A screen shot of state Rep. Kara Rochelle testifying at Wednesday’s public hearing on several education bills pending in Hartford.
Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti, Derby Schools Superintendent Matthew Conway, Ansonia Schools Superintendent Joseph DiBacco and state Rep. Kara Rochelle all testified Wednesday in support of a bill that would change the formula the state uses to fund schools.
Officials want the formula tweaked to get more money to schools in Ansonia and Derby.
Raised bill no. 948, “an act addressing education funding and racial equity in Connecticut,” is currently under review in the state House of Representatives. It would make revisions to how public education is funded in Connecticut.
The Valley leaders made their remarks during a public hearing in front of the legislature’s education committee Wednesday.
Ansonia Mayor Cassetti testified at the virtual hearing sitting next to schools Superintendent Joseph DiBacco, a symbolic gesture to show Ansonia officials are united in their support of the effort to change the school funding formula.
They pointed out that the state’s complicated Education Cost Sharing system has underfunded Ansonia and Derby schools for years. There is a plan in place on the state level that sees ECS money gradually increase every year (though the proposed budget from the governor looks to put that money on hold temporarily for two years and use federal funds instead).
“Ansonia is not scheduled to receive a full share of ECS funding until fiscal year 2028. As an alliance district as well as a priority school district, this is far too long to wait for fair education funding for our students and teachers,” Cassetti said.
The act addressing education funding and racial equity in Connecticut “would provide our community with an estimated $21.8 million in ECS funding in fiscal year 2022, roughly $3.6 more than current spending levels,” Cassetti said.
The mayor, backed by a letter sent by the Ansonia superintendent, specifically requested the state increase and adjust the “poverty weight” threshold in the state’s funding formula.
City of Ansonia Facebook
Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti and schools Superintendent Joseph DiBacco at Wednesday’s virtual public hearing, which lasted more than 11 hours.
State Rep. Kara Rochelle spoke against Gov. Lamont’s plan to pause ECS funding increases. In his recently unveiled budget, Lamont said he planned to temporarily replace ECS increases with federal COVID-19 relief dollars, which has been met with opposition (click here for a story from The CT Mirror).
“I represent Ansonia and Derby — the first and fifth most economically-distressed municipalities in the state, respectively. These districts should be fully funded — as should every underfunded district,” Rochelle said. “We need to see a substantial and meaningful increase in their share of ECS funding in the biennium budget, not the proposed delay in increases.”
Rochelle said ECS increases should be fully funded as soon as possible, and she advocated for changing the overall education funding formula as well.
“It is no coincidence that our state’s best funded schools are also the highest performing schools, and that our state’s most underfunded schools consistently underperform and are the lowest ranked,” Rochelle said, according to written testimony. “There is strong evidence that the amount of money invested per pupil significantly impacts education outcomes and can widen or narrow disparities.”
Derby Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Conway spoke against Gov. Lamont’s plan to freeze ECS funding for two years. Conway said federal COVID-19 money is meant to bolster state funds, not replace state funds.
“The current proposal from the governor lacks the equity we’ve heard talked about all day,” Conway said during Wednesday’s 11-hour hearing.
Conway advocated for ‘The Blueprint to Transform Connecticut’s Public Schools,’ a set of 30 recommendations from the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents to make funding more fair in Connecticut and to improve the state’s public school system. Click here for more on the plan.
State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, who represents part of Derby in the state legislature, said all towns need more money.
“We need to maximize ECS funding equity for all towns. I’m looking to see what happens with these two bills once they come out of committee,” she said in an email.
State Rep. Mary Welander, who represents part of Derby in the state House of Representatives, sits on the education committee that hosted Wednesday’s marathon public hearing on several education-related bills.
She said she is not in favor of freezing ECS funding for two years, as proposed in the governor’s budget. She also said she wished the governor’s proposed budget provided more money for special education services, a major cost for school districts.
Regarding raised bill no. 948, Welander said she wants to see schools receive equitable funding and that the bill is a step in the right direction.
However, Welander said she has some concerns about the bill, especially whether funding charter schools could drain money from public schools.
The former school board member who was elected in November also questioned the timing of both raised bill no. 948 and the governor’s desire to freeze ECS funding. She noted that schools have been through a lot since COVID-19 reached Connecticut a year ago, and school districts across the state are putting together budgets. Implementing such large-scale quickly “could be an added burden to local school districts,” she said.
“I am looking into all of the information shared to make the best possible decision for our schools and our students and welcome any feedback,” she said in an email.
The education committee has until April 5 to decide whether to move the legislation along.
