BOSTON – The Senate budget for next year includes more than $500,000 for programs that prioritize education, public health and safety, environmental protection, and economic prosperity.
The Senate’s $41.4 billion budget directs $88.5 million to the state’s Stabilization Fund.
“The Senate approved budget provides critical funding for education, public safety, public health, environmental protection and economic growth in all of our communities,” said state Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) in a statement. “These priorities translate to better schools, more job opportunities and a better quality of life for residents of the Third Essex District.”
The funding includes money for the cleanup of Pilayella algae on King’s Beach and Long Beach; the maintenance of Red Rock Park on Lynn Shore Drive; The E-Team Machinist program which provides job training to fill the need for machinists;
for Lynnfield to hire a substance abuse coordinator; for the Lynn Police Department’s Behavioral Health Unit which provides overdose victims with access to licensed mental health and substance abuse clinicians and the purchase of safety equipment; maintenance and repair of Goldthwait Marsh in Marblehead; management of invasive pond vegetation at the Floating Bridge Pond; the Beach Access Resilience Project in Swampscott; the New American Association of Massachusetts; matching grants to support free public events as part of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Better Beaches Grants Program; for a summer learning program through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; for the Massachusetts Mentoring Partnership to support an additional 500 youth and leverage private matching funds.
The budget invests in education for people of all ages and backgrounds and focuses on elementary and secondary education, including $4.91B for the Chapter 70 education formula, its highest level ever, Crighton said. This funding allows for a minimum aid increase of $30 per pupil for every school district.
The House version of the budget supports more than half of the Senate recommendations. A Conference Committee will work out the differences between the two versions.
