FACT SHEET: Fair Share Supplemental Budget Conference Committee Report
The Fair Share supplemental budget agreement reached by the House and Senate provides $1.39 billion in new investments in education and transportation while prioritizing regional equity and maintaining fiscal responsibility in the face of federal uncertainty.
The Conference Committee report bolsters our transportation infrastructure in a responsible and regionally equitable manner and provides critical support for transportation infrastructure upgrades across the MBTA system.
It also supports public education initiatives, expands capacity for career technical education, addresses higher education capital infrastructure needs, and supports cities and towns statewide.
The details of the investments agreed to in the Conference Committee report are outlined below.
Transportation — $716 million
MBTA Improvements and Infrastructure Upgrades: $535 million for improvements and transportation infrastructure upgrades across the MBTA system includes:
$300 million to replenish the MBTA budget reserve.
$175 million in workforce and safety funding to implement improvements recommended by the Federal Transit Administration.
$40 million for MBTA physical infrastructure upgrades.
$20 million for the MBTA’s low-income fare relief program.
Aid For Cities and Towns: $103 million for regionally equitable, shovel-ready transportation improvements includes:
$80 million for supplemental Chapter 90 aid to ensure every city and town receives funding to maintain local roads and bridges, including $40 million to help support small and rural communities by distributing funds based solely on road mileage.
$16.4 million for municipally owned small bridges and culverts.
$7 million for the improvement and maintenance of unpaved roads.
Regional Equity in Transportation: $73 million for regional transit initiatives includes:
$25 million for capital improvements to equipment and facilities at Regional Transit Authorities, which serve and connect all regions of the Commonwealth.
$25 million for efforts to improve workforce recruitment and retention at the Regional Transit Authorities.
$13 million for ferry infrastructure improvements.
$10 million for on-demand micro-transit shuttles and Last Mile grants fostering an innovative multimodal transit system.
World Cup Preparations: $5 million for transportation improvements associated with the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
Education — $593.5 million
Special Education: $248 million for special education costs including circuit breaker reimbursements to local school districts.
Public Higher Education Deferred Maintenance: $115 million, including $10 million for lab modernization capital improvements and upgrades at community colleges, helping ensure community colleges have the needed resources to provide a first-class education to the surge of students signing up after passage of MassEducate, which provides free community college to Massachusetts residents.
Career Technical Education Capital Grants: $100 million to expand capacity and accommodate additional career technical education school opportunities, including $15 million for a pilot program to support career and vocational technical annex buildings on comprehensive high school campuses.
EEC Workforce, Affordability, and Quality Improvement Supports: $45 million for initiatives to support workforce, affordability and quality improvements in the early education and care sector, including $20 million for rate increases to support early education providers.
Literacy Growth: $25 million for high dosage tutoring to support accelerated literacy growth and success for students in kindergarten through grade 3.
Endowment Match: $20 million for the endowment incentive match program to leverage public funds to encourage private fundraising by the Commonwealth's public institutions of higher education to support accessible and affordable education programming, including $10 million for Department of Higher Education endowment incentive match and $10 million for the University of Massachusetts endowment incentive program.
English Language Learning Programs: $10 million for educational grants to reduce the waitlist for services for speakers of languages other than English to learn English and subsequently help fill in-demand jobs.
Holocaust Museum Boston: $10 million to support the Holocaust Museum Boston.
Green Schoolworks: $10 million for grants to eligible local school districts for clean energy infrastructure improvements and upgrades.
Regional School Transportation: $8.1 million to support regional school transportation costs.
Tomorrow's Teachers Scholarship and Loan Forgiveness: $2.475 million for scholarships and loan forgiveness initiatives to encourage qualified high school and currently enrolled college students to seek a career pathway to teach in the Massachusetts public school system.
The conference committee report is comprised of a collection of one-time revenues, including above-estimated fair share surtax collections from Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024, the Student Opportunity Act Investment Fund, and the Transitional Escrow Fund.