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Reports & Publications

We've published hundreds of reports and analyses covering a variety of issues in education funding and state finance policy, and we're always working on new research reports. Browse through all of our reports and publications using the keyword search below, or search by a specific category using the drop-down menu below the Featured post.

Budget Snapshot: K-12 Education Funding in Appropriations Committee's Budget, FYs 2026-27

Featured

On April 22, 2025, the Connecticut General Assembly's Appropriations Committee introduced and passed its recommended state budget for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. This nonpartisan analysis details these changes to state education funding in the Appropriations Committee's budget, and provides a brief overview of the general fiscal outlook of the state budget and economy.

Education Funding Snapshot - Appropriations Committee Budget for FYs 2026 and 2027 Interactive Community Impact Tool - Appropriations Committee Budget for FYs 2026 and 2027
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Education Funding State Budget

FAQs: Municipal Revenue Sharing Grants and the Municipal Spending Cap

Connecticut cities and towns receiving Municipal Revenue Sharing grants are currently subject to a municipal spending cap, which limits how much they can increase their expenditures year-over-year. If a municipality exceeds the spending cap, it is subject to a reduction in its Municipal Revenue Sharing grant. This FAQ document discusses the municipal spending cap and its impact on Municipal Revenue Sharing grants.

Municipal Spending Cap FAQs
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Municipal Aid & Spending

Overview: Needs-Capacity Formula

This document details how Connecticut could use a needs-capacity formula to distribute non-education municipal aid to the state's cities and towns and help address municipal fiscal disparities. Under a needs-capacity formula, municipalities with the greatest level of fiscal disparity would receive a greater level of state funding, while municipalities with the capacity to pay for services through their own revenue raising capacities receive less or no state funding.

Needs Capacity Formula One Pager
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Municipal Aid & Spending

Distributing Non-Education State Aid to Municipalities through a Needs-Capacity Formula

The State of Connecticut contains 169 towns with a wide range of wealth and resident needs. Currently, the State of Connecticut provides financial aid to towns through a variety of statutory and non-statutory grant programs. The current structure for non-education town aid does not sufficiently address the underlying municipal fiscal disparities that are caused by the unequal costs of delivering services and the low revenue raising capacity of towns in Connecticut. The purpose of this policy briefing is to introduce and examine how Connecticut can address municipal fiscal disparities by using a needs-capacity formula to distribute non-education town aid.

Needs Capacity Formula for State Aid
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Municipal Aid & Spending

State Fiscal Oversight of Connecticut Municipalities

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.

Fiscal Oversight of Municipalities
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Municipal Aid & Spending Fiscal Transparency