For the second time in just over a week, the Connecticut General Assembly has approved greater funding for special education. Today, the legislature passed H.B. 7163, which will provide an additional $40 million in funding in the current fiscal year (FY 2025) for the special education Excess Cost grant.
The way Connecticut funds education is broken. For decades, where a student lives and where they go to school have determined the education funding they receive, and limited the opportunities they have for success in and out of the classroom. This approach has resulted in severe funding inequities, created one of the largest opportunity gaps in the country, and produced an unjust system where thousands of Connecticut students are deprived of the resources and services they need. Connecticut students deserve better.