Bill
S 409
Establishes a 15-member commission to study Massachusetts community schools, recommend adoption, funding, and a statewide pilot, with a Feb 15, 2026 final report.
Status snapshot
- Introduced: February 5, 2025 (Senate); presented by Sen. Paul W. Mark (MA).
- Key actions: Referred to committees (Finance; Education); Passed Senate (June 12, 2025); Delivered to and passed the House/Assembly (June 17, 2025); Returned to Senate (June 17, 2025). Hearing scheduled for November 12, 2025 (Gardner Auditorium). Current status listed as: RETURNED TO SENATE.
- Report due from the commission: February 15, 2026.
Note on source materials: The submission included unrelated or corrupted federal bill text and sponsor information (appearing to reference federal legislation). This summary focuses only on the Massachusetts S.409 text establishing a Community Schools special legislative commission.
Purpose and intent
- Create a 15‑member special legislative commission to investigate community school models and recommend how Massachusetts might adopt, support, and fund community school strategies statewide. The commission’s work is intended to inform legislative or regulatory changes and the design of potential pilot programs.
Definitions (selected)
- “Community School”: a public school using a community school coordinator to build strategic partnerships with community resources, leverage shared accountability and collaborative leadership, and provide wraparound services to support student achievement and community well‑being.
- “Community Schools strategy”: transformation of a school into a community school through shared vision/ goals among educators, families, students and community partners to organize in‑ and out‑of‑school resources and supports.
Composition
- 15 members total:
- Co‑chairs: House and Senate chairs of the Joint Committee on Education (or designees).
- Ex officio: Secretary of Education and Secretary of Health and Human Services (or designees).
- Appointed representatives: 1 each from Massachusetts Community Schools Coalition; AFT Massachusetts; Massachusetts Teachers Association; United Way of Massachusetts Bay.
- Seven Governor appointments: 2 student representatives (from existing Massachusetts community schools), 1 parent, 1 superintendent from a district using community school strategies, 1 principal of a community school, 1 community school coordinator, and 1 representative of a community‑based organization. Appointments should consider rural/urban/suburban geographic balance.
Duties and deliverables
- Investigate and analyze:
- Systems, policies, structures that support successful community school implementation;
- Adoption trends in Massachusetts and other jurisdictions;
- Evidence and outcomes associated with community school models (e.g., attendance impacts);
- Policies used elsewhere to support/incentivize adoption;
- Barriers to adoption in Massachusetts (legal, regulatory, training, funding, informational).
- Define essential elements/principles of community school implementation, including equity considerations.
- Recommend legislative/regulatory changes and funding strategies to incentivize and sustain community school adoption.
- Design recommendations for a statewide community schools pilot, including:
- Eligible communities and pilot size;
- Required resources and funding mechanisms;
- Process for awarding pilot funds;
- Data reporting and evaluation criteria.
- Meeting frequency: at least once every two months.
- Final report: file with Senate and House clerks, Senate and House Ways and Means, the Joint Committee on Education, Governor’s office, and Executive Office of Education by February 15, 2026.
Who would be affected
- Public schools and districts (especially those considering or implementing community school strategies); students and families; educators and school leaders; community‑based organizations and service providers; state education and human services agencies; and state budget/funding processes if recommendations are adopted.
Potential impact
- Short term: centralized assessment and recommendations to guide state policy and pilot program design for community schools.
- Medium/long term: could lead to statutory or regulatory changes, dedicated funding streams, pilot programs, and statewide incentives that make it easier for districts to adopt community school models and coordinate wraparound services.
Related/administrative notes
- The bill text directs the commission to consider equity, implementation elements, and sustainable funding mechanisms. Because the bill is a study/commission bill (not an immediate program appropriation), implementation would require subsequent legislative or executive action to create funding or statutory frameworks recommended by the commission.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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