Franklincountynow.com Staff Report
(Boston, MA) –State Senator Adam G. Hinds (D-Pittsfield) and Representative Natalie Blais (D-Sunderland) chair the first meeting of the Rural Schools Commission. The Rural Schools Commission is tasked with identifying long-term solutions to the issues uniquely impacting schools in rural areas.
“This is a continuation of the Student Opportunity Act process,” said Senator Hinds. “The work of this commission is crucial to ensure all students in our Commonwealth receive a quality education, no matter their zip-code or distance from the state capital.”
The Rural Schools Commission was created by the Student Opportunity Act to investigate robust long-term solutions to the issues uniquely impacting schools in rural areas. The Commission’s creation was partly due to the discrepancies in funding between rural schools and their urban and suburban counterparts. The Chapter 70 funding formula does not adequately address the needs of rural schools facing financial challenges or declining enrollment or other concerns unique to rural school areas. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issued a report in 2018 on the fiscal conditions of rural schools across the Commonwealth and found that these schools pay more per student for teachers, aides and transportation.
“There is much work to be done and I look forward to delving in to better understand the challenges our schools are facing and identifying meaningful solutions that will truly make a difference in the long run,” said Representative Blais.
“While we have begun to address these challenges with the development of a rural school aid line item in the budget, rural schools have yet to see their funding challenges addressed in the way other districts have as a result of funding changes,” said Senator Hinds.