Sen. Lewis Celebrates Proposed Funding Increase for Stoneham Schools

BOSTON—State Senator Jason Lewis was pleased to see the release of Governor Maura Healey’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 state budget on March 1, which includes great news for the Town of Stoneham. Her proposed budget increases Chapter 70 school funding for Stoneham to $7.3 million, an increase of $1.5 million or 27% over FY23.

This very substantial increase in funding for Stoneham schools is a result of the continued implementation of the Student Opportunity Act (SOA), landmark legislation passed by the state legislature in 2019 to ensure that every child in Massachusetts has access to a high-quality public education. FY24 will be the third year of implementing the SOA (which is on a six-year implementation schedule).

The Governor’s FY24 budget also proposes fully funding the Special Education Circuit Breaker (including out-of-district transportation costs) and Charter Tuition Reimbursements, as well as substantially increasing reimbursements for other school transportation costs.

“Having led the passage of the Student Opportunity Act as the Senate Chair of the Education Committee, I’m thrilled to see the continuing implementation of this law deliver substantial new resources for our local schools,” said State Senator Jason Lewis. “Governor Healey’s full funding of the SOA in her FY24 budget, which I fully expect to receive the support of the legislature, will provide the largest increase in Chapter 70 school funding for Stoneham in decades.”

Now that the Governor has released her proposed FY24 state budget, the state legislature will debate and finalize the budget this spring. FY24 begins on July 1, 2023.