special education funding is provided as a reimbursement to the town after the fact, causing uncertainty and budgetary shortfalls. Finally, the funding mechanism does not serve our Commonwealth adequately because it puts an undue burden on our most vulnerable communities and citizens by not fully funding special education needs.

If elected, I plan to introduce legislation to reform Massachusetts special education funding by tying the funds required by a particular student in need of services directly to that student, rather than reimbursing the expenses to the school district after the fact. In addition, my plan would cover the full cost of the special education needs, rather than the partial reimbursement that currently exists. The plan would pay for the small increase in cost that would result by establishing reasonable guidelines for payments to private special education providers, and by encouraging delivery of services through the public school districts wherever possible.

This plan will be better for our special education students and their families, providing continuity of funding and services even when moving between school districts—studies show that continuity is critical part of the educational experience for these students. This plan will greatly reduce the uncertainty that school districts and towns face, allowing them to more accurately plan and budget and to make the most of their educational resources. It will also reduce the burden on our most vulnerable families and towns by reducing the overall cost of special education and by shifting the funding away from already high property taxes.

Chapter 70 Reform

The state education aid formula (also known as the Chapter 70 formula) needs to be updated to reflect the increasing demands on our school districts. The foundation budget is the basis on which all education funding calculations are based. The current foundation budget does not take into account MCAS testing expectations, increasing demand for full day kindergarten, integration of technology into the curriculum, health and wellness initiatives, and a variety of other standards and mandates. I am proposing that we institute a standards-based reform of the foundation budget, tying the aid amounts directly to the standards and mandates placed on our schools. We have curriculum frameworks and standards that are driving our teaching and testing, they should also be used to drive the funding of our educational system.

We also need to update the demographic data used in the calculations to determine a community's ability to pay for education. The data should be updated, at the very least, with each national census. The formula can only be fair if the numbers they are based on are accurate and up-to-date. Education funding reform will require study and cooperation by the legislature and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, but if done well it will help us to accurately predict, and budget for, our future educational costs.

Community College Access for High School Graduates

Our new global economy is making increasing demands on our workers, requiring at least some level of college education for the vast majority of jobs. I support Governor Patrick's proposal to ensure that all students who pass the MCAS and graduate from high school are able to attend a Massachusetts Community College. Providing access to post-secondary education to Massachusetts high school graduates will set our state apart and provide a steady stream of educated workers for companies in our Commonwealth.

Restore Transportation Aid for Non-Regional Schools

Non-regional transportation aid was cut completely by the Commonwealth in FY 2004. While regional transportation aid has been restored, non-regional schools districts have been forced to cut into educational services or shift the cost to families as transportation fees. Restoration of transportation aid for non-regional school districts will allow individual districts to focus on education, rather than either cutting services to pay for transportation or increasing clerical work billing parents for school bus use. We know transportation is critical for education, because we need children in school on time in order to teach them.