Haverhill and area communities could receive large boosts in state aid and education funds if state Representative Brian S. Dempsey (D-Haverhill) gets his way.
The House Ways and Means Committee chairman released the committee’s proposed $37.9 billion fiscal 2016 state budget Wednesday.
“This budget delivers on our shared commitment to the cities and towns we represent. It provides a $34 million increase to Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) and over $108 million in increased funding for Chapter 70 education aid, including a guaranteed increase of $25 per pupil for every school district,” Dempsey said in a letter to House members. “This is also a budget that recognizes that local aid goes beyond those two accounts, and makes investments to begin to restore reductions in funding for Regional School Transportation and to once again fully fund the state’s share of the Special Education Circuit Breaker.”
The budget proposal represents a $1.024 billion, or 2.8 percent, increase over the current fiscal year. It would, among other things, increase local aid spending to more than $5.8 billion statewide. The biggest increase would come as a $108.2 million increase for Chapter 70 school funding, to its “highest level of support in its history,” according to committee documents.
Other education aid increases would include an $8.2 million boost to a special education circuit breaker and a $5 million increase toward regional school transportation costs. Another proposed increase in local aid would come in the form of a total $979.8 million funding level for unrestricted general government aid. It would be at its highest level since fiscal year 2009.
“highest level of support in its history,” according to committee documents. –
That would go along with the highest record on taxation too, coincidence? This is during a 14 year destruction of Massachusetts residents incomes. Brilliant. Besides, Dempsey doesn’t have to wish anything, he just takes.
http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=180t
You make it sound like Haverhill’s Democrat politicians aren’t doing the job people elected them to do. In the past 8 years under Dempsey/Fiorentini taxes are up over 25% in the city, there is now a parking tax, a meals tax, the city hired employees to fine citizens for not putting their trash out correctly, school spending is through the roof, the mayor gave outrageous pay raises to school administrators without city council/budget committee approval, they passed an override to raise each citizens taxes by $1,500.00 to build a school, there’s a new methadone clinic in the city and soon a marijuana distribution facility…Haverhill PD got pay raises and soon teachers will get theirs…There are hundreds more retirees in the city pension systems than paying into it…and my favorite is the city even used taxpayer dollars to build a new parking garage and then turned around and charge people to pay to park in it…now that’s creative public financing…..
Haverhill Democrat politicians are fulfilling the tax and spend policies that foolish liberal Democrats in the city elected them to do…and they’re doing an exceptional job at it.