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.
Excess Cost grant reimbursement requests for FY 2024 have significantly exceeded the $181 million appropriated for the grant in the state budget. Without additional funding, districts and towns will not receive the reimbursement levels specified in statute for the Excess Cost grant, resulting in less funding for all districts educating high-needs students with disabilities.
One learning need currently not weighted for in the ECS formula is special education. This summary document provides an overview how adding a weight for students with disabilities to the ECS formula would benefit students, the cost of adding such a weight, and other states that currently weight for special education in their funding formulas.
This frequently asked questions document summarizes key components of Connecticut's Excess Cost grant, which is provided by the State to school districts to assist them in paying for special education expenses for students with extraordinary needs.
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 frequently asked questions document from the School and State Finance Project discusses special education services for Connecticut students attending public schools of choice, including how those services are delivered and paid for.