ESE Budget

Board of Education FY2008 Budget Request

December 26, 2006

Thomas Trimarco, Secretary
Executive Office for Administration & Finance
Room 373, State House
Boston, MA 02113

Dear Secretary Trimarco:

Enclosed is the Board of Education's Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Request adopted by the Board of Education on December 19, 2006. I am transmitting this budget request to you in accordance with Chapter 69, Section 1A, which states "upon approval by the board, the Commissioner shall submit the department's budgetary proposals simultaneously to the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means, the Joint Committee on Education, and the Secretary of Administration and Finance."

The Board of Education's Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Request of $4.4 billion represents an 8.7% increase or $352 million above the current available Fiscal Year 2007 appropriated levels.

The attached two-page chart includes the Board of Education's Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Request and the Department's appropriated budgets for Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007, grouped into six categories:

• Non-Discretionary State Aid - increased by $224 million
• Assessment and Accountability - increased by $66 million
• Educator Quality Enhancement - increased by $13 million
• Transfers to Other Agencies - level funded
• Categorical Grant Programs - increased by $44 million
• Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Administration and Technology - increased by $3.3 million

The major highlights of the Board of Education's Fiscal Year 2008 budget are as follows:

• Chapter 70 - Foundation Aid is increased by $194 million in order to fully fund the new formula adopted by the Legislature in Fiscal Year 2007 and to adjust for inflation.

• The Educational Services in Institutional Settings Program increase of $4.1 million represents the full program operational costs. In past years, federal special education funds have been used to support this program. Due to increasingly tight federal funds, this level of support will not be possible. This increase includes $250,000 to provide assistance for improvements in ESIS for technology education and curriculum improvement planning.

• Special Education Circuit Breaker program increase of $22.3 million fully funds the statutory formula at 75%.

• Charter Schools Reimbursements increase of $6.7 million fully funds the statutory formula.

• Vision Library Program is currently supported by federal special education funds. Federal dollars can no longer support this initiative. Program is required by state mandate (MGL c. 15, Sec. 15B). Requested funds of $800,000 will be used for staffing and supplies.

• Student Assessment program is increased by $7.2 million in order to fund major new initiatives including the implementation of the new high school science testing program; implementation of the new requirements for the Competency Determination and the Certificate of Mastery; test design and development to measure student performance on the newly proposed MCAS score of 240; implementation of a new Algebra II assessment; development and implementation of a new K-2 reading and writing assessment; and the initial costs for introducing online MCAS tests and retests.

• Student Academic Support Services program increase of $25 million would partially restore funding for extended day, weekend and summer academic intervention services for at-risk students in grades 3 - 8 to address learning gaps identified through MCAS tests and district benchmark assessments. Funding at this level would enable districts to provide academic support opportunities for approximately half of the 138,000 students in grades 3 - 8 who scored in the "warning" category on 2006 MCAS English language arts/reading and mathematics tests.

• Targeted Assistance to Schools and Districts is increased by $25 million in order to fund intensive intervention services to address deficiencies in underperforming schools and districts and in schools designated as "Commonwealth Priority Schools." Funds will support contracted services to guide the implementation of comprehensive School reform models, district and school-based coaches to support the effective delivery of sound curriculum, instruction and assessment practices, and third-party services to enhance the quality and effectiveness of district conditions negatively affecting school performance. Estimated Fiscal Year 2008 intervention cost per underperforming district is $150,000 to $3 million. Estimated cost of state intervention in each chronically underperforming school is $200,000 to $300,000. Estimated cost of supporting improvement initiatives in Commonwealth Priority Schools (presently 107 schools qualified for this designation) is $100,000 to $200,000 per school. Estimated cost of intervention to support improvement initiatives in schools identified for improvement of aggregate or subgroup student performance is $20,000 to $50,000 per school.

