As districts work to meet increasing student needs and maintain high-quality educational programs, the purchasing power of state and local dollars has eroded under the cumulative effects of persistent inflation. To understand how rising costs are impacting students and teachers in the classroom, we conducted interviews with leaders across 18 school districts.
As districts work to meet increasing student needs and maintain high-quality educational programs, the purchasing power of state and local dollars has eroded under the cumulative effects of persistent inflation. To understand how rising costs are impacting students and teachers in the classroom, we conducted interviews with leaders across 18 school districts.
In 2024, the Connecticut General Assembly passed legislation that expanded the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula to include more students participating in various public school choice programs. However, because of how this change was implemented, state grant formulas for school choice programs depend on the ECS formula definitions in state statute but in inconsistent ways.
Designed to help town and school district leaders plan for the future and address budgetary questions, these interactive models provide district-level and town-level funding estimates for the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grant, board of education magnet school grant, RESC magnet school grant, and Agricultural Science and Technology Education (ASTE) program grant.
This interactive model breaks down each aspect of the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula and details how each town's grant is determined. Additionally, the model details each town's estimated projected ECS grants, according to the formula, from fiscal year 2026 to fiscal year 2034.
The Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula is the method the State of Connecticut has established to distribute over $2.46 billion annually in state education funding to local and regional public school districts. This one-pager details the current components of the ECS formula, which was last revised during the 2025 regular legislative session.