State Senators Brian A. Joyce (D – Milton) and Katherine Clark (D – Melrose) have proposed an amendment that would increase state funding to the Milton schools by $348,649. The amendment passed the Senate after vigorous debate and must now be reconciled with the House version of the bill, which did not contain such a provision.

“The Milton school district was placed at a disadvantage by a formula adopted in 1992, and it’s high time we fix that inequity,” said Senator Joyce. “The school children and taxpayers of Milton deserve no less.”

The state uses a formula that measures a number of factors such as income, demographics, and municipal growth to determine what a community should contribute to its local schools. Joyce’s amendment assists towns such as Milton, where the town’s contribution is disproportionately higher than the state’s.

According to Joyce, the FY2007 budget included a number of major reforms to Chapter 70 education funding that he supported and have benefited the town of Milton. According to Joyce recent financial challenges have delayed further progress over the past three years, which is why he believes the amendment passed this week so important to Milton.