Governor Signs Education Funding Equity Bill Into Law at English High

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With English High School students gathered in a packed gym, Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill into law that boosts investment in public schools by $1.5 billion annually over the next seven years.

Baker was joined by numerous elected officials and business leaders, including Mayor Marty Walsh, Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, Boston School Committee Chairman Michael Loconto, State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, City Councilors Matt O'Malley and Annissa Essaibi-George, and more on Nov. 26.

The Student Opportunity Act will particularly provide new funding to school districts with high percentages of low-income students and English Language learners who often live in some of the highest-need communities.

“This is a monumental moment for the future of our Commonwealth. A diverse coalition of families, educators, organizers, and legislators held this bill high for years, never wavering on the path to this day," said Chang-Diaz, D-2nd Suffolk District. "Now, generations of Bay Staters will taste the fruit of their efforts: a public education to create the society we want to live in and support every child as they reach for their dreams.”

Chang-Diaz added that the bill is heavily based on the Education Promise Act, which she filed and was supported by a large cross-section of educators, politicians, business leaders, and more. That bill intended to implement the Foundation Budget Review Commission (FBRC) recommendations, led by Chang-Díaz, which would address underlying inequities within the state's education funding formulas.

Like the Education Promise Act, the Student Opportunity Act is implementing all five of the FBRC’s recommendations, including the full equity provisions.

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