State Aid — Education
Money the state sends Fitchburg specifically to help pay for the public schools. Almost all of it is a program called "Chapter 70," plus some smaller payments tied to kids who go to school somewhere other than a regular Fitchburg public school.
This rose to $87,574,035 this year, about 11% more than the $79,092,711 it was in FY2025. Put another way: back in FY2019 this made up about 42.6% of total operating revenue - today it's 48.2%, a bigger slice than before.
Computed from this category's own year-by-year revenue recap figures, charted above - see Methodology.
Line Items, FY2026
| Line item | FY2026 |
|---|---|
| Education - Chapter 70 | $86,211,388 |
| Education - Charter Tuition Reimbursements | $1,362,647 |
| Education - School Choice Receiving Tuition | $600,130 |
| Less: Offset | $-600,130 |
| State Aid — Education, Total | $87,574,035 |
Where It Comes From
The state's yearly budget. The state looks at what it should cost to give Fitchburg's kids a decent education, compares that to what the city can afford to raise on its own through property tax, and sends enough aid to help cover the difference. That's why school aid is such a big chunk of what the city takes in - Fitchburg can't cover the full cost of its schools through property tax alone.
Who Controls It
State lawmakers decide how much money goes into this program every year when they pass the state budget. The state's education department then works out exactly how much Fitchburg gets, using a formula that's the same for every city and town. The smaller payments - for kids who go to charter schools or choose a different district - work the same way but come with their own, separate state programs, and they don't always fully make up for what the district loses when a student leaves.
Rates & Fees
This isn't something the city sets - it comes from a state formula that's recalculated every year. The state publishes the formula and every district's aid amount at the state's Chapter 70 page if you want to see exactly how Fitchburg's number was reached.
Governing law: M.G.L. c. 70 (State Aid for Public Schools)
Background: MA Dept. of Elementary & Secondary Education