While Connecticut ranks among states with the highest levels of education spending, most of that does not derive from the state itself but from municipal budgets.
A bill that would increase funding for Connecticut public schools and reduce disparities between rich and poor districts has momentum in the state legislature, lawmakers say, though Gov. Ned Lamont remains noncommittal on the proposal.
A bipartisan coalition of educators, legislators and advocates are fighting for more money for school districts that are often overlooked and underfunded.
Public school superintendents are hailing a proposal to accelerate growth in state aid as a solution for the expiration of federal covid dollars used to increase staffing and pay for programs in many districts over the last three years.
Leaders of the Democratic legislative majorities, intent on seeking greater education aid for municipalities, are urging Gov. Ned Lamont to relax some of the fiscal restraints that contributed to the state’s huge surpluses and the governor’s overwhelming reelection in 2022.
The nation’s first report card since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed unprecedented declines in student performance in math and reading, with fourth and eighth grade students last year scoring at the lowest levels in two decades. While every state experienced declines in performance as a result of pandemic-induced learning loss, Connecticut’s results stand out.