BOSTON – Senator Sal DiDomenico worked alongside his colleagues to secure billions of dollars in this year’s state budget to improve our schools, support educators, expand access to early education and ensure students from all zip codes and of any ability can learn and thrive. This broad funding will invest tens of millions of dollars into all levels of education in Cambridge, Charlestown, Chelsea, and Everett.

“Education funding has been a top priority of mine for my entire Senate career, and I can say, without a doubt, this has been the best budget for education that I’ve seen throughout my 13 years at the State House,” said State Senator Sal DiDomenico, Senate Vice Chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education. “These transformative investments are going to be a game changer for residents in my district and for districts across Massachusetts. I want to thank Senate President Karen E. Spilka, Chair Rodrigues, the Ways and Means staff, and all my colleagues for putting together a budget that will guarantee all our students can eat for free, fund schools to ensure children can get a world-class education and increase access to early education and community college.”

Senator DiDomenico personally fought for years to achieve many of these programs, including Universal School Meals, in-state tuition for students regardless of immigration status, increased funding for early education and care, among others. Learn about the education highlights in this year’s budget:

Universal School Meals

• $171.5 million To provide universal school meals to all students free of charge, making Massachusetts the eighth state in the country to make the program permanent. According to the Feed Kids Campaign, 80,000 additional children ate school lunch daily in October 2022 compared to October 2019 as a result of this program.

Free Community College

• $50 million will support free community college across all campuses by fall of 2024. 

• $20 million for the MassReconnect program, as a first step toward free community college in the Commonwealth for those aged 25 and older. 

• $18 million for a free community college pilot program for nursing students to support an in-demand workforce area and build toward universal free community college in the fall of 2024. 

• $12 million for free community college implementation supports to collect necessary data, develop best practices, and build capacity for free community college in the fall of 2024. 

Chapter 70 Education Funding

• For K-12 education, the FY24 budget meets the Legislature’s commitment to the Student Opportunity Act (SOA) by investing $6.59 billion in Chapter 70 funding, an increase of $604 million over FY 2023 as well as doubling minimum Chapter 70 aid from $30 to $60 per pupil. This will increase Everett, Chelsea, Cambridge and Charlestown's school funding by millions of dollars this fiscal year.

Special Education Circuit Breaker

• This budget invests $504.5 million for the special education (SPED) circuit breaker. This is an increase of over $30 million from FY23 levels. This critical program supports school districts with special education costs and ensures we can invest the necessary funding so students of all abilities can get the best out of our school system.

Charter School Reimbursement

• $232.6 million allotted for fiscal year 2024 reimbursements to certain cities, towns, and regional school districts for charter school tuition and the per-pupil capital facilities component included in the charter school tuition amount for commonwealth charter schools.

In-State Tuition for Students Regardless of Immigration Status

• The FY24 budget also provides access to in-state tuition for students without a documented immigration status. All students who have attended a Massachusetts high school for at least three years and graduated or obtained a GED in the state will qualify for in-state tuition rates at Massachusetts public colleges or universities, regardless of immigration status. Tuition equity will help accomplish the Commonwealth’s goals of growing the middle class, building the state’s workforce, and supporting the economy.

Early Education & Care

• $1.5 billion investment in early education and care—the largest-ever annual appropriation for early education and care in Massachusetts history.

• $85 million in rate increases for subsidized childcare providers across the Commonwealth:

• $20M for rate increases for all providers (center and family) - new line item 

• $35M for Center-based providers for FY23 ($25M allowed for unspent FY23 subsidy funds and $15M grants for providers' personal childcare)

• $25M rate reserve

• $475 million for the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grants; FY24 is the first fiscal year in which the annual state budget includes a full year of funding for C3 grants, signaling a historic commitment to maintain this crucial lifeline for our early education and care sector.

• $42.9 million for Early Intervention (EI) services, ensuring supports remain accessible and available to infants and young toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities.

• $17.5M for Head Start grants

• $20.5M for CPPI grants (Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative, also known as preschool expansion)

Building and Improving Schools

• $100 million for Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) capital supports for cities, towns and school districts experiencing extraordinary school project costs impacted by post-COVID inflationary pressures. 

• $50 million to create Green School Works, a competitive grant program for projects related to installation and maintenance of clean energy infrastructure at public schools. The program will be administered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and preference will be given to schools serving low-income and environmental justice populations. 

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Makes investments in roads, bridges, public transportation, and regional transit authorities

BOSTON – Senator Sal DiDomenico joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts Legislature in passing a bill that includes $375 million in bond authorizations for transportation needs across the state, including $200 million for the state’s Chapter 90 program, which provides municipalities with a reliable funding source for transportation-related improvements, including road and bridge repairs. Last week, Governor Healey signed the bill into law, ensuring this critical funding will be distributed across the state.

“Our communities and economy are stitched together by roads, bridges, the MBTA, and regional transit authorities, so ensuring this infrastructure is safe, accessible, and up to 21st century standards is nonnegotiable,” said Senator DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “These investments will repair outdated transportation infrastructure and keep our state on track to cut greenhouse gas emissions by supporting efforts to electrify our cars and provide high-quality public transportation. These investments will have a big impact in my district and throughout the Commonwealth.”

