While we appreciate Governor Lamont continuing to stick to the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula and provide some additional funds to severely underfunded school districts, the governor’s proposed budget does not adequately respond to the urgent needs of students, teachers, and communities across our state.
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.
Students are struggling to recover from the pandemic’s impacts on their learning and mental health. School districts are on the edge of a catastrophic fiscal cliff that may require them to lay off teachers, counselors, and paraprofessionals. Businesses are having difficulties finding skilled applicants to staff over 100,000 unfilled jobs.
These challenges are not going away and require real solutions, right now.
We look forward to continuing to work with the General Assembly to prioritize education and make these solutions a reality by passing H.B. 5003 – a bill with bipartisan support that would fully and equitably fund all students, invest in Connecticut’s future, and develop our state’s workforce to allow our businesses and economy to grow.