A new report identifies a $1.26 billion shortfall between state appropriations and actual municipal spending on existing programs that are mandated by the state.

Auditor Suzanne Bump’s report flags gaps in state aid for school transportation, education, veterans’ benefits, and other services within cities and towns. The school transportation gap was estimated at $448 million in the report, which pegged the education aid gap at $711 million and attributed $401 million of that gap to insufficient special education assistance.

In a statement, Bump said the new report provides legislators “with the information they need to address the burden of unfunded mandates.”

“The solution to the problem of unfunded mandates is to prioritize funding of them. It is a simple solution, but it may require some hard choices,” said Bump.

State legislators are great at saying they help us and they are our partners, so why not fund their mandates on us?