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Statement from the Connecticut School Finance Project on Governor Dannel Malloy’s State of the State Address

School + State Finance Project

January 04, 2017 - 2 minutes

New Haven, Conn. – The Connecticut School Finance Project has released the following statement from director and founder Katie Roy regarding Governor Dannel Malloy’s call in today’s State of the State Address for a new school finance system that is “more fair, transparent, accountable, and adaptable.”

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As the 2017 legislative session begins and legislators seek to strengthen Connecticut, its communities, and its citizens, they should heed the charge in today’s State of the State Address from Governor Dannel Malloy and pass legislation for an equitable school finance system that takes into account the needs of students and the schools that serve them.

How Connecticut funds its public schools impacts each and every person in our state, yet the state’s current school finance system fails to take student-learning needs into account and does not appropriately consider the wealth and needs of communities. Instead, Connecticut’s current school finance system is a convoluted web in serious need of repair if our state is going to serve its students, schools, and communities well.

As Gov. Malloy noted today, Connecticut needs a school finance system that “guarantees equal access to a quality education regardless of zip code.” A school finance system that “appropriately measures a given community’s burden,” “recognizes specific challenges faced by local property taxpayers,” and “takes into account the impact those challenges have on the education provided to our children.”

With tough fiscal challenges and significant inequity across the state, Connecticut cannot continue to use an arbitrary school finance system based on little more than historical precedent, where a student attends school, and politics. Connecticut needs an adaptable, transparent, and fair school finance system that can respond to student needs and changing communities.

It is time for the Connecticut General Assembly to act and finally implement a school finance system that makes sense and provides every student, every school, and every community with resources and opportunities for success.

We look forward to continuing our work with policymakers and stakeholders across the state during the legislative session to achieve an equitable and transparent school finance system that meets the needs of Connecticut’s students, schools, and communities.

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