On Wednesday, January 22, Governor Healey released her proposed FY 2026 state budget which includes significant, exciting new investments in programs and policies that align with MBAE’s education priorities.

• High-Dosage Tutoring – There is a new $25 million investment for high-dosage early literacy tutoring programs that is a direct result of MBAE’s advocacy. This funding would give more students access to game-changing literacy interventions such as those currently being piloted in several districts with philanthropic dollars. As you know, we have been the leading advocate for expanding this model and the Governor’s proposal would extend it to 10,000 students this coming school year. High-dosage tutoring for first graders is showing tremendous results in improved outcomes and could help dramatically improve literacy rates in the Commonwealth.
• College and Career Pathways – Overall, this budget contains continued funding increases for growing the college and career pathway programs that we have been leading advocates for, and which help students find success after high school, including Early College and Innovation Career Pathways programs.
• Redesigning High School – There is also funding for school district leaders to think more broadly about how to redesign the high school experience so that it provides value to all students, whether they participate in a pathways program or not. These grants will enable school leaders to expand pathways and career counseling and provide opportunities for students to earn credentials and participate in work-based learning, initiatives we have proposed and long supported.
• Career Technical Education – The Governor’s budget also takes a significant step toward addressing the pent-up demand for more career and technical education seats by providing new funding ($75M) for program expansion.
• Literacy Launch and High-Quality Pre-K – The proposed budget continues to fund the Governor’s literacy launch initiative and the expansion of high-quality pre-k for the state’s gateway cities, two items we continue to strongly support.

The Governor’s spending proposal is a bit complicated by the fact that she has submitted both a proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1^st and a supplemental budget that uses reserves coming from the new Fair Share surtax fund, making some funds available right away with a three-year window for spending and others subject to the broader budget debate. Even though reserves are often considered one-time resources, the surtax has shown, in its early stages, a consistency that supports consideration of this approach. We will continue to learn more, in conversation with the administration, about the implications of this new approach. Our goal is to ensure that funding for these important initiatives is provided in a sustainable way that will enable years of growth.

We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more.