Wachusett committee backs statewide advocacy after MARS presentation that warns district is entering hold-harmless status

The Wachusett Regional School Committee voted to authorize its chair to send a letter of advocacy based on recommendations from the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools (MARS) after a one-hour presentation on how the state's Chapter 70 foundation budget and the 59/41 aid split are affecting regional districts.

Julie Kelly of MARS told the committee the Chapter 70 model, developed in 1992 and updated unevenly since, assumes enrollment sizes and economies of scale that many regional districts no longer meet. "This formula is driven by student enrollment," Kelly said. "The entire state is in declining enrollment. It's not working for 232 districts. We have to change it. It's that simple. It has to happen now." She said Wachusett's calculations place the district in a trajectory toward hold-harmless status and estimated the district's hold-harmless amount for fiscal 2026 at about $2,500,000, up from roughly $1,200,000 in fiscal 2025.

Why it matters: Committee members were told that hold-harmless status preserves prior-year aid but can leave a district with little or no annual increase in state support while town contributions must cover most budget growth. Committee members and MARS presenters said districts in hold-harmless status still must meet…