Watch CBS News

Study Finds Flawed Funding Formula For Mass. Public Schools

BOSTON (CBS) - An education policy group says the state's funding formula for public schools doesn't provide enough for special education, forcing some school districts to cut back on teachers and other resources.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Doug Cope reports.

Podcast

A study by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center says the funding formula is off balance by about $2 billion.

Center President Noah Berger says lower income communities are most affected.

"In the wealthier districts, they simply contribute more local property tax revenue to the schools to be able to provide that quality education, and a lot of lower income districts, they can't," said Berger. "We found that on average, in lower income districts, they're spending about 32 percent less on having enough teachers."

Berger said the center is calling on the state to balance out the funding formula, to help offset the costs for all communities.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.