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.
Education advocates and officials said the gap largely comes down to whether cities and towns can fund teaching and learning in their districts on their own, without needing to rely heavily on state and federal money to offset funding gaps.