Fiscal Year 2027 State Budget Includes $200K for North Reading Projects

The House and Senate have approved a $63.4 billion state budget for Fiscal Year 2027 that includes $200,000 in state funding assistance for North Reading projects and additional local aid for the town. Governor Maura Healey signed the budget on July 9 as Chapter 137 of the Acts of 2026.

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) successfully secured $75,000 for flooring maintenance at the Flint Memorial Library and an additional $75,000 for roof maintenance at the Putnam House, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Built in 1720, the Putnam House serves as the headquarters of the North Reading Historical and Antiquarian Society, which hosts the annual North Reading Apple Festival every September.

Subscribe

The Fiscal Year 2027 state budget also includes $25,000 for upgrades to the Benevento Memorial Park Little League fields, with another $25,000 set aside for youth programming.

In addition to these funding earmarks, North Reading will also see increases in both Chapter 70 education aid and Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA), which supports a wide range of municipal programs and services, including public safety. North Reading will receive $8,429,947 in Chapter 70 aid, an increase of $363,360 over Fiscal Year 2026, as well as $2,300,058 in UGGA funding, which is an increase of $89,696.

“I’m pleased to have been able to work with Senator Tarr to advocate for these important funding priorities for North Reading, and to deliver additional local aid to help support North Reading’s schools and preserve essential municipal services for the town’s residents,” said Representative Jones.

“North Reading's town officials have clearly articulated strong priorities for the Fiscal Year 2027 state budget, and I have been pleased to work with Representative Jones to respond to those priorities,” said Senator Tarr. “Together we have been able to address broad spending issues such as maximizing the town’s share of Chapter 70 school funding and Unrestricted General Government Aid, and more specific items for North Reading, such as structural improvements for the Flint Memorial Library and the Putnam House.”

Jones and Tarr noted that the Fiscal Year 2027 budget includes language reconvening the Foundation Budget Review Commission, which will evaluate how foundation budgets are calculated and recommend potential changes to the Chapter 70 formula to ensure a more equitable distribution of school funding moving forward. The commission will also look at spending on other education-related programs to see where improvements can be made, such as rural school aid, charter school costs, out-of-district special education costs, and school district transportation costs, including road mileage and geographic area, with an initial report and recommendations due to be filed by October 31, 2028.

The Fiscal Year 2027 budget provides cities and towns with $57.1 million in regional school transportation, $35.2 million in homeless student transportation under the McKinney-Vento Act, $654.6 million in Special Education Circuit Breaker funding, and $200.4 million in charter school reimbursements. It also sets aside $16 million in rural school aid, along with $5.3 million for the school food services program and $4.4 million for the school breakfast program.