This policy briefing details the current mismatch between student learning needs and per-student spending in Connecticut’s local and regional public school districts, and examines some of the factors that contribute to this mismatch.
The Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula is used by the State of Connecticut to distribute approximately $2.36 billion annually in state education funding. This infographic breaks down the ECS formula and provides an easy-to-understand look at how it is used to provide state funding to Connecticut's local and regional public school districts.
On June 6, 2023, the Connecticut General Assembly passed a new state budget for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 that increases funding for K-12 education to historic levels. This nonpartisan, independent analysis summarizes policy and funding changes related to K-12 education that are included in the budget.
The Excess Cost grant is the State of Connecticut’s method for sharing in the expense for students who have extraordinary special education needs and associated costs. During the 2023 legislative session, the General Assembly increased the appropriated amount of the Excess Cost grant and amended the grant’s formula for reimbursing school districts.
This report breaks down how districts propose to spend hundreds of millions of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund dollars, provided under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, by the 2024 deadline as they continue to respond to the ongoing pandemic and its impacts on the academic and social-emotional needs of students.
This policy briefing from the School and State Finance Project focuses on how state and local funds are allocated to charter schools in Connecticut and its comparison states of Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.