(Boston Orange編譯) 麻州州長奚莉（Maura Healey）宣佈2027會計年度重啟基金預算審查委員會（Foundation Budget Review Commission），並指派Kristen Smidy與Amy O’Leary出任委員，檢討「第70章」（Chapter 70）教育經費的現行分配公式，讓學前至12年級（Pre-K-12）學校的財務更健全。
奚莉州長表示，她上任以來已把K-12年級學校的經費增加了一倍，並大幅增加鄉村學校、交通與特殊教育經費，如今要重新檢視經費公式，是為確保符合當前學生與社區需求。她說，Kristen Smidy了解西麻州學校的挑戰，Amy O’Leary畢生致力為幼兒拓展學習機會，她們兩人的經驗極具價值。
副州長Kim Driscoll指出，每個社區的辦學需求不同，教育經費的分配必須反映這些差異。她認為兩位委員和學生、教育工作者、家庭及社區有數十年直接合作經驗，他們的看法能幫助麻州確保審查出各地學校實際情況。
教育廳長Steve Zrike表示，他曾任督學，深知經費公式對學區決策的影響，他期待與兩名委員一起檢視公式，讓經費更能支持學校及幼教系統。
Kristen Smidy曾任教師、校長及督學，在西麻州教育界服務近20年，目前是基礎與中等教育委員會委員，並擔任新英格蘭學校與學院協會（NEASC）公立學校委員會認證與學校改善副主任，此前擔任蓋特威地區學區督學近五年。
Amy O’Leary是麻州非營利組織「兒童策略」（Strategies for Children）執行董事，致力推動幼教改革，曾擔任「全民幼教運動」主任，並服務於幼教與照護諮詢委員會。加入該組織前，她在波士頓艾利斯早期學習中心擔任幼教教師與計畫主任。
委員會中的政府成員包括茲里克、中小學教育廳長佩德羅·馬丁尼茲（Pedro Martinez）、幼教廳長艾美·柯蕭（Amy Kershaw）、預算助理廳長克里斯多福·馬里諾（Christopher Marino）、稅務廳地方服務處資深副廳長尚恩·克羅寧（Sean Cronin）及鄉村事務主任安·戈比（Anne Gobi）。
Governor Healey Appoints Leaders in Western MA K-12 Education, Universal Pre-k to Foundation Budget Review
Kristen Smidy and Amy O’Leary to serve as Governor appointees
BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey has appointed Kristen Smidy and Amy O’Leary to the Foundation Budget Review Commission. The fiscal year 2027 budget reconvenes this Commission to review the Chapter 70 formula and strengthen Pre-K-12 school financing.
Smidy is a former teacher, principal and superintendent with nearly 20 years of experience as an educator in Western Massachusetts. O’Leary brings more than two decades of experience as a preschool teacher, early education program director and nationally recognized leader in early childhood education.
“Since taking office, we’ve doubled K-12 funding and significantly increased rural school, transportation and special education funding. Now, we’re taking a fresh look at the school funding formula to make sure it is meeting the needs of students and communities today,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Kristen Smidy understands firsthand the challenges facing schools in Western Massachusetts, and Amy O’Leary has spent her career expanding opportunities for our youngest learners. Their experience will be invaluable as we work to make sure every student in Massachusetts has access to a great education.”
“Every community has different needs when it comes to supporting its schools, and those differences need to be reflected in how we approach education funding,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Kristen and Amy bring decades of experience working directly with students, educators, families and communities. Their perspectives will help us make sure this review reflects what schools are actually experiencing on the ground, from Western Massachusetts to communities across the state.”
“As a former superintendent, I know firsthand how important the school funding formula is to the decisions districts make every day on behalf of their students and educators,” said Education Secretary Steve Zrike. “Kristen and Amy bring deep experience from across our education system and understand how decisions about funding translate into classrooms and programs. I look forward to working alongside them as we take a thoughtful look at how the formula can best support our schools and early education mixed delivery system.”
Smidy currently serves on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education as an appointee of Governor Healey. She currently serves as the Associate Director for Accreditation and School Improvement on the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) Commission on Public Schools after almost five years as superintendent for the Gateway Regional School District in Huntington, Massachusetts. She previously served as the principal of Hampshire Regional High School and began her career as a 6th and 7th grade social studies teacher at Duggan Middle School in Springfield. Smidy has served on the Legislative Committee for the Massachusetts School Superintendents, the Connecticut Valley Superintendent Roundtable Executive Board, and the Massachusetts Inclusive Higher Education task force.
“I’m looking forward to working with the Commission and bringing my experiencing managing rural school budgets to the table. This is a long-awaited opportunity to take a hard look at where the formula works, where it doesn’t, and work together to build something that actually makes sense for communities across the Commonwealth,” said Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Member Kristen Smidy.
O'Leary is the Executive Director of Strategies for Children, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization that leads the way towards meaningful change in early childhood systems across Massachusetts. She has held numerous leadership roles, including Director of the Early Education for All Campaign and is the host of The 9:30 Call, a daily statewide gathering that connects and informs the early childhood community. O’Leary also serves on the Advisory Council on Early Education and Care and the Early Education and Care Workforce Council. Before joining Strategies for Children, she worked as a preschool teacher and program director at Ellis Early Learning in Boston's South End. O'Leary was elected twice to the Governing Board of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
“I grateful to Governor Healey and honored to serve on the Foundation Budget Review Commission and contribute to a conversation that is fundamental to the future of education in Massachusetts. The Healey-Driscoll Administration’s continued focus on innovative ways of breaking down silos and strengthening connections and partnerships across the education continuum will ensure that our approach to education funding reflects the real costs of providing high-quality learning and support for children, families, educators, and schools. I look forward to bringing an early childhood perspective and my experience to this work and to collaborating with colleagues across education, government, business, and local communities to ensure that the foundation budget reflects what it truly takes to provide every child with the opportunity to thrive—from the earliest years through graduation,” said Amy O’Leary.
The Healey-Driscoll administration’s members on the Commission include Secretary of Education Steve Zrike, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez, Commissioner of Early Education and Care Amy Kershaw, Assistant Secretary for Budget Christopher Marino, Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services Senior Deputy Commissioner Sean Cronin and Director of Rural Affairs Anne Gobi.
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