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 brief details how an inflation-based adjustment to the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula's foundation amount could be implemented to mitigate the annual increasing costs of providing educational services. The potential adjustment would alleviate districts’ reliance on local sources to cover rising costs and would ensure all districts have the resources they need to properly operate their schools and provide their students with a high-quality education when economic changes occur.
This collection of policy briefs covers Connecticut's multilingual learner population, their education, current challenges, and opportunities to improve education programs and services for multilingual learner students and their families.
This frequently asked questions document provides information about Regional Educational Service Centers (RESCs). RESCs are voluntary regional partnerships made up of local and regional school districts that provide cost-effective education resources, programs, and services. There are six RESCs in Connecticut that offer fee-based services and programs to public and private school districts, municipalities, and nonprofits.
This frequently asked questions document summarizes key components of Connecticut's Excess Cost grant, which is provided by the State to school districts to assist them in paying for special education expenses for students with extraordinary needs.
The School and State Finance Project has compiled a comprehensive history of changes to the state's school finance system. The history spans from 1927 to present day and highlights significant policy changes, court cases, task forces, and events that have shaped the way Connecticut funds its public schools.