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 policy briefing discusses the authority of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Connecticut State Department of Education to intervene in low-performing public schools and districts in their respective states.
This frequently asked questions document discusses fiscally independent school districts and the structural differences between school districts that are fiscally independent and those, like the vast majority of Connecticut's school districts, that are fiscally dependent.
Two pieces of legislation, Conn. Acts 12-116, passed by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2012, and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), passed by the U.S. Congress in 2015, require Connecticut to take steps toward greater transparency in education spending. The following policy briefing provides an update on the implementation status of these pieces of legislation, and examines how they impact transparency in school finance.