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.
School accountability is the process of evaluating school performance on the basis of student performance measures. These measures determine the ability of a state, district, and school to successfully prepare students for college, work, and life. This policy briefing examines the systems of school and district accountability that currently exist in public education in Connecticut. This policy briefing also explains what school accountability is, gives a brief summary of the history of school accountability, provides an overview of Connecticut’s current systems of school accountability, and details school accountability grants currently available.
Starting in late 2019, and in accordance with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) has published annual Public School Expenditure Reports for each local public school district, charter school district, and Regional Educational Service Center (RESC). This frequently asked questions document looks at the per-pupil expenditure information contained in these reports and how it differs from what was available previously.
The State of Connecticut recently increased the level of oversight and monitoring of the finances of its 169 municipalities with the creation of the tiering system in 2017. The tiering system categorizes fiscally distressed municipalities based on their fiscal health and stability. The level of oversight and involvement by a designated statutorily created board increases as the fiscal health of a given municipality is deemed less secure. This policy briefing details this oversight, discusses the boards that oversee and work with municipalities, and examines the authority granted to these boards to improve the fiscal health of municipal finances.
Connecticut’s quasi-public agencies are independent government corporations that, while maintaining some government oversight and accountability, are not under the direct control of the government and its many controls and requirements. This policy briefing looks at each of Connecticut’s 17 quasi-public agencies and details their backgrounds, governance structures, revenues and expenditures, and additional requirements. Additionally, this policy briefing makes note of actions other states have taken in regard to quasi-public agencies, and presents several recommendations for strengthening the transparency and operations of Connecticut’s quasi-publics.
This frequently asked questions document concerns the fiscal transparency requirements and regulations of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA is the reauthorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which oversees the distribution of the bulk of federal education funding provided to increase educational opportunities for low-income students and to improve elementary and secondary schools and districts.