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.
As hundreds of individuals from every corner of Connecticut shared last week during a public hearing to fully and equitably fund public education, our students, families, educators, and schools are facing real challenges each and every day that require resources now.
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.
Friday, a large coalition of lawmakers, advocates and parents gathered at the Legislative Office Building to call on the state legislature to fund schools immediately. They pushed a new bill to increase funding for the state’s public schools.
Students and school leaders urged lawmakers Friday to spend an extra quarter billion dollars on schools. Currently, that increase is scheduled to happen gradually over the next five years.
Towns and cities that past education funding formulas shortchanged are backing legislation to speed up the changeover to a new funding method that is expected to direct nearly $300 million more to them.