Massachusetts HD 3071: An Act relative to tuition-free universal full-day kindergarten

Bill Text

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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3071 FILED ON: 2/18/2021
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 698

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Adam J. Scanlon and Patrick Joseph Kearney
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to tuition-free universal full-day kindergarten.
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PETITION OF:

NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS: DATE ADDED:
Adam J. Scanlon 14th Bristol 2/18/2021
Patrick Joseph Kearney 4th Plymouth 2/18/2021
Christopher Hendricks 11th Bristol 2/25/2021
David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf 17th Worcester 2/26/2021
Lindsay N. Sabadosa 1st Hampshire 2/26/2021
Elizabeth A. Malia 11th Suffolk 3/15/2021
Carol A. Doherty 3rd Bristol 3/26/2021
David Paul Linsky 5th Middlesex 3/29/2021
Diana DiZoglio First Essex 4/1/2021
Marcos A. Devers 16th Essex 4/22/2021
Danillo A. Sena 37th Middlesex 4/22/2021

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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3071 FILED ON: 2/18/2021
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 698
By Messrs. Scanlon of North Attleborough and Kearney of Scituate, a petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 698) of Adam J. Scanlon, Patrick Joseph Kearney and others relative to tuition-
free universal full-day kindergarten. Education.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)
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An Act relative to tuition-free universal full-day kindergarten.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:

1 SECTION 1. Chapter 29 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
2 section 2KKKKK, as inserted by section 1 of chapter 254 of the acts of 2020, the following
3 section:-
4 Section 2LLLLL. (a) There shall be a Universal Full-Day Kindergarten Trust Fund,
5 hereinafter called the fund, for the purposes of providing financial aid to school districts to
6 implement and maintain tuition-free universal full-day kindergarten programs, as defined in
7 section 4B of chapter 71. The fund shall be administered by the board of elementary and
8 secondary education.
9 (b) There shall be credited to the fund: (i) revenue from appropriations or other money
10 authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) interest
11 earned on such revenues; and (iii) funds from public and private sources, including, but not

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12 limited to, gifts, grants and donations. Amounts credit to the fund that are unexpended at the end
13 of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund.
14 (c) Amounts credited to the fund may be expended, without further appropriation, by the
15 board of elementary and secondary education to assist cities and towns and regional school
16 districts that do not offer a tuition-free universal full-day kindergarten as of January 1, 2021 in
17 implementing and maintaining tuition-free universal full-day kindergarten programs.
18 (d) School committees of cities and towns and regional district school committees may
19 request reimbursement from the fund for up to 100 per cent of the funds required to implement
20 and maintain a tuition-free universal full-day kindergarten program.
21 (e) Annually, not later than October 1, the board of elementary and secondary education
22 shall report to the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the house and senate
23 committees on ways and means and the joint committee on education on the fund's activity. The
24 report shall include, but shall not be limited to: (i) the source and amount of funds received; (ii)
25 the amounts distributed and recipients; and (iii) anticipated revenue and expenditure projections
26 for the next year.
27 SECTION 2. Section 2 of chapter 70 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking
28 out the definition of “Foundation enrollment” in, as appearing in section 6 of chapter 132 of the
29 acts of 2019, and inserting in place thereof the following definition:-
30 “Foundation enrollment”, in a fiscal year, the number of students on October 1 for whom
31 the district is financially responsible, including students attending programs outside of the
32 district for whom the district is required to pay tuition; provided, however, that each student shall

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33 be assigned to 1 of the following categories: (i) preschool; (ii) kindergarten; (iii) elementary
34 school; (iv) junior high school or middle school; (v) high school; or (vi) vocational school.
35 SECTION 3. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
36 section 4A, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, the following section:-
37 Section 3B. (a) As used in this section the following terms shall, unless the context
38 clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:
39 “Elementary school”, a school providi