Ross and Garlick Push for Educational Mandate Task Force

Boston – On Wednesday, Senator Richard Ross and Representative Denise Garlick submitted a letter to the House Committee on Ways and Means for their immediate consideration of House Bill 3722, An Act establishing an educational mandate task force, intended to provide much needed relief to towns struggling to fund their schools and educational programs.

House Bill 3722 would establish a task force charged with reviewing all mandates on public schools and districts and assessing the feasibility of implementing a master reporting form.

“With the new school year beginning for many this week, it is my hope that the committee will consider this soon to better serve our administrators, teachers, and students,” said Senator Ross. “It is imperative that we as legislators reevaluate the requirements we are placing on schools to ensure that resources are being used as efficiently and constructively as possible.”

As a member of the Joint Committee on Education, regulating these mandates has been a major priority for Senator Ross. In January 2013, Senator Ross sponsored a bill aimed at reducing paperwork and waste within the department of elementary and secondary education. The bill called for the elimination of wasteful publications by utilizing information technology in order to increase efficiency and responsiveness in the Massachusetts school system.

A new draft of this legislation was written in October, accompanying H3722. The legislation is now before the House Committee on Ways and Means.

“I have diligently worked to ensure that our community receives Local Aid and Chapter 70 (Education) monies, as well as the Special Education Circuit Breaker monies. I am also sensitive to the frustration of “always needing to do more” expressed by school administrators. I think clarity as to federal mandates and state mandates and the support provided will allow us to address this issue in a thoughtful and deliberate manner,” said Representative Denise Garlick. Representative Garlick is the Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Education.

Submitted by the office of Sen. Richard Ross