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Net School Spending

The Commonwealth's school finance statute, Chapter 70 of the General Laws, establishes an annual net school spending requirement for each Massachusetts school district.

10.06: Annual School Spending Requirements

(1) The Commissioner shall determine each school district's actual net school spending in the prior fiscal year and the estimated net school spending in the current year from information contained in the End-of-Year Financial Report.

(2) The sum of the following expenditures for public education from local revenues and M.G.L. c. 70 school aid, reported in accordance with 603 CMR 10.04 and 10.05 and the guidelines published by the Department, shall be considered a school district's annual net school spending for purposes of determining compliance with the requirements of M.G.L. c. 70:

(a) district and school site administrative services and materials

(b) student instructional services, materials and equipment

(c) student support services; including attendance, health services, food services (not including the cost of food), and school security

(d) student activities; including athletics, performance groups and clubs

(e) operation and routine maintenance of school facilities and equipment

(f) extraordinary maintenance of school facilities

(g) health insurance and retirement contributions for current school district employees

(h) non-employee insurance

(i) rental or lease of land, buildings, or building space for student instruction or school administration purposes for a period not exceeding three years

(j) interest on short term borrowing in anticipation of revenue to fund current year operating expenses, except in a year when state aid payments to the district or municipality have been delayed or forfeited for failure to comply with student or financial data reporting requirements;

(k) tuition and related charges for students attending other public schools, collaborative programs, or private schools by agreement of the school committee or assignment by a state agency;

(l) assessments, minus any reimbursements, for school choice and charter school students attending schools outside the district;

(m) the cost of health insurance for retired teachers in a school district where such costs were considered by the Department to be part of the district's net school spending in fiscal year 1994.

(3) In calculating actual or estimated net school spending, a city, town or regional school district's total expenditures for the items specified in 603 CMR 10.06(2) shall be reduced by the school district or municipality's general fund receipts for tuition received for students attending the district's schools, earnings on investments by the school district, rental fees for the use of school district facilities, insurance reimbursements for services provided to students in the district's schools, reimbursements pursuant to M.G.L. c. 40S, and any other general fund revenues generated by the school district available to support current year operating expenses.

(4) The Department shall compare each school district's net school spending in the prior fiscal year with the net school appropriation required by M.G.L. c. 70, § 6 to determine the district's compliance with M.G.L. c. 70 net school spending requirements. For the purposes of this calculation, actual expenditures in the prior year by municipal departments other than the school department for school district purposes shall be used for the following expenditure categories: school district employee retirement and insurance programs, interest on short term borrowing in anticipation of revenue to fund current year operating expenses, tuition payments on behalf of resident students, and assessments for charter school and school choice students. Estimated expenditures by municipal departments other than the school department shall be deemed to be the actual expenditures in all of the other categories in which municipalities are permitted to report expenditures pursuant to 603 CMR 10.05.

(5) The Commissioner shall, after receipt of a district's End-of-Year Financial Report, notify the school district superintendent and municipal officials of any prior year spending deficiency and resulting expenditure obligation carried forward into the current fiscal year pursuant to M.G.L. c. 70, § 11. In such instances, any funds remaining in the school district's account at the close of the fiscal year shall be reserved by the municipal accountant or regional school treasurer and shall be made available to the school district without further appropriation. If the amount of the prior year's net school spending deficiency is greater than the amount of the school district's unspent funds available to be carried forward, an amount sufficient to meet the carried forward spending obligation must be appropriated by the municipality or municipalities responsible for the financial support of the school district.

(6) If, in any fiscal year, a district's actual expenditures for public education are less than the amount required under M.G.L. c. 70 taking into consideration any permitted carry-forward, the Department shall direct the Commissioner of Revenue to reduce the district's state school aid distribution by the amounts set forth in M.G. L. c. 70, § 11. When a deduction is so taken, there shall be no corresponding reduction in the district's net school spending requirement for the current year.