HYANNIS – Centerville State Representative Will Crocker has announced his support of the Student Opportunity Act, which would invest billions of dollars in public schools across Massachusetts.
House Bill 4137 is based on a 2015 report from the Foundation Budget Review Commission that determined that public education was being underfunded.
The bill passed through the House of Representatives by a unanimous 155-0 vote last week.
Crocker said the Student Opportunity Act is the first major change to the funding of public education in the state since the 1993 Education Reform Act.
“This is a multi-billion dollar effort,” Crocker said.
“We’re talking about anywhere from $1.5 to $2 billion dollars being spent on education across the Commonwealth in the next seven years on things that we really, desperately need to focus on.”
The bill specifically looks to improve aspects of the education system such as the support of low-income students and those learning English as a language.
Crocker also said this version of the bill would help benefit local school districts, including the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District, which is looking to build a new middle school.
“The fact that the school building assistance now is going to get a monetary bump means there’s more money in that vein for D-Y to be able to build their new school,” Crocker said.
The bill now moves back to the State Senate, where a final version will be ironed out. Debate is expected, as the state must hold local districts accountable over how the money is spent.
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