January 16, 2004

ROMNEY TARGETS RESOURCES TO LOWEST PERFORMING DISTRICTS

Pledges Modest Local Aid Increase to Mayors, Selectmen

One day after unveiling his Legacy of Learning education program, Governor Mitt Romney today released a list of 42 school districts with the lowest MCAS performance that would be eligible for increased state assistance.

Appearing before the Massachusetts Municipal Association at its annual meeting at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, Romney also offered a preview of his Fiscal Year 2005 budget as it relates to local aid and detailed his proposed restructuring of the School Building Assistance (SBA) program, which will expedite the construction and renovation of new schools.

“There are critical investments we can and should make in our children,” Romney said. “But those investments will only be made possible if we continue down the road to reform. I hope you will join with me in working for change.”

Romney said total cherry sheet aid in his budget will grow by $70 million, from $4.3 billion to $4.37 billion, a 1.6 percent increase.

“Although this will be another challenging budget year, I want to assure our local officials that you can count on me to preserve local aid,” Romney said.

Romney’s Legacy of Learning plan calls for spending $34 million on the bottom 10 percent of school districts, where nearly one-third or 300,000 students are enrolled. The 42 school districts are mostly urban, and include Boston, North Adams, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Springfield as well as a number of vocational and charter schools.

In these lower-performing districts, Romney’s program calls for full-day kindergarten, additional funding to provide intensive after-school and summer school help and mandatory parent preparation courses.

Statewide, Legacy of Learning provides another $10 million for schools to help them manage students with discipline problems; recruit, retain and train science and math teachers; and pay for state intervention in school districts declared “underperforming” by the state Board of Education. Currently, two districts have that designation – Holyoke and Winchendon.

Another key component of Romney’s program is a free tuition program at any Massachusetts public college or university for students who score in the top 25 percent on the MCAS test. That program will cost $12 million in the first year, and $50 million annually when fully up and running.

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