Quincy to receive $52,858,392 in school and local funding aid 

For Immediate Release: 5/27/21

BOSTON – On Thursday, May 27, the Massachusetts Senate passed its Fiscal Year 2022 budget, funded at $47.7 billion. The budget makes significant investments in the Commonwealth’s recovery, local aid for schools, seniors, first responders, seniors, and libraries, the health care safety net, and critical programs for Veterans, children, and those with mental and behavioral health needs.  

The Senate funded statewide Chapter 70 school aid at $5.5 billion, matching House appropriations and representing the highest level of funding to date for education. With an increase of $219.6 million over Fiscal Year 2021, this funding reflects the Legislature’s commitment to meeting the needs of students and educators, especially as they move to a return to classroom learning.  

“Based on conversations with school leaders in my district,” Senator Keenan said, “I am aware that students, teachers and administrators need more support than ever, particularly as students return to classrooms after being home-schooled or learning remotely. It is my hope that schools in my district, and across the Commonwealth, will feel the relief that this funding is intended to bring.” The additional funding also keeps the Commonwealth on schedule to fully implement by Fiscal Year 2027 the Student Opportunity Act.   

Quincy will receive approximately $32 million in school aid for the upcoming year, an increase of about $3.2 million over the previous year. Quincy will also receive an increase of over $700,000 in general government aid.  

Beyond record levels of local and school aid, Senator Keenan worked to secure additional funding for all communities in his district. For Quincy he secured funding for breathing, safety, and firefighter locator equipment for the Fire Department, and to assist with the installation of a fire suppression system in the resting place of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Funding for other communities in his district included appropriations for roadway safety improvements in Abington and Holbrook, traffic and parking improvements in Braintree, infrastructure improvements in Rockland, and regional first responder dispatch and incident planning and training in Abington and Rockland. 

“I’m pleased with  the funding I was able to secure for Quincy and all the communities in my district to address needs that have been brought to me over the past several months by local leaders,” said Keenan.  

One of Senator Keenan’s thirty-four filed amendments increases the annual funding level for the Asian American Commission, which will expand its capacity to serve Asian American and Pacific Islander residents and provide programming to reduce anti-Asian violence. Because this adopted amendment matches language secured by Quincy Representative Tackey Chan in the House budget, it should be included in the final budget sent to the Governor.  

A Conference Committee will now work out the differences between the Senate budget and the version passed by the House of Representatives in April. Fiscal Year 2022 begins on July 1, 2021. 

If you have any questions on the Senate budget, please contact Senator John Keenan’s office at 617-722-1494 or by email at John.Keenan@masenate.gov.  

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