Governor Ned Lamont’s Blue Ribbon Commission on K‑12 Education Funding and Affordability convened Thursday to examine how Connecticut’s school financing can be improved. The commission, tasked with delivering a reform report by the end of the calendar year, invited input from experts and local leaders as the General Assembly prepares to act in January.
Expert testimony highlights funding gaps
Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University, presented four key challenges: uneven access to funds, poor financial management, rising costs, and a weak return on investment for educational spending. She noted that Connecticut’s funding formula has not been adjusted for inflation since 2013, leaving districts with hundreds of millions of dollars in unrealized revenue.
Roza illustrated the disparity between wealthy and poorer districts, showing that affluent towns receive roughly $4,000 more per pupil from state tax dollars than poorer districts. By contrast, California’s formula directs more state dollars to lower‑income districts, resulting in a reverse pattern.
Local officials push back on the analysis
Commission member Lisa Hammersley, chief executive of the School and State Finance Project, argued that spending differences alone do not explain outcomes. She cited variations in student demographics, such as higher numbers of multilingual learners, that affect achievement despite similar per‑pupil spending.
Roza acknowledged the need to compare like‑for‑like districts but maintained that demographic factors are not the primary driver of financial distress in most cases.
Enrollment decline cited as a funding pressure
Roza identified declining birth rates as a “villain,” noting that school funding is largely enrollment‑based. Fewer children mean less state aid, and some districts may need to downsize, potentially leading to financial trouble if they do not adjust promptly.
Windsor Board of Education Vice President Leonard Lockhart warned that additional state requirements could further strain districts already coping with reduced federal ESSER aid, which had temporarily bolstered finances during the pandemic.
Mayor and legislators weigh in
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker argued that many financially distressed districts, including his own, suffer from uneven state funding rather than mismanagement. He cautioned against solutions that place the burden on local districts to raise more money.
State Senator Jeff Gordon, R‑Woodstock, questioned whether voters will support higher local taxes, noting recent defeats of school‑budget referendums in his region.
Proposed “tap and tame” approach
Roza suggested a “tap and tame” model: the state would set a per‑pupil spending target, allow wealthier communities to raise a portion locally, and cover the remainder to reduce inequities. For example, if the target is $20,000 per pupil and a town can raise $15,000, the state would provide the remaining $5,000.
The commission will continue to gather input from districts, parents, and policymakers before finalizing its recommendations, which could shape Connecticut’s public‑school system for decades.
Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.
