Education stakeholders — including lawmakers, superintendents and municipal leaders — gathered Thursday to call out Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration for a lack of financial investment in K-12 education and to urge state leadership to make it a priority in the upcoming 2024 legislative session.
State funding for the city’s public school system has increased for the current fiscal year and for the following year. However, those monies still fall short of what advocates say is considered full funding under the state-determined formula.
Thanks to widespread, bipartisan support, next year will see the second-largest investment in K-12 education in Connecticut’s history. Along with increases to numerous grants, an additional $150 million will be delivered to students across the state for the 2024-25 school year.
State legislators and Gov. Ned Lamont have agreed to boost funding for UConn, the state university system and K-12 schools by hundreds of millions of dollars over initial budget proposals.
The budget passed today is a historic leap forward for Connecticut’s public schools, its communities, its teachers, and, most importantly, its students. It provides the largest single investment in K-12 education in the past 10 years, and the second largest investment in our state’s history. It also brings Connecticut one step closer to enacting a student-centered funding system for all students.
The budget proposal released yesterday by Senate Republicans is disappointing. The proposal fails to prioritize K-12 education and falls far short of making the investments necessary to meet the urgent needs of students, families, educators, and communities.