Facts on per-pupil spending

Full and original article posted on Telegram & Gazette

As I See It

Now that Worcester’s elections are over, citizens can engage in a serious discussion about one of the issues raised by both School Committee and City Council candidates: the adequacy of funding for the Worcester Public Schools. Let’s start with some important facts.

Since Massachusetts’ landmark Education Reform Act of 1993, state law has defined both the minimum amount that each school district must spend and how this cost will be shared between the state and municipality. Cities and towns are then free to contribute above this foundation-level amount, and many wealthy districts do. But poorer districts typically cannot afford to spend more than the minimum out of their own property tax revenues.

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