‘Dramatic’ Changes to FY20 Town Budget Due to State Aid Overhaul

The Ashland town budget went from deficit to surplus in January when the governor released the state budget.
“The increase in state aid [Chapter 70] to Ashland dramatically changes the tone of the conversation. We can now prioritize programs and services instead of deciding which ones to cut,” Town Manager Michael Herbert said in a phone interview. “We’ll be looking at requests from departments and what we want to add over the coming year, especially in the area of public safety and the DPW [Department of Public Works].”
In January Gov. Baker proposed to overhaul the state school funding formula to better address the cost of educating special education and low-income students and students learning English. To read the governor’s budget message, visit https://bit.ly/2XeswAW.
“Ashland received one of the more significant state aid increases compared to other communities in Massachusetts,” Herbert said.
Brittany Iacaponi, the town’s finance director, said, “The governor’s FY20 budget included a significant increase in Chapter 70 funding, which resulted in the Town receiving an increase of just shy of $1.7 million in Chapter 70 funding from FY19. The increase is related to the Chapter 70 formula change and increase in enrollment. The total budget is just over $63 million, a 6.7 percent increase over last year. The biggest jump is in Chapter 70 state aid for the school department where the formula changed and enrollment increased.”
School Superintendent Jim Adams explained the increase in a letter on February 14 to the School Committee and the community: “The first thing you will likely notice is the budget request calls for an increase of about 8.27% or $2.5 million dollars from FY19. You may be wondering: How is it possible for the Town to afford such a large increase to the APS [Ashland public schools] budget? The simple answer is in FY20, it is expected that the Chapter 70 funding, which is educational funding from the State to the Town, will increase significantly. This proposed significant increase, in conjunction with the agreed upon 3.75% increase from the Town, puts Ashland in a position to make some substantial and much-needed investment in our schools.”
Herbert especially wants to credit the fix to the Ch. 70 formula to state legislators, Sen. Karen Spilka, for the groundwork she has done in previous years, and Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis, for his support.
For town budget information, visit www.ashlandmass.com/588/FY19-Budget-Information.