Bill > H3567

This bill aims to provide a sustainable future for rural schools. It does the following: 1. Requires the Center for Health Information and Analysis to review the health insurance plans of rural school districts annually or every three years (depending on whether they purchase their own plans or are part of purchasing groups) and provide recommendations to help them reduce costs. 2. Establishes an Office of Shared Services within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to assist school districts in forming regional school districts and superintendent unions. 3. Provides priority for paraprofessionals seeking licensure as special educators to receive grants. 4. Defines "rural school district" for the purposes of various funding and assistance programs. 5. Increases the grant percentage for approved school facilities projects in regional school districts to at least 90%. 6. Provides assistance to municipalities when a school is closed due to regionalization, including relieving debt owed to the Massachusetts School Building Authority and offering help with demolition or repurposing of the school building. 7. Establishes several new funding sources and grant programs to support rural school districts, regional school districts, and districts with declining enrollment, as well as to incentivize the formation of superintendent unions. 8. Modifies the definition of "instructional costs" to include partial costs of salaries for highly specialized staff, and increases the reimbursement rate for special education program costs. 9. Directs the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to review special education regulations as they pertain to rural school districts and establish a commission to review the state's special education financing system.