Senate approves $1.28 billion ‘fair share’ supplemental to fund education and transportation projects

The Massachusetts Senate on a recent floor session approved a $1.28 billion supplemental budget, using surplus revenues from the so‑called fair share surtax to make one‑time investments in education and transportation across the Commonwealth.

The supplemental appropriations direct $617 million toward education priorities and $670 million toward transportation. The Senate’s plan draws primarily on surplus fair share revenues collected in fiscal 2024, plus smaller amounts from the Student Opportunity Act trust fund and a transitional escrow account, according to remarks on the chamber floor.

The measure “invests those surplus fair share monies,” Senator Roberts, chair of the Committee on Ways and Means, told colleagues. Roberts said the commonwealth collected “almost $2,300,000,000” in fair share revenues in FY24 and that the supplemental bill spends the surplus above the FY24 budget’s use of $1 billion.

Why it matters: senators said the package aims to address short‑term pressures and gap areas—special education reimbursements, deferred facilities needs at public higher education campuses, workforce training and safety at transit agencies, and local road and bridge maintenance—while preserving fiscal discipline by relying on one‑time revenues.

Key components and amounts included in the bill, as stated on the floor: - $248 million for special education costs, including reimbursements to school districts and payments to service providers for instruction and transportation. - $175 million for public higher education deferred maintenance, including $10 million for lab resources and community college upgrades. - $100 million for…