Chapter 70 progress
Published on November 28th, 2001
STONEHAM, MA - Last Monday members of the Chapter 70 Committee met with Governor Jane Swift and heard some good news: the state may take money away from other communities and give it to Stoneham.
Chapter 70 money is distributed based on a formula that figures out what kind of help each community needs to fund an adequate school system.
Stoneham residents claim that similar towns are getting different amounts, meaning some communities are getting more than they need and others, like Stoneham, are getting less. The Chapter 70 Committee has been working to remedy this by altering the funding formula.
However, the “hold harmless” clause, which says no community will ever get less than it did the year before, has prevented a redistribution of funds. With a tight state budget, redistribution is Stone-ham’s only hope for more money.
The good news is that the hold harmless clause is no longer sacrosanct, according to the Governor’s aides.
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