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Chamber testifies on using ARPA funds for education priorities

October 4, 2021

October 4, 2021

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce submitted testimony to the Joint Committee on Ways & Means and the Joint Committee on Education regarding the state’s use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support the academic, career, and socio-emotional needs of Massachusetts’ students. In determining how to use this infusion of federal funding, the Chamber urges the state to prioritize equity as well as impactful and proven investments that support students’ academic and career success.

Equity must be embedded in the state’s approach to using ARPA funding for educational recovery efforts. Prioritizing equity is necessary because the state’s current Chapter 70 education aid distribution formula results in inequitable outcomes, as revealed in a report the Chamber co-authored with the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) titled Missing the Mark. To ensure equitable outcomes, the state should conduct an equity analysis to ensure proposed ARPA funding uses are predicated on student and community need. The equity analysis should evaluate funding outcomes, determine if inequitable impacts follow, and provide recommendations to revise any proposals that result in inequitable outcomes.

In addition to focusing on equity, a swift academic recovery for all students necessitates that the state invests its ARPA funds strategically. The Chamber developed a framework outlining the employer community’s priority investments and principles to support Massachusetts’s students. The framework focuses on proven best practices to address students’ academic and socio-emotional needs now while preparing them for college and career.

Carolyn Ryan

Senior Vice President, Policy & Research

[email protected]
617-557-7310

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