Marlborough Schools May See 11 Percent Bump In State Aid

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Marlborough is on track to receive about $31.7 million this fiscal year under the state's new education funding formula, up about 11 percent from this year, according to preliminary estimates released recently by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Gov. Charlie Baker signed the Student Opportunity Act in November. The new law increases state aid for public schools in Massachusetts by $1.5 billion over seven years. Aimed at closing the so-called "opportunity gap," the law increases state funding for school districts serving higher proportions of students from low-income families.

The bill also revamped the formula the state uses to determine how much local governments need to contribute to public education spending to qualify for state funding, known as Chapter 70 Aid.

The aid boost will be offset by a new formula that also requires local district to meet a minimum funding threshold. Under the new formula, Marlborough would need to contribute at least $37.3 million to education in fiscal 2021, up from $35.6 million this fiscal year.

The final state education funding numbers will be finalized when the Legislature completes the state budget.

Marlborough Public Schools will hold a budget workshop on Feb. 26 where the fiscal 2021 budget will be presented. The district is asking for an almost 6 percent increase in funding this year compared to the current fiscal year. The presentation happens at the District Education Center, 17 Washington St., at 6 p.m.

Patch editor Dave Copeland contributed to this report.