On May 7, 2024, the General Assembly passed H.B. 5523, a budget stabilization bill that appropriates funds for fiscal year 2025 and makes a number of different policy changes to K-12 education and other areas. Along with maintaining the $150 million in additional funding for K-12 education in FY 2025 that was allotted as part of the state budget passed last year, the bill overhauls how Connecticut distributes state education funding to school districts.
This document addresses how Connecticut currently aids in school construction, how school construction grant reimbursement can be improved, and how the State can better support schools in maintaining facilities through minor capital improvement grants.
The State of Connecticut has several budget controls, commonly referred to as “fiscal guardrails,” which it has committed to bondholders to maintain through at least fiscal year 2028. These budget controls include the bond cap, revenue cap, spending cap, and volatility cap.
To help increase student achievement in Connecticut’s lowest-performing districts and schools, the Connecticut General Assembly has appropriated funds to support Alliance District and Priority School District grants. This policy briefing outlines what Alliance Districts and Priority School Districts are, and details the process these districts must follow to receive their grant funding and how they are allowed to use the grants.
This frequently asked questions document discusses Connecticut’s minimum budget requirement (MBR), which prohibits a town from budgeting less for education than it did in the previous year unless it meets specific exceptions.
Connecticut’s multilingual learner student population is growing. Providing the resources and services these students need will ensure they can succeed in the classroom and beyond. This document examines what data is currently collected regarding multilingual learner education and how changes could be made to improve and expand the data Connecticut collects on multilingual learner programs and investments.