BOSTON — Rural school aid is likely to stay level-funded in the fiscal year 2026 budget, even after more testimony from local advocates on Beacon Hill this month.

The line item currently sits at $16 million, matching the FY25 allocation, as the budget is heading into the reconciliation phase. In the coming weeks, each legislative chamber will appoint a conference committee to reconcile differences in their respective budget bill, which will result in a compromise version that will go before the House and Senate for a final vote.

State Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield, said the turbulent economic times facing the state right now have required careful budgeting. She added that the House is “grateful for our Senate partners” for continuing to fund the rural school aid line item and that advocacy for rural education opportunities will continue.

“With the uncertainty at the federal level in terms of funding, it’s forced us to be conservative in terms of spending because we don’t know what is going to be happening the next day, the next month or the next year,” Blais explained. “I think level funding is what we could hope for, given the uncertain financial times we’re seeing.”

As budget development continues, two bills that would throw a lifeline to rural school districts also received a hearing before the Joint Committee on Education at the State House on June 3.

Bills H.517 and S.314, filed by Blais and Sen. Jo Comerford, propose establishing a $60 million Rural Schools Aid Fund to assist districts with a student density of fewer than 35 students per square mile, provide 100% reimbursement for transportation for special education students outside their home district and require the state to create a department of shared services dedicated to school district regionalization, among several other provisions.

The bills were filed in the previous Legislative session as well.

In Franklin County, school district administrators, staff and students have long advocated for increased rural school aid, which could help supplement stagnated Chapter 70 funding.

“I’ve seen schools lose a part of what makes them fun, like sports teams and theater programs,” Mohawk Trail Regional School District student Daniel Gougeon said while testifying at the State House on June 3. “These extracurricular activities are the most enjoyable part of school. They bring students together and make school fun and exciting. When funding goes down, these opportunities start to disappear and it feels so unfair.”

As the price to operate a district increases every year, Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional school districts Superintendent Sheryl Stanton said Chapter 70 funding to her schools has only increased by about $60,000 since 2008, while the required contributions from member towns have increased by nearly $1.5 million.

Stanton acknowledged the school’s enrollment has fallen by 469 students in those 17 years, but “that is the result of demographic shifts in our area and does not result in us being able to reduce costs.”

Several other Mohawk Trail students also testified, including eighth grader Racheal Herzig, who said increased funding would bring improved offerings at the schools, which could reverse the downward spiral brought on by financial challenges.

“Classes that have been cut or are on the line of being cut due to the funding issues could potentially come back and flourish,” Herzig said. “This has caused many people to lose interest in our school because it no longer provides what they want.”

In her testimony, Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) Executive Director Linda Dunlavy said the provisions included in the bill would keep Franklin County municipalities afloat, which, in turn, would help the state.

“We believe this bill is critical to the future of our rural municipalities, our governments and our school districts,” Dunlavy said, “because without greater recognition of the financial duress being experienced by our rural school districts, our regions face debilitating economic and population decline, which will then ultimately be a drain and a liability on the commonwealth as a whole.”

Former Charlemont Selectboard member Valentine Reid also testified, saying rural education causes a big strain on municipal budgets and it is imperative that the state invests in educating all students in Massachusetts.

“Our schools can’t be excellent when they are struggling to meet their basic needs. They don’t have the resources, as you’ve heard, to do this and it gets harder year after year,” Reid said. “I challenge every member here to increase rural aid, not only because the data says that it’s going to make it more equitable and make it fair for us, but see it as an investment into our future [of] our region.”

In a time of rising “anti-intellectual sentiment,” Reid added that investing in education is more important than ever and Massachusetts has a chance to lead the way, as it has done in the past.

“The United States needs Massachusetts to remain ‘The Spirit of America,’” Reid said. “Demonstrating what excellent public education looks like, including rural education, allows our students to become the next generation of leaders. And if it’s not us, who is it?”

Blais added that there will be a rural education advocacy day at the State House on Wednesday, June 25, at 1 p.m, where the legislators will present their case for passing the bill. The event will feature Pioneer Valley school administrators and students, as well as other municipal officials.

“I’m hopeful we’ll be able to get it out of committee favorably again,” Blais said. “We’re continuing to try to lift this up, so it stays in people’s minds and we continue to have conversations about why we need to advance this piece of legislation.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.