Central Mass. school chiefs rip ‘unsustainable’ funding formula

FITCHBURG – Lamenting their districts’ inability to keep up with mounting financial obligations, representatives from nearly a dozen school districts in the region at a public forum Tuesday night called on the state to finally overhaul its public education funding formula for the first time in 25 years.

About 100 people were in the audience for the event, which was one of three such public forums the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents organized across the state Tuesday night in an effort to bring attention to school systems’ campaign for more education aid. School officials at the Fitchburg forum said a couple more events will be held during this budget season as well.

Hosted at Fitchburg State University, Tuesday’s Central Massachusetts forum drew school administrators and school committee members from the Worcester, Fitchburg, Leominster, Gardner, Clinton, Framingham, Lunenberg, Winchendon, Ayer-Shirley, and Ashburnham-Westminster school systems.

Part of the novelty of the event, some officials pointed out, is that it’s not often such a disparate collection of towns and cities come together united on a single issue.

“It takes a while for everybody to get on the same page,” said Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella. But in the case of public school funding, he added, “if your community isn’t impacted yet, it will be.”

Scott O’Connell, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, January 08, 2019