BOSTON – Last week, Senator Sal DiDomenico and his colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed the Student Opportunity Act, an unprecedented $1.5 billion new investment in Massachusetts K-12 public education. This legislation ensures public schools have adequate resources to provide high-quality education to students across the state, regardless of zip code or income level. Assuming inflation, over time the bill could provide an estimated $2.2 billion.

The Student Opportunity Act significantly helps school districts that serve high concentrations of low-income students. At the same time, school districts across the Commonwealth will benefit from updates to the existing funding formula, along with increased state investment in other vital education aid programs such as transportation, school construction and renovation and special education. The bill passed 39-0.

“I can truly say that this was the proudest vote I have taken during my nine years serving in the Massachusetts Senate,” said Senator Sal DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “Children and families across the state have been waiting for this bill for a long time, and with the tireless work of legislators and advocates alike, we now have a piece of legislation that will change the lives of our students for generations to come. This is an issue that has been deeply personal for me, as my district has been hit hard by our current inequitable education funding formula and the detrimental change to the way our state counts economically disadvantaged students. This piece of legislation is a game-changer for our communities and our schools.”

Taking into account these new investments, policy updates and the needs of all types of districts, the Student Opportunity Act creates new ways to monitor and measure progress, support effective approaches to closing opportunity gaps, and deliver results for all students.

The Student Opportunity Act fully implements the recommendations of the 2015 Foundation Budget Review Commission (FBRC) ensuring that the school funding formula provides adequate and equitable funding to all districts across the state. The bill provides an estimated $1.4 billion in new Chapter 70 aid over and above inflation when fully implemented over the next seven years. The bill modernizes the K-12 education funding and policy landscape in four areas:

• Estimates school districts’ employee and retiree health care costs using up to date health insurance trend data collected by the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC).

• Increases special education enrollment and cost assumptions to more accurately reflect district enrollment.

• Increases funding for English learners (EL) that is differentiated by grade level to reflect the greater resources required to educate our older EL students.

• Addresses the needs of districts educating high concentrations of students from low-income households by:

  • Providing additional funding based on the share of low-income students in each district; districts educating the largest percentage of low-income students will receive an additional increment equal to 100% of the base foundation;

  • Returning the definition of low-income to 185% of the Federal Poverty Level, as opposed to the 133% level that has been used in recent years.

In addition to implementing the FBRC’s recommended formula changes, the Student Opportunity Act provides additional state financial support in several categories to help public schools and communities deliver a high-quality education to every student. Those fiscal supports include:

• Increasing foundation rates for guidance and psychological services in recognition of the growing need for expanded social-emotional support and mental health services.

• A commitment to fully funding charter school tuition reimbursement, which provide transitional aid to help districts when students leave to attend charter schools, within a three-year timetable.

• Expanding over four years the special education circuit breaker, which reimburses districts for extraordinary special education costs, to include transportation costs in addition to instructional cost.

• Raising, as the result of a further amendment, the annual cap on Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA)spending, for construction and renovation by $200 million (from $600 million to 800 million) , enabling more projects across the state to be accepted into the MSBA funding pipeline, which reimburses towns and cities for a portion of school building costs. 

In addition to new funding and other support, the Student Opportunity Act establishes the 21st Century Education Trust Fund to provide districts and school’s access to flexible funding to pursuing creative approaches to student learning and district improvement.

In order to track and reproduce successful school and district-level innovations and policies, the legislation calls on school districts to develop and make publicly available plans for closing opportunity gaps. These plans will include specific goals and metrics to track success. In addition, the Secretary of Education will collect and publish data on student preparedness in each district for post-graduate success in college and the workforce.  

Moreover, the Student Opportunity Act establishes a Data Advisory Commission to help improve the use of data at the state, district, and school levels to inform strategies that strengthen teaching, learning and resource allocation.

Following robust debate on the floor, the Senate also adopted several amendments to the Student Opportunity Act related to recovery high schools, Massachusetts School Building Authority and municipal fiscal challenges related to Ch70. 

To ensure that education-funding levels remain adequate, effective and equitable, the legislation also includes forward looking provisions to address additional funding challenges and policy areas. The Student Opportunity Act:

• Directs the Department of Revenue (DOR) and DESE to analyze the method of determining required local contributions in the Chapter 70 school funding formula for the purpose of improving equity, predictability and accuracy; and

• Establishes a Rural Schools Commission to investigate the unique challenges facing rural and regional school districts with low and declining enrollment. The Commission will make recommendations for further updates to help impacted districts and communities.

The legislation now moves to the Massachusetts House of Representatives for their consideration.

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BOSTON— Christie Getto Young—Chief of Staff to Massachusetts Senator Sal DiDomenico— is the 2019 recipient of the National Conference of State Legislature (NCSL) Legislative Staff Achievement Award. This national award is given annually by the NCSL Leadership Staff Professional Association and was created to recognize an individual who demonstrates excellence in support of the work of a state legislature and strengthening of legislative institutions. Getto Young was the first staff member from the Massachusetts Legislature to ever receive this award, and was honored at the 2019 National Conference of State Legislature Summit in Nashville last month.

“Christie truly deserves this award, and I am excited that others around the country got to see what we already know in our office and in the Senate. Christie is a leader who others look up and she is a huge asset for our Legislature.  Not only are we fortunate to have her as our Chief of Staff, but the residents of the Commonwealth are the beneficiaries of her passion and dedication to serve,” said Senator DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate.  “I am very proud of Christie. She has an impressive record of accomplishments throughout her career, and she has built strong relationships both inside and outside the State House.”

