In its 59 years of existence, METCO is proud to remain a national and historic model for voluntary school integration. METCO opens doors of opportunities for urban students while also embarking on a systemic journey of racial equity and integration (REI) for all students and families in our METCO communities.

METCO is the only program in the state fulfilling the requirements of the 1965 Racial Imbalance Act to desegregate schools. A recent report by the Racial Imbalance Advisory Council showed “unambiguous” benefits in both educational outcomes and diversifying school districts. Two of the key recommendations of this report urged for increased and consistent state investments into METCO.

For the first time in five years, METCO was level funded in FY24. In FY25, our $500,000 increase was a minimal boost to our annual funding compared to two years of inflationary pressures. We ask that METCO be given equal investments to other education programs by leveraging the booming Fair Share surtax funds.

This year METCO is asking for $33M to support the rising costs of educational programs, like cost of living, transportation, programming and continuation of racial equity work. See our one-page funding request here.