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S 442

Short Term Rentals

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Brian Adams

Creates a study commission to review Massachusetts special education funding (Chapter 70 and circuit breaker) and propose reforms with a 2026 final report.

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Bill Summary · S 442

Summary — S.442 (Resolve establishing a special commission on special education funding)

Status: Introduced in Senate (Feb 6, 2025); reported and committed to Finance; referred to Education; hearings scheduled for Nov 18, 2025. Primary sponsor: Senator Rebecca L. Rausch.

Note: the bill text and legislative docket identify this as a Massachusetts legislative resolve presented by Senator Rebecca L. Rausch to create a study commission on special education funding. Some header items in the provided materials (alternative titles, out‑of‑state sponsor lists) appear inconsistent with the bill text and likely reflect clerical errors; this summary is based on the bill language.

Purpose / Intent

Create a special legislative commission to investigate and study how the Commonwealth funds special education services, with the goal of recommending reforms to the Chapter 70 school funding formula and the special education “circuit breaker” program so state funding better supports special education needs.

Key provisions

  • Establishes a special commission charged to:
    • Examine the Chapter 70 foundation aid calculation and the special education circuit breaker.
    • Investigate improvements to state funding of special education services.
  • Specific areas the commission shall consider (non‑exclusive):
    • Adjusting Chapter 70 foundation aid calculations to accommodate inflation and cost increases.
    • Revising the Chapter 70 required local contribution calculation.
    • Raising the threshold for, or removing the cap on, local contributions under Chapter 70.
    • Reforming penalties applied to localities deemed “below effort.”
    • Improving the special education circuit breaker to better supplement local funding.
    • Any other related matters at the commission’s discretion.
  • Membership composition:
    • Chair: Secretary of Education (or designee).
    • Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education (or designee).
    • House and Senate chairs of the Joint Committee on Education (or designees).
    • Appointees: one disability advocate (senate president), one student‑transportation expert (house speaker), one appointee each from the senate and house minority leaders.
    • Representatives from education organizations: president of the Massachusetts AFT; executive directors of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, and the Massachusetts Association of Approved Special Education Schools.
    • Up to three additional appointees by the chair.
  • Appointments: must be made within 90 days after the act’s effective date.
  • Report: Commission must submit a report with recommendations and proposed legislation to the House and Senate Ways & Means committees, chairs of the Joint Committee on Education, and legislative clerks by March 6, 2026. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) must publish the report on its website.

Who would be affected

  • Students with disabilities and families (through potential future funding and service changes).
  • Municipal school districts and regional school districts (state/local funding formulas, local contribution obligations).
  • State budget and policymakers (potential future appropriation or formula changes).
  • Providers and agencies involved in special education services and student transportation.

Potential impact

  • As a study/resolve, the bill itself does not change funding but creates a structured process to produce evidence‑based recommendations that could lead to legislative changes—potentially altering state aid formulas, local contribution rules, circuit breaker design, and penalties for insufficient local effort.
  • If recommendations are adopted, impacts could include increased state support for special education, adjustments to municipal fiscal obligations, and changes in how special education costs are reimbursed.

Timeline & procedural notes

  • Appointments due within 90 days of enactment.
  • Final report due March 6, 2026; DESE to publish the report.
  • Current legislative actions: introduced Feb 6, 2025; reported and committed to Finance; referred to Education; hearings scheduled Nov 18, 2025.

If you want, I can extract the exact membership list in a table, draft likely legislative outcomes the commission may recommend, or compare this resolve to prior related measures.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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