For nearly a decade, Ms. Getto Young has been a steadfast leader in the Massachusetts Senate and a key resource for legislative staff, non-profit organizations, and advocates working to pursue policies that support our Commonwealth’s children and families. Christie was nominated by her Massachusetts Senate colleagues in light of her many legislative accomplishments, including writing the 2013 Social Worker Safety Bill and spearheading a multi-year Senate initiative known as Kids First, which took a holistic look at the way in which our Commonwealth can support children and families.

 “Everyone, from constituents to her Senate colleagues to the children and families she has advocated for, has a reason to be grateful that Christie has chosen to dedicate her life to public service,” said Senate President Karen Spilka.  “Christie’s combination of professionalism and kindness make her a natural leader, and she has served as a role model for many staff members in the Senate. On behalf of the entire Massachusetts State Senate, I wish to congratulate Christie Getto Young for this very well deserved award.”

In her nomination letter, Christie’s Senate colleagues wrote, “While Christie’s list of legislative accomplishments are impressive her greatest career achievement is the long-lasting impact and influence that she had on young staffers, especially female staffers. Christie has not only inspired dozens of young people to pursue careers in public policy, she has become a mentor to many in the Massachusetts Legislature.”

Christie Getto Young has worked in the Massachusetts Legislature for a total of 11 years. Her career in public service began working as a Research Analyst for the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Human Services from 1993-1995. After pursuing a career in the nonprofit sector, serving as Senior Director of Public Policy at United Way of Massachusetts Bay, Christie returned to the Legislature in 2010 working for Massachusetts Sen. Sal DiDomenico, first as his Budget & Policy Director and eventually becoming his Chief of Staff in 2013.

Getto Young has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Kenyon College in Ohio, Masters in Social Work from Boston College, and a Juris Doctor degree from Northeastern University in Boston.

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Special to The Independent

Senate Assistant Majority Leader Sal DiDomenico and his team are proud to announce that Christie Getto Young, chief of staff to Sen. DiDomenico, is the 2019 recipient of the National Conference of State Legislature (NCSL) Legislative Staff Achievement Award. 

This national award is given annually by the NCSL Leadership Staff Professional Association and was created to recognize an individual who demonstrates excellence in support of the work of a state legislature and strengthening of legislative institutions.
Getto Young is the first staff member from the Massachusetts Legislature to ever receive this top national award, and she will be honored at the 2019 National Conference of State Legislature Summit in Nashville on August 4-5.

“Christie truly deserves this award, and I am excited that others around the country will see what we already know in our office and in the Senate – Christie is a leader who others look up and she is a huge asset for the Legislature.  Not only are we fortunate to have her as our Chief of Staff, but the residents of my district and the Commonwealth are the beneficiaries of her passion and dedication to serve,” said Sen. DiDomenico.  “We look forward to joining her in Nashville as she receives this well-deserved recognition for being the best in her field.  I am very proud of Christie, and she is a friend, advisor, trusted colleague and partner who I rely on and have had the honor of working with since our first days in the Senate.  Christie has an impressive record of accomplishments throughout her career, and she has built strong relationships inside and outside the State House.  I am thrilled that she will be given this national Legislative Staff Achievement Award because Christie is a kind and compassionate person who is a fierce advocate for those who need our help the most.  This is the Christie Getto Young we all know, and I am pleased that others on the national stage get to see this as well.”

For nearly a decade, Getto Young has been a steadfast leader in the Massachusetts Senate and a key resource for legislative staff, non-profit organizations, and advocates working to pursue policies that support our Commonwealth’s children and families. Christie was nominated by Sen. DiDomenico and her colleagues in light of her many accomplishments. From writing legislation to protect human service workers, promoting education equity, working to repeal devastating policy decisions made decades ago that hurt vulnerable families, and spearheading a multi-year Senate initiative known as Kids First to take a holistic approach to the way our Commonwealth supports children and families Christie has helped contribute to the well-being of hundreds of residents who will never know her face or name, but they can be sure that there was someone advocating for them and making lives a little better for themselves and their families.

“Everyone, from constituents to her Senate colleagues to the children and families she has advocated for, has a reason to be grateful that Christie has chosen to dedicate her life to public service,” said Senate President Karen Spilka.  “Christie’s combination of professionalism and kindness make her a natural leader, and she has served as a role model for many staff members in the Senate. On behalf of the entire Massachusetts State Senate, I wish to congratulate Christie Getto Young for this very well deserved award.”

In her nomination letter, Christie’s Senate colleagues wrote “while Christie’s list of legislative accomplishments are impressive her greatest career achievement is the long-lasting impact and influence that she had on young staffers, especially female staffers. Christie has not only inspired dozens of young people to pursue careers in public policy, she has become a mentor to many in the Massachusetts Legislature.”

Christie Getto Young has worked in the Massachusetts Legislature for a total of 11 years. Her career in public service began working as a Research Analyst for the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Human Services from 1993-1995. After pursuing a career in the nonprofit sector, serving as Senior Director of Public Policy at United Way of Massachusetts Bay, Christie returned to the Legislature in 2010 working for Massachusetts Sen. Sal DiDomenico, first as his Budget & Policy Director and eventually becoming his Chief of Staff in 2013.

Getto Young has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Kenyon College in Ohio, Masters in Social Work from Boston College, and a Juris Doctor degree from Northeastern University in Boston.