A communication from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (see item 1595-0116 of Section 2 of Chapter 126 of the Acts of 2022) submitting a report to the Legislature on the Genocide Education Trust Fund for fiscal year 2023

194th Legislature (2025-2026)

The Genocide Education Trust Fund FY2023 report outlines fund sources, expenditures, grants to 39 LEAs, and impact on middle/high school genocide education.

Placed on file

HD 4941 — Genocide Education Trust Fund: FY2023 Report (Communication from DESE)

Overview

Bill Number: HD 4941

Title: Communication from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education submitting a report to the Legislature on the Genocide Education Trust Fund for FY2023 (via item 1595-0116, Sec. 2, Ch. 126 of the Acts of 2022)

Status: Placed on file

Introduced: August 14, 2025

Classification: Proposed bill

Purpose: To transmit the Department’s formal FY2023 report on the Genocide Education Trust Fund to the Legislature, detailing fund sources, expenditures, grantees, and program impact per Chapter 98 of the Acts of 2021.

Legal Authority and Fund Purpose

The Genocide Education Trust Fund was established to strengthen middle and high school instruction on the history of genocide and to promote human rights education across public schools and districts.

Statutory mandate (Chapter 98 of the Acts of 2021) requires the commissioner to report fund activities, including:

sources and amounts of funds received
expenditures and purposes
grants to community stakeholders
revenue and expenditure projections for the next fiscal year
number of schools/districts implementing or expanding programming
number of applications received vs. granted
public availability of the report on the DESE website

FY2023 appropriation: $1.5 million to support curricular materials, professional development, and related activities.

Key Provisions and Fund Uses

Eligible uses include:

developing curricular materials detailing causes, international responses, progression, and aftermath of genocide
professional development training for educators (workshops, seminars, conferences, materials)
other activities related to genocide history instruction, with a key requirement that at least 50% of funds are allocated to public schools or districts

The Fund supports instruction aligned with the History/Social Science Curriculum Framework.

FY2023 Activity and Grants

In FY2023, the Department launched the inaugural Genocide Education Grant.

Grant awarded to 39 Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to expand and deepen genocide history instruction.

Timing constraint: funds were disbursed midway through the school year; LEAs were allowed the option to divide funding between FY2023 and FY2024 to accommodate goals and scheduling.

Reported expenditures for FY2023 reflect a portion of the total awarded funds due to the mid-year rollout.

Impact and Stakeholders

Affects: middle and high school students; public school districts and LEAs; educators; community stakeholders receiving grants.

Aims to enhance understanding of genocide and human rights education across public schools, in line with statutory standards.

Look Ahead and Transparency

The report includes FY2024 revenue and expenditure projections and outlines anticipated activities under the Genocide Education Trust Fund.

Public disclosure: as required, the full report is or will be publicly accessible on the DESE website.

Administrative Details

Prepared by: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Signatory: Patrick Tutwiler, Interim Commissioner

This communication serves to fulfill statutory reporting requirements for FY2023 under Chapter 98.