The chart below displays local aid comparison quantities for communities in the Second Suffolk and Middlesex District. Click here for an expanded Excel spreadsheet including the same data for all communities in the state.
A few observations:
- Arlington achieves a relatively great increase in total local aid (line 19); the change comes in the Chapter 70 aid — general government aid is unchanged as for all 351 communities.
- Cambridge apparently loses in total aid (line 19), but the change comes in a loss of $2.1 million in charter tuition reimbursements (detail not shown in the chart)
- Cambridge Watertown, Belmont and Boston are all exactly flat in their major aid amounts — Chapter 70 and UGGA (lines 4,5,7,8).
- Watertown receives surprisingly little Chapter 70 aid per student (lines 13 and 14); less than Arlington, Belmont and Cambridge, despite the fact that all three show as more wealthy on a combined income and property basis (line 17). However, Watertown actually shows as more capable of self-funding school costs than Arlington and Belmont when property and income wealth care compared to the enrollment-driven foundation budget. See this spreadsheet for the two alternative wealth computations.
- With the exception of Belmont, all communities in the district receive substantially more than the statewide average in per capita general government aid (line 12), despite being at or above average wealth (line 17) — this appears to be because these communities did relatively well under the defunct Additional Assistance program which was folded into the unrestricted government aid amounts which are now based solely on history, not any formula.
See the notes below the chart for expanded row definitions and source notes.
| Statewide* | Arlington | Belmont | Boston | Cambridge | Watertown | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | 1999 Income PC | 25,952 | 34,399 | 42,485 | 23,353 | 31,156 | 33,262 |
| (2) | 2010 EQV PC | 155,402 | 177,084 | 235,668 | 164,351 | 258,890 | 162,590 |
| (3) | 2013 Total Aid (House 2) | 4,549,204,098 | 14,574,468 | 7,464,379 | 383,192,968 | 27,690,583 | 8,759,137 |
| (4) | 2013 Chapter 70 (House 2) | 3,490,034,192 | 8,102,943 | 5,571,323 | 205,414,453 | 8,643,123 | 3,234,244 |
| (5) | 2013 UGGA (House 2) | 833,980,293 | 5,952,940 | 1,771,704 | 148,660,757 | 16,856,874 | 5,233,952 |
| (6) | 2012 Total Aid | 4,413,270,889 | 13,420,743 | 7,456,223 | 379,276,280 | 29,752,021 | 8,731,212 |
| (7) | 2012 Chapter 70 | 3,359,800,049 | 6,880,580 | 5,571,323 | 205,414,453 | 8,643,123 | 3,234,244 |
| (8) | 2012 UGGA | 833,980,293 | 5,952,940 | 1,771,704 | 148,660,757 | 16,856,874 | 5,233,952 |
| (9) | 2013 Foundation Budget | * | 43,482,027 | 34,250,943 | 724,286,573 | 68,855,555 | 26,990,164 |
| (10) | 2013 Enrollment | * | 4771 | 3823 | 61108 | 6226 | 2682 |
| (11) | 2010 Actual US Census | 6,547,629 | 42844 | 24729 | 617594 | 105162 | 31915 |
| (12) | (5)/(11) 2013 UGGA PC | 127 | 139 | 72 | 241 | 160 | 164 |
| (13) | (4)/(10) Ch70 per Student | * | 1698 | 1457 | 3361 | 1388 | 1206 |
| (14) | (4)/(9) Ch70 as % of FB | * | 19% | 16% | 28% | 13% | 12% |
| (15) | (3)/(11) Total Aid PC | 695 | 340 | 302 | 620 | 263 | 274 |
| (16) | Aid/Cap (15) % of Avg. | 100% | 49% | 43% | 89% | 38% | 40% |
| (17) | [PCI(1)+EQVPC(2)]/Avg. | 100% | 123% | 158% | 98% | 143% | 116% |
| (18) | (3) – (6) Aid Amount Chg | 135,933,209 | 1,153,725 | 8,156 | 3,916,688 | (2,061,438) | 27,925 |
| (19) | (18)/(6)-1 Aid Chg % | 3% | 9% | 0% | 1% | -7% | 0% |
* Statewide totals exclude Devens and Regional Schools.
Row Notes:
- Per Capita Income from 1999. See DOR Common Comparison Criterion Report.
- 2010 Equalized Valuation (property values) per capita, based on 2009 population.
- Total FY2013 Cherry Sheet Aid as in House 2. See DOR State Aid Page.
- FY2013 Chapter 70 Aid from same source as row (3); see also Department of Education Chapter 70 page.
- FY2013 Unrestricted General Government Aid; same as FY2012 UGGA for all communities.
- FY2012 Final Budgeted Cherry Sheet Aid, excluding additional distribution that was contingent on reversions.
- FY2012 Chapter 70 Aid.
- FY2012 Unrestricted General Government Aid excluding additional distribution that was contingent on reversions
- FY2013 Foundation School Budget from Department of Education Chapter 70 Page
- FY2013 Foundation Enrollment — estimate used in computation of foundation budget.
- From same source as in Row 1
- FY2013 Unrestricted General Goverment Aid per Capita — computed.
- FY2013 Chapter 70 aid per enrolled student — computed.
- FY2013 Chapter 70 aid as percentage of Foundation Budget — computed.
- FY2013 Total Cherry Sheet Aid per capita — computed.
- FY2013 Total Cherry Sheet Aid per capita as percent of statewide average — computed.
- Average of two quantities for each community: Per capita income as percent of statewide average and per capita property wealth as percent of statewide average — computed. This is a measure of relative wealth weighting property value and income equally.
- FY2012 to FY2013 increase in Total Cherry Sheet Aid — computed.
- Increase in Total Cherry Sheet Aid as a percentage– computed.
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