Increases in funding for the University of Massachusetts to maintain its affordability, for Greenfield Community College to continue its Hampshire County classes and for up to 1,000 new preschool slots statewide are included in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means’ $40.3 billion budget recommendations.

Released Tuesday, the spending proposals feature investments in education from early childhood through college, said Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst.

“This is a very strong budget for education and the Senate’s Kids First initiative,” Rosenberg said Tuesday.

The budget proposal to be debated by the full Senate next week assumes a 3.9 percent increase in revenues, an estimate agreed upon months ago by House and Senate leaders and the administration of Gov. Charlie Baker.

But 10 months into the current fiscal year, tax collections had risen only 1.1 percent over the same period a year ago, and were $462 million below benchmarks.

The panel’s budget includes a $534.5 million appropriation for the UMass system, a $26.2 million increase over the current fiscal year. That is $21 million more than the budget proposals from the House and the governor.

Another $284.1 million would go to the 15 community colleges and $261.7 million for the nine state universities. The combined total constitutes a $21.4 million increase over the current year’s spending.

Greenfield Community College would get $10.6 million, including $52,500 for an initiative to maintain academic and workforce needs in the community, and $432,000 to make permanent the Hampshire County classes it offers.

The panel calls for extending the state’s lodging tax to include Airbnb and other short-term rentals, a move the committee said would bring in $18 million a year. Baker offered a similar proposal but it was not part of the House budget approved last month.

The Senate budget also allows a “fair share” assessment on businesses to help offset rising state Medicaid costs. It would authorize the administration to either increase an existing health care fee paid universally by employers, or create a new assessment on employers with 25 or more workers who do not offer health insurance benefits to their workforce.

K-12

Rosenberg said the budget is a “down payment” on the Kids First vision that puts an emphasis on public school funding.

There is $34 million in new and targeted programming for health, welfare and education of children, including a $15.1 million investment to expand the Preschool Expansion Grants program that will mean 1,000 new preschool slots for 4-year-old children.

In addition, the budget includes $10 million to boost salaries and benefits for early educators, as well as investments for mental health services for children, wraparound services for families, and educational and housing supports.

The budget proposal also provides a minimum $30 per pupil increase in state aid to public school districts, and $293.7 million to fully fund the Special Education Circuit Breaker for the sixth year in a row, reimbursing school districts for the high cost of educating students with disabilities.

The budget will be debated in the Senate May 23.

“It’s a strong budget to take into conference committee,” Rosenberg said. “It should have a lot of areas the House and Senate will be likely to support, if we can find the money.”

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com

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