Governor Deval Patrick’s budget would boost aid to local schools, cut positions — and raise some taxes
Governor Deval Patrick unveiled his budget proposal today. (Noah Bierman/Globe Staff)
Governor Deval Patrick released an annual $32.3 billion spending plan this morning that would boost K-12 education spending, eliminate 400 positions in the executive branch, and close the Bay State Correctional Center in Norfolk.
The budget proposes a record-high amount of state aid to local schools, $4.136 billion, along with $10 million toward efforts to close the achievement gap, and a $10 million increase in funding for community colleges. The elimination of 400 positions would save $30 million, while the closure of the prison would save $8.9 million.
With the budget edging up 2.98 percent overall over the current year, Patrick also called for new revenues from several sources that he suggested were widely supported by the public — eliminating a sales tax exemption on candy and soda; increasing taxes on cigarettes and raising taxes on cigars and smokeless tobacco to the same level as cigarettes, and expanding the bottle bill.
“All together, these new revenues amount to less than 1 percent of this budget,’’ the governor said. “They are not new. They are still sensible, still widely supported in the general public, in most cases, and still necessary.’’
“As I’ve said before, I am asking the Legislature to make tough choices. This budget is no different. But the progress we are making is happening because we are making those tough choices and made them together, inspired by our commitment to leave a better commonwealth than we found.’’
The House and Senate will each propose their own spending plans within the next three months. The sides must agree to a final product before getting it to Patrick’s desk for a signature in time for the next budget year, which begins July 1.
The governor positioned his budget as austere but sensible, saying that the state’s approach has protected the state’s rainy day fund and boosted its credit rating, while continuing to extend public services to people at a time of greater need.
“Revenue has continued slowly to recover as more people are getting back to work, which is great news on many, many levels, but we still have unprecedented needs to meet on health care, emergency housing, and other essential services because of the numbers of people whose lives have been turned upside down by the global economic collapse,’’ Patrick said.
“With the support of the Legislature, we have managed to do this rather well, though not without pain. Our budgets have been responsible and balanced. We have reduced headcount by almost 6,000 positions. We have reduced spending on, or eliminated entirely, a whole host of programs. We have found more efficient ways to deliver services with less money. These approaches have, in some instances, been difficult, but effective. You will see examples of them again in this budget.’’
At the same time, Patrick said, the state has invested in areas that will increase opportunity and the state’s position in the future.
“We chose to grow our way out of this recession and you can’t grow without a growth strategy,’’ Patrick said. “That is why we have invested significantly in education, innovation, and in infrastructure, and why we propose to do so again in the coming fiscal year. Those investments are why we are fifth in the nation in job growth and why our economy is growing faster than the rest of the country’s and why we lead the world in student achievement and the world in math and science.’’
Asked how much his budget relies upon the level of funding coming from Washington, Patrick said, “We aren’t taking a whole lot for granted. “We know this is going to be a challenging budget and there are uncertainties as far as the level of federal support. But there have been uncertainties for years now.’’
Asked about cuts to the state Registry of Motor Vehicles, the governor encouraged motorists to get services online whenever possible.
“We have to start doing things differently in a whole host of areas — and that is not just government doing things differently,’’ Patrick said. “It is asking citizens to interact with their government differently – not less, but just differently. I get that not every transaction can be done on the Web, not everybody has access to the Web. Which is why we still have staffing and we have work to do.’’
State officials expect tax collections to grow by 4.5 percent, or $940 million, over last year’s estimates, a sign the state economy is recovering.
Costs for indigent health care, homelessness assistance programs, and other social safety net programs are on pace to grow by $1.2 billion. Legally required expenses for pensions, negotiated union contracts, and other fixed costs are set to go up by another $400 million, Patrick said. That will mean many other state services will see no increases in their budgets to offset the effects of inflation.
Social service providers have been nervous, organizing rallies and lobbying campaigns. This morning, hundreds of people gathered at the State House’s Grand Staircase to plead for AIDS funding, which has been cut by $3 million in recent years.
“A lot of the services get discontinued’’ without the money, said John Collins, a 46-year-old man who has had AIDS for 28 years and lives at a residential program that receives state funding.
Patrick has said over the past week that despite challenging budget times, he would increase funding for K-12 schools, community colleges, and veterans’ services. Patrick said in this morning’s statement that he planned to save roughly $730 million by containing growth in health care costs.
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