• Expanded Learning Time Grants is increased by $6.5 million. This request will fund the ten schools that began implementation in Fiscal Year 2006, the planning grants in Fiscal Year 2007 that will be implemented in Fiscal Year 2008 and new planning grants to be awarded in Fiscal Year 2008. A total of 9,251 students will be served by these grants.

• High School Redesign is a new program initiative request totaling $2.5 million in order to continue the work started from a two-year grant from the National Governors Association (2006 and 2007) to increase high school graduation and college readiness rates. Funds will be used to create a career and education web-based planning tool, which will provide students, their parents, and guidance counselors with information in planning high school courses, career exploration, college applications and financial aid.

• Teacher Mentoring and Induction is a new program initiative. $11.0 million would provide funding to field test and evaluate promising practices that combine quality induction and mentoring for new teachers with expanded professional development coordination at the school level. This program would fund approximately 20 pilot districts, serving 1,300 teachers in the first year. Funding to continue the development of an educator performance assessment ($750,000) is included in this amount.

• Teacher Retention and Recruitment is increased by $1.3 million in order to fund a loan forgiveness program ($5,000 - $10,000) for teachers in high need fields, specifically targeted for special education and mathematics teachers.

• English Language Acquisition Professional Development program is increased by $500,000 in order to expand the Department's training initiative to address the critical shortage of qualified teachers and to support continued roll out of professional development offerings to expand the knowledge and instructional skills of teachers educating English language learners.

• District Leadership Development program is increased by $1.0 million to allow additional districts to participate in leadership academies for principals and superintendents. These academies focus on leadership training, data analysis and effective communication.

• Comprehensive Health Education program request of $12 million would restore funding to school districts for interdisciplinary health education and human services. Grants would require districts to address issues impacting student achievement, including prevention of substance abuse, tobacco use, family violence, child abuse and neglect, teenage pregnancy, eating disorders, AIDS, and suicide. Districts would also address promoting sound health practices including nutritional health, emotional development, improved school counseling services and parent education services.

• Adult Learning Centers program is increased by $7.4 million in order to expand services to an additional 4,000 adults (current waiting list is 24,000).

• After School Grant program is increased by $6.5 million in order to address the tremendous need identified during the Fiscal Year 2007grant review process.

• Gifted and Talented program is increased by $4.2 million. Additional funds will be used to develop and implement program models, classroom practices and policies that will challenge gifted/advanced students in grades K-12. The number of grants awarded will increase from 25 to 125 and students served from 2,500 to 12,500.

• District Capacity Enhancement Grants in a new program initiative request totaling $5.0 million. Funding would assist districts in enhancing their management capacity, creating or expanding regional districts, expanding collaborative programs, etc.

• Dual Enrollment request of $2.0 million would restore funding in this account, which would provide grants for partnerships between a lead district, cooperating districts and a regional consortium of a public university, a state college and a community college. Students would receive a tuition waiver for higher education courses.

• Global Education is a new program initiative request totaling $1.0 million. Funds will be used to assist school districts in developing and supporting global and international education programs, foreign exchange partnerships and foreign language programs.

• Statewide Pilot Schools is a new program initiative request totaling $5.0 million. Funds will be used for an incentive program to replicate the successful pilot school model in districts across the Commonwealth.

• Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Administration program is increased by $3.4 million in order to fund all bargaining unit payroll increases, building leases for three locations, infrastructure maintenance costs, a new web-based grants management system and a new administrative office for research, evaluation and planning.

• Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Information Technology Administration is increased by $3.5 million. This request represents the total cost for information services and technology including current state and contractor staff, software maintenance supporting our IT infrastructure, EPIMS (Educator Personnel Information Management Systems), Adequate Yearly Progress calculations, Student Information Management Systems, Security Portal, MASS ONE, Academic Student Support Data, District and School Staffing Report and LEA Technology Plans.

If you need additional information or would like to meet to review any specific items of the Board of Education's Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Request, please call me at (781) 338-3102. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

David P. Driscoll
Commissioner of Education

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