BOSTON — The state has a $57.78 billion plan for fiscal 2025 that includes more than $1.3 billion in Fair Share monies for education and transportation. 

 

Gov. Maura Healey signed the state budget on Monday, saying it is balanced, responsibly controls spending growth and protects taxpayer dollars. 

 

It includes investments to strengthen Massachusetts' national leadership in education such as Healey's Literacy Launch Initiative to expand access to evidence-based reading instruction for students and provides  $475 million to make the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grants for early education and care providers permanent. 

 

Massachusetts is the only state in the nation to continue funding this program at the same level that the federal government did. The budget also makes community college free for all students through the MassEducate program. This builds on the success of MassReconnect, Healey's initiative to make community college free for students aged 25 and older, which drove a 45 percent increase in enrollment for this age group last year. The budget also fully funds the Student Opportunity Act. 

 

Additionally, for the second year in a row, the Healey-Driscoll administration is dedicating 1 percent of the overall budget to energy and the environment. This investment further positions Massachusetts to be a global leader in the burgeoning clean energy economy and strengthens the state's climate resilience, mitigation and adaptation efforts, including boosted funding for dams, culverts, and small bridges. The budget also creates a new Disaster Relief and Resilience Fund to improve the state's ability to respond to natural disasters, such as the catastrophic flooding that impacted municipalities, farms and businesses last year. 

 

"Massachusetts is the leader in innovation and education, the best place to raise your family or grow a business. But we also face challenges, so we aren't resting — we're going on offense," said Healey in a statement. "This budget delivers on our shared priorities and drives our state forward with urgency and purpose. It invests in areas that we are already leading on and makes them  better — including our No. 1 ranked schools and our nation-leading child care strategy. We're also tackling our biggest challenges by lowering household costs and improving transportation. 

 

"We're doing all of this responsibly, staying within our means and in line with the rate of inflation. I'm grateful to Senate President Spilka, Speaker Mariano, Chairs Michlewitz and Rodrigues, and all of our partners in the Legislature for their hard work on this transformative budget."