Rep. Mike Kushmerek

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a special education financing commission to study Massachusetts' special education funding system and recommend improvements for long-term fiscal health. The commission must evaluate current funding structures and propose changes to achieve specific goals, including ensuring sufficient funds for high-quality education, equitable distribution based on student needs and district resources, and predictable funding with 90% reimbursement for transportation and circuit breaker costs. Key policy changes include raising transportation reimbursement to 90% and lowering the approved costs threshold for funding from $45,793 to $37,120 per student. The bill directly affects school districts, students with disabilities, and their families by aiming to make special education funding more stable, equitable, and sufficient. The commission must submit recommendations by June 2025.