Surplus Fair Share Amendment Revenue to Fund K-12 Special Education, Career Training, MBTA Improvements, and More
BOSTON—State Senator Jason Lewis joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate to pass a $1.33 billion supplemental budget bill using surplus Fair Share Amendment revenue to continue investing in public education and transportation projects across the Commonwealth.
The Fair Share Amendment (FSA), approved by Massachusetts voters in 2022 to implement an additional 4% state income tax on annual household income over $1 million, has proved to be immensely successful, raising billions of dollars over projections for the state that must be used only for public education and transportation purposes.
Using Fair Share revenue over the past few years, the state legislature has been lowering the cost of public higher education, including making community college free for all students; increasing access to high-quality, affordable early education; fixing roads and bridges; investing in improvements to the MBTA; providing universal, free school meals for all K-12 students; and more.
The Fiscal Year 2025 state budget previously allocated the use of $1.3 billion of Fair Share revenue, but due to FSA revenues exceeding projections, the Senate was able to pass this supplemental budget with an additional $1.33 billion of Fair Share revenue. More than doubling the FY25 state budget’s FSA investment, this supplemental budget will be used to expand career and technical education opportunities for students, provide more support for K-12 special education costs, support public transit, provide additional road and bridge funding for local municipalities, and more.
Senator Lewis was also able to include $750,000 specifically allocated for local education and transportation funding for the communities in his district.
“I am proud to have been the lead Senate sponsor of the Fair Share Amendment. With this revenue from the state’s highest earners, we can make additional investments in the high-quality public schools and transportation infrastructure that help make Massachusetts a top-ranking state to live in and raise a family,” said State Senator Jason Lewis. “These Fair Share dollars will be especially helpful now when so many municipalities and school districts are facing severe fiscal challenges.”
Highlights of this Fair Share supplemental budget include:
- $248 million for K-12 special education costs, including circuit breaker reimbursements to local school districts.
- $190 million to cities and towns for local transportation projects, including improvements to roads, bridges, and culverts.
- $370 million for the MBTA, including $20 million for the MBTA’s low-income fare relief program.
- $50 million for local school construction relief to support districts experiencing increased construction costs due to inflation and tariffs.
- $25 million for early literacy programs to support accelerated literacy growth for students in kindergarten through grade 3.
- $100 million for career technical education capital grants to expand capacity and accommodate additional career technical educational opportunities for students.
- $190 million for public higher education facilities deferred maintenance, including $10 million for lab resources for community colleges.
- $10 million for English-Language Learning programs to reduce the waitlist for services for speakers of languages other than English to learn English and subsequently help fill in-demand jobs.
With both the state Senate and House of Representatives having now passed FSA supplemental budget proposals, a Conference Committee will be appointed to reconcile the differences between the two bills, before sending a compromise bill to Governor Healey for her signature.
