The Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grant is Connecticut’s primary form of state funding for K-12 education. The grant provides approximately $2.2 billion annually to local and regional public schools and is based on the ECS formula, which has several different components. One of these components is need-based weights.
Weights are used in education funding formulas to drive more funds to students who research has found typically require additional resources and educational supports to achieve at the same levels as their non-need peers. The ECS formula currently includes weights for students who are considered low-income, students who are multilingual learners, and students who attend school in districts with high concentrations of power.
However, one learning need that is not weighted for in the ECS formula is special education. Adding a weight to the ECS formula for students with disabilities (SWD) would provide a means for the State to better support students who receive special education services and the costs associated with their education.
This summary document provides an overview how adding a SWD weight to the ECS formula would benefit students, the cost of adding such a weight, and other states that currently weight for SWD in their education funding formulas.
Citation
School and State Finance Project. (2024). Students with Disabilities Weight for ECS Formula. Hamden, CT: Author. Retrieved from https://schoolstatefinance.org/resource-assets/ECS-Weight-for-Students-with-Disabilities.pdf.