New Haven Independent: Ed Advocates To State: Let $ Flow Faster

New Haveners joined teachers, students, and public education allies from across Connecticut for a marathon legislative hearing at which they called for more state funding for school districts that serve the most vulnerable students.

The state legislature’s Appropriations and Education Committees heard hours of testimony on Friday regarding Proposed House Bill 5003, a bill that would accelerate a phased overhaul of school funding so that high-poverty and English language learning districts receive more state funding per student.

The hearing took place in a hybrid format, both online via video and in-person at the state Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

If passed and signed into law, HB 5003 would speed up the implementation of recently enacted updates to the state’s Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula, an overhaul of the state’s school funding system passed by the state legislature in 2017. Lawmakers originally planned to phase in the new ECS formula over the course of 10 years, through Fiscal Year 2028. HB 5003 would accelerate that timeline so that underfunded districts would receive full ECS funding under the new formula by Fiscal Year 2025.

Read the full article at https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/educators_students_call_for_expedited_funding