Whether it’s the loss of a favorite teacher, cuts to services like tutoring or mental health support, or even the complete shutdown of their school, almost every public school student in Connecticut will feel some type of impact from the expiration of federal pandemic relief funding.
A bill that would have enhanced state funding for all types of public elementary and secondary schools bogged down this spring amid fears that it would force primary education and early childhood development programs to compete for the same dollars.
The Connecticut House of Representatives will consider legislation that would increase funding for public schools across the state. In 2017, Connecticut lawmakers created a school funding formula that would go into effect in the 2019 fiscal year with a 10-year phase-in. The formula would roll out funding for lower-income districts and decrease funding for wealthier districts. This means “full-funding” would be reached by 2030.
At a press conference on Tuesday, advocates and legislators gathered in support of a bill that will increase funding for public schools across the state — a decision that supporters say will help address the existing racial and socioeconomic divides in the education system.
If signed into law, the state’s Education Cost Sharing Grant, which supports all local and regional school districts, would be fully funded beginning in 2024-25. That means more than $275 million would be invested across 164 public school districts in the state.
CTNewsJunkie: Education Advocates: Accelerating ECS Funding Will Help Address Educational Inequities
Education advocates and state officials said they want the Connecticut legislature to address educational disparities experienced by the state’s less affluent school districts by supporting legislation that will accelerate increases in the state’s Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grants.
CTNewsJunkie: Education Advocates: Accelerating ECS Funding Will Help Address Educational Inequities
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