Proposed bill aims to close ‘significant racial funding gap’ in Conn. education spending
DANBURY — A proposed bill would invest $445 million more in K-12 education next fiscal year by restructuring the state’s education grant, with the most money going toward the neediest districts.
This would mean Danbury schools would get $15.5 million more from the state than proposed in the governor’s flat budget.
“It would be a real shot in the arm for us,” Danbury Mayor Joe Cavo said. “It would certainly help bring us more in line with where we should be if (the state grant) were funded properly.”
City officials have argued for years that the state underfunds the schools. Danbury spends the least per student in the state, with the school board asking for an $149 million budget, a $13.3 percent increase from the previous year.
“In a pandemic economy, it’s going to be impossible to meet that request,” Cavo said.
State. Sen Julie Kushner, D-Danbury, argued more funding for education is especially critical due the challenges local schools faced due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Now is the time to truly invest in education,” said Kushner, who sits on the education committee and supports most of the bill. “Our students need it now more than ever.”
The state legislature’s education committee is reviewing the bill, proposed by several representatives and backed by the Connecticut School Finance Project, a nonpartisan policy organization.
The plan would help address the “significant racial funding gap” in the state’s education budget, said Michael Morton, spokesman for CSFP.
“It, unfortunately, does not close the gap entirely because it is so large, but it does decrease that gap substantially,” he said.
This chasm between what majority white districts receive compared to others would decrease 68 percent from $639 million, he said.
More funding for diverse communities
Hartford would see the biggest bump, with $34.6 million more next fiscal year.
Bridgeport and East Hartford would each receive around $16.7 million more, New Haven would get almost $15 million more, while Stamford receive a $6.84 million bump and Norwalk would get another $4.4 million. Greenwich would get $616,000 more.
The bill would “fully
fund” districts, rather than follow the 10-year phase-in schedule that had been set when the formula for the Education Cost Sharing grant was revamped in 2017, Morton said.
Wealthier communities whose funding was being phased down would stick to the previous schedule, he said.
“No district would get a big jolt to the budget,” Morton said. “For towns like Danbury that are critically underfunded, it provides an immediate infusion of state aid.”
Wealthier towns like Ridgefield would get just over $6,000 more, while Wilton would get $1,771.
The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated these disparities and made it even more necessary for state aid to be increased, he said.
“This is funding that Connecticut students need and they can’t wait,” Morton said.
Districts receive state money based on the number of students they have and their needs, but schools get a certain percentage more for each student with greater needs.
Under the new plan, districts would get 25 percent more funding for each of their English learners, compared to 15 percent currently. For students living in poverty, this would jump from 5 percent to 15 percent.
“There is no question that additional ECS funding
and the new emphasis on English learners and concentration of poverty would do students in Danbury well and students across the board in all communities,” Kushner said.
In Danbury, 25 percent of students are English learners, while about 60 percent are classified as low-income.
The support for these districts with students who have higher needs is among the reasons school board member Kate Conetta backs the bill.
“Our students deserve to be supported based on what education experts determine they need to be successful,” she wrote in her testimony supporting the bill. “Our communities are looking to you to lead the change in law that we need in order for that to happen — one that focuses financial support at all schools, but especially those with greater need, as was intended by the original ECS plan.”
The bill would also count and fund students in charter, magnet, vocational and open choice schools within the formula.
“It creates one formula that is transparent and is funding all students based on their needs,” Morton said.
But charter schools make up only 8 percent of the funding outlined in the bill, he noted.
The proposal includes $331 million for local and regional school districts, $83 million for interdistrict magnet schools and $31 million for charter schools, he said. The funding for charter schools would not come out of money that
would otherwise go to local public schools.
Kushner wants more information on the charter school piece before backing the bill. The bill would not fund the proposed Danbury Prospect Charter School, which she has opposed.
“I really want to have a better understanding of the communities where (charter schools) do exist and make sure this is a good investment,” she said.
Danbury resident Rosanna Chapleau said the bill is an important step to provide equity for all students.
“Our students deserve to be funded based on what they need in order to be successful in and outside of the classroom,” she wrote to legislators. “Our students who attend magnet schools, charter
schools, and other public schools of choice deserve to be funded through a formula that takes their learning needs into account. Our English Learners, students who are economically disadvantaged, and students navigating through their education in communities that experience concentrated poverty, all deserve additional funding at a rate that makes a real, tangible difference.”
The state would need to explore new revenue sources to afford the proposal, Kushner said, which could mean raising taxes on the wealthy.”
“Obviously, it’s a big chunk of change,” Kushner said. “It really depends on how we view raising revenue in the state and if we look at new revenue sources.”