“Ensuring that people in every region of Massachusetts have safe and dependable transportation options is fundamental to creating a competitive and equitable Commonwealth,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “This funding invests in our infrastructure and transit systems everywhere, allocating much-needed funds to local roads and bridges, regional transit, EV infrastructure, and parts of the MBTA. I want to thank Senator Crighton for making this a priority, my Senate colleagues for their support, and Speaker Mariano and the House for agreeing on these critical investments in our infrastructure.”

This legislation also authorizes $175 million in programs that will support various transportation-related projects. This includes $25 million for each of the following:

• the municipal small bridge program;

• the complete streets program;

• a bus transit infrastructure program;

• grants to increase access to mass transit and commuter rail stations;

• grants for municipalities and regional transit authorities to purchase electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to support them;

• funding for pavement and surface improvements on state and municipal roadways; and

• new funding dedicated to additional transportation support based on road mileage, which is particularly helpful for rural communities.

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$56.2B budget agreement provides for historic levels of investment in education, housing, regional transportation, and healthcare

BOSTON – The legislature approved a $56.2 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), including many of DiDomenico’s legislative priorities and millions of dollars for his district. This budget provides historic levels of investment in education, housing, regional transportation, health care, workforce development, and more, as part of a broad strategy to grow our state’s economy and make Massachusetts more affordable, inclusive, and competitive.

“I am proud of this transformative budget that reflects our state’s values by prioritizing children and working-class families,” said Senator DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “I was able to secure funding for programs I have championed for years, including permanent funding for universal school meals so every K-12 student will get free breakfast and lunch, an increase in cash benefits for families in deep poverty, an expansion of the children’s clothing allowance so every kid has access to quality clothes, and historic investments in education funding to name a few. I want to thank Senate President Karen E. Spilka, Chair Rodrigues, the Ways and Means staff, and all my colleagues for a budget that will keep Massachusetts economically competitive and welcoming for people across all backgrounds and incomes”

“This budget represents a major step forward for our Commonwealth, particularly in making higher education more affordable and more accessible to everyone,” stated Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “Tuition equity, free community college for nursing students and students 25 and older, and laying the groundwork for free universal community college starting next fall—all part of the Senate’s Student Opportunity Plan—are crucial to securing our long-term competitiveness, providing residents with concrete ways to create the futures they dream of, and continuing our state’s commitment to education at every level. Included in that commitment is a historic $1.5 billion in early education and care, as well as making universal free school meals permanent and school construction funds more accessible. As we seek to improve access to quality health care, our investment in nurses—combined with a policy provision to allow more professional nurses to train the next generation—will help ease the burden on our workforce, while we update protocols for stroke and protect preventive health services that are currently covered by the Affordable Care Act. These are just a few of the many important provisions included in the final Fiscal Year 2024 budget, all designed to keep Massachusetts moving forward as we continue to go back to better after COVID. I am so very grateful to all of my Senate colleagues, with whom so many of the great initiatives included in the final budget initiated, as well as to Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues, Vice Chair Cindy Friedman, and Assistant Vice Chair Jo Comerford, Senate Ways and Means staff, Speaker Mariano, the conferees and everyone who worked so hard to get this impressive budget over the finish line.”

Senator DiDomenico worked with his colleagues to help secure funding and language for many programs and initiatives in the FY24 budget including: 

Food insecurity

• Universal School Meals: $171.5 million to provide free universal school meals to all students throughout the Commonwealth making Massachusetts the seventh state in the country to make the program permanent. Over 80,000 additional children will be eating school meals as a result of this program compared to 2019 before free meals were offered statewide.

• Food assistance: $36 million for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program after securing $1 million additional funding through the amendment process.

Supporting families in poverty

• Children’s clothing allowance: providing $450 per child for eligible families (an increase of $50 per child) to buy clothes for the upcoming school year.

• Cash benefit increase for those in deep poverty: the budget includes a 10 per cent increase to Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) benefit levels compared to June 2023.

Education

• $6.59 billion in Chapter 70 funding, an increase of $604 million over FY 2023, as well as doubling minimum Chapter 70 aid from $30 to $60 per pupil.

• Early Education & Care: $1.5 billion investment in early education and care—the largest-ever annual appropriation for early education and care in Massachusetts history.

• $475 million for the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grants; FY24 is the first fiscal year in which the annual state budget includes a full year of funding for C3 grants, signaling a historic commitment to maintain this crucial lifeline for our early education and care sector.

• Early Intervention services: $42.9 million for Early Intervention (EI) services, ensuring supports remain accessible and available to infants and young toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities.

Housing

• Eviction protection: makes permanent a pandemic-era eviction protection for renters with pending applications for emergency rental assistance under RAFT or any other program administered by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), a municipality, or a nonprofit entity. Under the program, a judge cannot execute an eviction before an emergency rental assistance application has been approved or denied.

Expanding rights

• No Cost Calls: the FY24 budget removes barriers to communication services for persons who are incarcerated and their loved ones. Under this provision, the Department of Correction (DOC) and sheriffs must provide phone calls at no cost to persons receiving and initiating phone calls, without a cap on the number of minutes or calls.

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