Like most families, autumn brings both great excitement and some butterflies into my household. We are enthusiastic about the possibilities of a new school year, but also nervous about starting a new routine – never mind the daily struggle of getting everybody out of the house on time each morning.

Since we’re all in back-to-school mode, now is the perfect time to update everybody on how we’re thinking about education on Beacon Hill. We’re reaping the benefits of record-setting investments in some of our public schools here in Western Mass., with Springfield receiving $25 million in new money this upcoming fiscal year and Chicopee securing $5 million in new funds. Springfield is already putting these resources to good use: the city hired 34 new full-time music and visual arts teachers and added 300 full-day, pre-kindergarten seats. The city’s high school graduation rates are up 56 percent over the last five years as well.

One of the most important obligations of state government is educating our young people. Massachusetts may not have the best weather – OK, we definitely don’t have the best weather – but we do have incredible talent. In order to continue to grow as a Commonwealth, we need a top-notch education system that serves all our families.

Unfortunately, Massachusetts still has far too much disparity across school districts. This is partly due to a school funding formula that hasn’t been updated since 1993. As a result, our towns and cities are being stretched to cover the exploding costs of employee healthcare, special education, and closing gaps for high poverty students and students who are not fluent in English. Four years ago, state officials concluded a sweeping review of our school budget formula, and found the Commonwealth is underfunding our schools by more than $1 billion annually.

At a meeting I convened last spring in East Longmeadow with Sen. Jason Lewis, chair of the Senate’s Education Committee, superintendents and teacher representatives from the nine cities and towns in my Senate District all agreed the funding formula is antiquated. The state budget for the upcoming fiscal year does include a large down payment on the Foundation Budget Review Committee’s recommendations, but there is much more work to accomplish.

We all know students who are on waiting lists at Chicopee Comp, Putnam or LPVEC. Increased funding would mean more teachers and programs, helping close the 3,200-person statewide vocational education waiting list. Vocational programs train their students to perform high-wage jobs without saddling them with insurmountable student loan debt. It’s time to prioritize them.

On a similar note, we all know how important math, science and technology will be for our future. We need to make sure we have cutting-edge laboratory equipment, and capable teachers.

Of course, none of these programs are useful if they’re inaccessible. Enhanced regional transportation is a necessity, too.

Investing in our children saves money down the line. The expectations for high school students keep evolving, but the funding does not. Let’s give all our kids the support they deserve.

State Sen. Eric Lesser
Longmeadow