Legislators maintain they had a solid agreement with Lamont’s administration last year as part of the two-year budget for an additional $150 million for K-12 public education, but that total has not been placed into the latest budget recommendations.
The nation’s first report card since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed unprecedented declines in student performance in math and reading, with fourth and eighth grade students last year scoring at the lowest levels in two decades. While every state experienced declines in performance as a result of pandemic-induced learning loss, Connecticut’s results stand out.
So often, when we discuss education funding, we stick to the dollar and cents. The total amount a school receives. The per-pupil spending. But it’s what those dollars do, the doors they open, and the experiences they provide that matter most.
The way Connecticut funds education is broken. For decades, where a student lives and where they go to school have determined the education funding they receive, and limited the opportunities they have for success in and out of the classroom. This approach has resulted in severe funding inequities, created one of the largest opportunity gaps in the country, and produced an unjust system where thousands of Connecticut students are deprived of the resources and services they need. Connecticut students deserve better.