Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces Public Hearings to Review Statewide K-12 School Finance Formula

Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces Public Hearings to Review Statewide K-12 School Finance Formula   Five listening sessions will take place across Massachusetts in October and November   EVERETT — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced a series of public listening sessions to solicit feedback on the Chapter 70 school finance formula, the primary funding program that establishes how Massachusetts distributes education aid to cities and towns. The listening sessions are part of a Chapter 70 Local Contribution Study included in the state’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget and conducted by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services (DLS).    “Chapter 70 is the foundation for how we fund our schools. This is an opportunity for the public to help shape the future of a system that affects every student in Massachusetts,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “We strongly encourage our educators, families, community leaders and stakeholders to attend these sessions and let us know what is working and where we need to make changes.”    “Chapter 70 is a significant contributor to the amount of total funding spent on K-12 public education, and we invite the public to contribute to this important review of the local contribution part of the formula,” said DESE Commissioner Pedro Martinez. “We want everyone to have an opportunity to give their feedback—whether you are an educator, a parent or a community member.”     “The Division of Local Services looks forward to working with DESE to undertake this mandated analysis,” said Sean Cronin, senior deputy commissioner for local services at the Department of Revenue.    These listening sessions will inform the final Chapter 70 Local Contribution Study that examines the methods used to determine each municipality’s target local contribution and required local contribution toward school funding. The study will also consider the impact of factors such as income and property wealth, the effect on municipal services, and the unique challenges of rural and regional school districts. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and DLS expect to release the final report in the summer.    Listening session schedule:     Thursday, October 23, 2025   4:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.  Masconomet Regional High School, 20 Endicott Road, Boxford    Thursday, October 30, 2025  4:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.  Doherty Memorial High School, 299 Highland St., Worcester    Thursday, November 6, 2025  4:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.  Greenfield High School, 21 Barr Ave., Greenfield    Tuesday, November 18, 2025  4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.  Virtual public comment hearing  Register online   Wednesday, November 19, 2025  4:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.  Apponequet Regional High School, 100 Howland Road, Lakeville    The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and DLS encourage the submission of written comments, which can be emailed to C70PublicComment@mass.gov. More information on the public comment sessions, Chapter 70 and local contributions is available on DESE’s website.