Rep. Rochelle
State Representative Kara Rochelle (D — Ansonia, Derby) is calling upon members of the Connecticut General Assembly’s Education Committee to support a legislative proposal<https://cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/CommDocTmyBillAllComm.asp?bill=HB-05283&doc_year=2022> that would reform the state’s education funding system. Rep. Rochelle testified in support of the bill during the committee’s public hearing on Friday, March 4.
“Our kids deserve to have an education that’s rich with opportunity and meets their needs as students. However, for far too long, some schools have received more than their fair share of education funding and others have received less than they need,” said Rep. Rochelle, who was an early co-sponsor of the legislation.
“Students in the 104th and in similar school districts across the state have dreams and aspirations, and we owe it to every child to provide them with a fully-funded and equitable education so that they have every opportunity to reach their full potential. This is deeply important me — our kids are what public service is about.”
The bill proposal would invest millions into Connecticut’s public schools to provide students with vitally-needed resources and programs. The proposal takes a comprehensive approach to funding the state’s K‑12 education system that reduces the reliance on property taxes. The proposal would implement a student-centered education funding system in the 2024 – 25 academic year to:
* Fully fund the Education Cost Sharing grant beginning in the 2025 fiscal year
* Fully fund public schools of choice
* Enable districts to make meaningful investments in resources including teachers, counselors, school psychiatrists, and student support services.
Implementation of the bill’s updated ECS formula would coincide with the expiration of federal COVID-19 education relief aid. The state has received over $1.5 billion in federal education aid, which has temporarily reduced the education funding gap and enabled schools to make investments to bolster programming and services during the pandemic. The proposed additional state aid would stem a fiscal cliff in 2025 and enable school districts to invest in long-term, recurring expenses to better meet students’ programming needs.
Rep. Rochelle is one of only 16 state legislators leading the charge on this bill out of 187 legislators in the state House of Representatives and Senate.
“During my three years serving the people of the 104th House District, I have worked aggressively to secure additional education dollars for Ansonia and Derby students. In total, I have secured nearly $6 million in additional state funds,” said Rep. Rochelle. “I am going to continue to work hard for this initiative and am urging my legislative colleagues to support this bill. I would like to express my gratitude to the School Finance Project, Connecticut Education Association, and American Federation of Teachers for their professional support and strong partnership to bring increased education funding to our students. Thank you to Ansonia Public Schools Superintendent Joseph DiBacco and Derby Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Conway for informing me of their support of my efforts to increase ECS funding, and Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti for his interest in the bill I’ve cosponsored and my work to champion this effort.“
During the 2021 legislative session, Rep. Rochelle co-sponsored SB 948<https://cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2021&bill_num=948> to alter the state’s education financing system to address equity. Although the bill was not fully enacted into law, portions of it were adopted in the state budget bill, reforming the ECS formula to make it more advantageous for Ansonia and Derby.
