This bill concerns funding and support for rural school districts, those experiencing declining enrollment, and special education programs. The bill creates a Rural Schools Aid Fund to allocate resources for districts with low student density and below-average income levels, and a Declining Enrollment Fund to assist districts facing significant student population decreases over the past two decades. 

The bill also provides full reimbursement for instructional and transportation costs for special education students that surpass pre-approved thresholds. The bill includes support for the development of a specialized workforce by funding alternative licensure pathways for paraprofessionals and current teachers seeking special education credentials.

The bill also creates the School District Regionalization Grant Fund to facilitate the merger of services and supports the formation of superintendent unions where regionalization is unfeasible. In addition, the bill supports transitional aid and covers temporary staff salaries during the initial setup period for regional districts. Provisions are included for full reimbursement of specific transportation costs in rural districts, along with the establishment of the Non-Resident Pupil Transportation Fund.  Also, the bill stipulates that at least three members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education must reside in western counties of Massachusetts.

Requires the Authority to cover at least 90% of approved school facilities projects in regional school districts and, when a school closes due to regionalization, to forgive Authority-held school facility debt and, with the Executive Office of Economic Development, assist municipalities with demolition or reuse planning.

Establishes three dedicated funds: the School District Regionalization Grant Fund for studying, planning, and implementing regionalization (up to $1.5 million over three years, prioritized for districts with significant enrollment decline, underutilized space, or proposals that expand academic resources through cost savings); the Regional School District Foundational Aid Fund to provide grants, within a regional district's first five years, equal to the difference between foundational aid previously received by a member district and the foundational aid received by the regional district when regionalization reduces foundational aid; and the Superintendent Union Formation Grant Fund to support development of superintendent unions when regionalization is not practicable (up to $250,000 annually). Provides transitional support by directing the State Treasurer, upon certification by the Commissioner, to pay regional school districts $200 per pupil annually for each of their first three years and to provide additional Commissioner-determined aid in the first two years to cover salaries of temporary staff, including an assistant superintendent, assistant business manager, assistant information technology director, and assistant pupil services director. Creates an Office of Shared Services within the Department, led by a Director appointed by the Commissioner, to oversee formation of regional school districts and superintendent unions and to assist districts with shared services projects and agreements.

Establishes a Farm to School Program administered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that pairs a competitive grant program with a Local Food Incentive reimbursing School Food Authorities and licensed early education and care programs $1 for every $2 spent on in-state foods and $1 for every $3 spent on foods from other New England states or New York, for purchases from farms, fishers, cooperatives, food hubs, or distributors.

Creates a Farm to School Fund and, with advice from an advisory committee and a full-time program coordinator, awards grants for kitchen equipment, staff training, food-literacy curriculum and experiential programming, and garden or indoor growing infrastructure, limited to K-12 schools and licensed child care participating in the National School Lunch Program or the Child and Adult Care Feeding Program, under rules promoting geographic, social, economic, and racial equity.

Directs the department to define eligible products, including value-added dairy and lightly processed seafood, consistent with federal Child Nutrition Program standards; encourage purchasing from socially disadvantaged producers and small farm or seafood businesses; maximize federal financial participation; set annual award caps based on appropriations and available federal funds; require annual reporting on program activities and impacts; and adopt implementing regulations within 180 days.

Requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, beginning in FY2026 and notwithstanding any contrary law, to annually submit to the General Court an appropriation request that complies with the state's total funding obligation established in law.

This bill sets a phased reduction over four years in the maximum percentage of Massachusetts' total state K-12 foundation education budget that must be funded through mandatory local contributions. Under the bill, on January 1, 2026, the cap will be reduced to 58%, followed by subsequent yearly reductions to 57% in 2027, 56% in 2028, and ultimately to 54% by January 1, 2029. 

Establishes a Farm to School Program within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that pairs a grant program with a Local Food Incentive reimbursing School Food Authorities and licensed early education and care programs $1 per $2 spent on in-state products and $1 per $3 on products from other New England states or New York; permits purchases through farms, fishers, cooperatives, food hubs, and distributors with origin verified by producer self-attestation; requires compliance with federal Child Nutrition Program standards; encourages sourcing from socially disadvantaged producers and small farm or seafood businesses; and sets annual per-district or program caps while maximizing federal participation.

Creates an Advisory Committee and a full-time Program Coordinator to design and implement the program, build capacity for scratch-cooked meals and food-literacy education, provide technical assistance, and ensure timely reimbursements; and directs regulations and guidelines, developed with the committee, to promote geographic, social, economic, and racial equity and ensure equitable participation by early education programs.

Establishes a Farm to School Fund with public and private revenues and non-lapsing appropriations, and authorizes grants to eligible K-12 schools and licensed child care programs participating in the National School Lunch Program or Child and Adult Care Food Program for kitchen equipment, staff and educator training, experiential programming such as farm field trips and garden-based learning, and infrastructure including school gardens and indoor growing systems. Requires annual reporting on activities and impacts based on participant surveys and mandates promulgation of regulations within 180 days.

This bill concerns funding and support for rural school districts, those experiencing declining enrollment, and special education programs. The bill creates a Rural Schools Aid Fund to allocate resources for districts with low student density and below-average income levels, and a Declining Enrollment Fund to assist districts facing significant student population decreases over the past two decades. 

The bill also provides full reimbursement for instructional and transportation costs for special education students that surpass pre-approved thresholds. The bill includes support for the development of a specialized workforce by funding alternative licensure pathways for paraprofessionals and current teachers seeking special education credentials.

The bill also creates the School District Regionalization Grant Fund to facilitate the merger of services and supports the formation of superintendent unions where regionalization is unfeasible. In addition, the bill supports transitional aid and covers temporary staff salaries during the initial setup period for regional districts. Provisions are included for full reimbursement of specific transportation costs in rural districts, along with the establishment of the Non-Resident Pupil Transportation Fund.  Also, the bill stipulates that at least three members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education must reside in western counties of Massachusetts.

Requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, beginning in fiscal year 2026 and annually thereafter, to submit an appropriation request that complies with the state's total funding obligation established in law, notwithstanding any contrary statute.

This bill sets a phased reduction over four years in the maximum percentage of Massachusetts' total state K-12 foundation education budget that must be funded through mandatory local contributions. Under the bill, on January 1, 2026, the cap will be reduced to 58%, followed by subsequent yearly reductions to 57% in 2027, 56% in 2028, and ultimately to 54% by January 1, 2029. 

The bill creates a commission to make recommendations to ensure fair and adequate funding for PreK-12 public education. The commission will review all facets of the school funding formula and additional financial mechanisms for public schools, concentrating on the foundation budget's components, the necessity to eliminate the cap on the foundation inflation index, and the financial needs for special education and student transportation. It will also assess the effects of low and declining enrollments, the hurdles faced by rural districts, and the sufficiency of local contribution efforts, among other concerns. The commission will consist of legislators, education stakeholders, and individuals with expertise in education or municipal finance. 

Establishes a special commission to evaluate and set standards for the default apportionment formula in regional school district agreements-including whether standards should be based on student counts or total property values-and to recommend whether every town must operate its own school district or belong to a regional school district. Requires the commission to submit findings and draft legislation by December 1, 2026.

Specifies membership and co-chairs: appointees of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives; one appointee each of the Senate Minority Leader and House Minority Leader; the Commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Commissioner of the Department of Revenue, and the Secretary of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance or their designees; five regional school superintendents appointed by the Governor; and one member appointed by each of the Massachusett Association of Regional Schools, Rural Policy Advisory Commission, and Massachusetts Municipal Association.