FY2022 One-Time Assistance for Districts with Pandemic-Related Enrollment Disruptions Impacting Chapter 70 Aid

April 15, 2022

The FY2022 General Appropriation Act (GAA) provided funding for districts with "pandemic-related disruptions in their enrollment" that impacted their Chapter 70 aid for FY2022 (line item 7061-0011). Districts were eligible to receive funding if they experienced enrollment increases from FY2022 to FY2023 with priority funding provided to districts with enrollment declines from FY2021 to FY2022 followed by significant enrollment increases from FY2022 to FY2023, defined herein as regaining at least 10 percent of the enrollment lost and at least 5 students. Based on these criteria, 128 districts received assistance payments . The total payment statewide was $14,296,371.

The payment amounts were determined based on modeling of the impact that pandemic-related enrollment changes would have had on Chapter 70 aid for FY2022, if returning students had been included in the original headcounts used to calculate FY22 Chapter 70 aid amounts. Specifically, priority districts were eligible for awards based on:

1. the change in the district's foundation budget reflecting the impact of enrollment changes from FY2022 to FY2023 multiplied by
2. the district's FY2022 target aid share adjusted by the percentage of the FY2022 enrollment decline that was re-established in the district as identified in the October 1, 2021 SIMS collection.

Priority districts received no more than $6,604 per additional pupil, which is the FY2022 statewide average Chapter 70 aid per pupil, and not less than a $2,500 total award, provided that they were eligible for an award under the program criteria. All other districts that experienced any year-over-year increase in enrollment between FY21 and FY22 received at least $100 per additional pupil, provided that the calculated award constituted at least $1,500 total.

For additional information on the methodology, please see the distribution file linked above.

Please direct all questions regarding these assistance payments to Rob Hanna (781-338-6525) or Rob O'Donnell (781-338-6512).

Last Updated: April 15, 2022