Proposed school budget would help Massachusetts district implement the CCSS

In states that have adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), such as Massachusetts, it is not uncommon to see school districts purchasing new classroom resources that can help them deliver CCSS-aligned instruction. Of course, before schools can invest in new materials and teacher training, they need money.

For this reason, John Doherty, the superintendent of Massachusetts' Reading Public Schools is asking for a fiscal 2014 budget of roughly $38.8 million, The Reading Advocate reported. While the CCSS are not the main reason for the proposed 4.7 percent budget increase, money will be essential if the CCSS are to be successfully implemented.

According to the news source, $42,295 of the budget would go toward new CCSS-aligned curriculum materials for the district's middle and high schools, $265,730 would fund a new K-5 elementary mathematics program, and $74,274 would cover the time it will take for teachers to plan, collaborate and implement the Common Core.

While Doherty's proposed budget may seem high, many officials within the education sector are aware that implementing the CCSS will be anything but cheap. According to a 2012 report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, transitioning to the CCSS could cost Massachusetts around $292.2 million.