Governor Baker’s FY2021 Budget Recommendations

Released on January 22, 2020, Governor Baker’s FY2021 budget proposal makes education a central priority, including new funds directed toward college affordability and success strategies.

Early College

The Governor’s budget includes $2.25 million in increased funding to support the expansion of the Early College program in Massachusetts. Early College provides opportunities for low-income students, first-generation students, and students interested in high-demand, STEM-related disciplines to attend college-level courses while enrolled in high school. Independent research has shown a positive correlation between Early College programs and higher college-going rates among historically underserved and low-income high school students. Massachusetts currently has 17 officially designated Early College programs across the Commonwealth serving approximately 2,000 students, and even more are expected to be approved for FY2021. The Governor’s budget would fund the incremental costs of instruction for 2,750 students at no cost to them.

Financial Aid

The Governor’s budget includes an additional $5 million to scale MASSGrant Plus, a last-dollar aid program launched in FY2019 for community college students, to support in-state students attending Massachusetts state universities who are enrolled in BHE-approved student advising and support programs. MASSGrant Plus covers unmet need for tuition and mandatory fees with a stipend for books and supplies after accounting for all other public and institutional grant aid as well as expected family contribution (EFC). The Governor’s budget proposal is aimed at aligning resources that lower the cost burden for students while ensuring they receive comprehensive and structured supports to enroll, persist, and succeed in their pursuit of a postsecondary degree at a state university.

Other Higher Education Investments

The Governor’s budget also maintained the Commonwealth’s commitment to a number of other higher education areas. Among the highlights are:

• Maintaining the state’s commitment to the Performance Management Set Aside which supports the Higher Education Innovation Fund and the Performance Measurement Reporting System;
• Preserving the $7 million investment for state scholarships—MASSGrant Plus—that covers the unmet need for tuition and fees for Pell-eligible community college students;
• Continued commitment to the STEM Starter Academy program; and
• Funding increases to each of the individual state university and community college line items as well as to the University of Massachusetts system to annualize the state-supported costs of collective bargaining agreements.

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Next Steps

The Legislature will be next to release their budget proposals, with the House Ways & Means version expected in mid-April and the Senate Ways & Means version expected in mid-May.