Massachusetts debates 25-year-old education funding formula

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts lawmakers are in the middle of a debate about how best to increase spending on local school districts.

At the heart of the discussion is the state's 25-year-old education funding formula — known as the "foundation budget" — which was a key element of the landmark 1993 Massachusetts education reform law.

The formula was meant to help determine how much schools should spend educating students, and how much the state should kick in. The goal was to help smooth out some of the educational disparities between wealthier communities and poorer ones.

For years, critics have argued the formula has become increasingly outdated and hasn't fully lived up to its promise of closing the student achievement gap.