Boxed in by a budget that embraces the fiscal guardrails put in place before he was elected, Gov. Ned Lamont will tinker around the edges when it comes to adjusting the two-year budget.
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However, it’s unclear if the funding would come at the expense of K-12 schools.
The upcoming fiscal year’s additional education spending of $150 million includes $68 million designated for the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) program, which is the primary grant for local districts. The remaining $82 million will be allocated across various areas, primarily benefiting regional magnet schools and to a lesser extent, charter schools.
While Beckham emphasized that the ECS funds would remain untouched, he did not provide specific information about the areas that would see reductions.
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Lisa Hammersley, executive director of the School and State Finance Project, said it’s not a good proposal.
“By cutting the legislature’s historic, bipartisan investment in K-12 education made just eight months ago, the governor is proposing a budget built on broken promises while turning his back on the needs of students, families, and educators throughout the state,” Hammersley said.