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The following was submitted by the Office of Sen. Jason Lewis:
State Reps. Michael Day and Michelle Ciccolo and state Sen. Jason Lewis are pleased to announce the passage of the state’s budget for fiscal year 2026 (FY26).
Totaling approximately $61 billion, the FY26 budget builds on the Commonwealth’s fiscal responsibility practices while delivering significant levels of investment in public K-12 education, local aid for cities and towns, transportation and infrastructure projects, healthcare, childcare, housing programs and more.
Aligned with estimated tax receipts, the balanced budget exceeds the fiscal year 2025 budget by $3.3 billion, with most of the increased spending attributable to MassHealth. Additionally, based on strong “Fair Share” surtax revenue collections to date, the Legislature’s budget includes $2.4 billion in available revenues to support education and transportation investments which is an increase of $1.1 billion over the last fiscal year.
The Legislature allocated $11.4 million directly to Winchester Public Schools and $1.8 million in Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) to Winchester in free cash to help fund the town’s budget.
The budget also includes a direct appropriation of $150,000 to the Town of Winchester for environmental remediation and improvements to Wedge Pond based on an amendment filed by Day and supported by Ciccolo in the House and by Lewis in the Senate.
“This budget moves us forward as a state in the face of what we expect to be steep and nonsensical cuts by the federal government to essential programs for our residents,” said Day. “I appreciate the support of my colleagues in the Winchester delegation, which was instrumental in securing the Wedge Pond appropriation. The Wedge is a beautiful feature of our community, and I am very happy we could deliver funds that will help preserve and maintain this natural resource.”
“I’m proud that this budget, which passed with bipartisan support, delivers critical resources for our public schools and communities,” said Lewis. “It also makes Massachusetts more affordable for working families by investing significantly in childcare, housing, and healthcare. I’m especially pleased that the Winchester delegation and I secured funding to support the restoration of Wedge Pond.”
“I was pleased to vote to advance the FY26 budget, including important remediation and improvement funds for Wedge Pond,” said Ciccolo. “I extend my thanks and congratulations to the Conference Committee for navigating a complex budget during these uncertain times. We were able to produce a responsible budget that protects critical programs while also maintaining the Commonwealth’s strong fiscal position.”
Other highlights of the budget include:
• The Legislature following through on its commitment to fully fund and implement the Student Opportunity Act by fiscal year 2027, investing $7.36 billion in Chapter 70 state aid to public schools. This represents a $460 million increase over FY25 and raises the minimum aid to $150 per pupil.
• The prioritization of affordable housing and fiscal sustainability, with investments of over $1.15 billion in housing initiatives, including funding for housing stability, residential assistance, emergency shelters and homelessness support programs.
• An appropriation of $484.9 million for the Special Education (SPED) Circuit Breaker and adds $190 million through the Fair Share supplemental budget. These investments fulfill the 75% reimbursement promise for eligible tuition and transportation costs, totaling $674 million to support students with disabilities.
• Allocation of $103.7 million to reimburse our cities and towns for school transportation costs, including $53.7 million from the General Fund.
• Investment of $52.4 million in library services, including $19 million for regional library aid, $20 million for municipal libraries and $6.2 million for technology and resource networks.
• Funding for MassHealth of $22.1 billion for FY26. This is more than $2 billion above the previous year and accounts for 62% of the total increase in budget spending.
• Dedication of $86 million for food security and child nutrition, including $50.5 million for Emergency Food Assistance, $20.1 million for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), and $15.5 million for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program.
• Updates to the law to require that residential broker fees are paid by the party that reaches out to the broker, ensuring the fee agreements worked out between a landlord and broker are not passed on to a tenant.
The FY26 state budget received final passage from the House of Representatives and Senate on June 30, 2025, and was sent to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk for her consideration.
