Urban school leaders say proposed adjustments to state education funding in Connecticut would leave high-needs districts struggling to maintain programs, as rising costs outpace modest increases in aid.
“The main way in which schools are funded, via state money, is Educational Cost Sharing,” New Britain Schools Superintendent Dr. Tony Gasper told Connecticut Public. “That model has not been updated for inflation since 2013.”
Funding formula under pressure
Gasper said the state’s primary school aid formula no longer reflects current costs, shifting a growing share of expenses onto local governments.
“What that means is more and more of a percentage of the cost of running schools has fallen upon the local municipalities,” he said. “Does a loaf of bread or a dozen eggs cost today what it did in 2013?”
He pointed to special education as a major driver of expenses. In New Britain, about 24% of students receive special education services, accounting for roughly 45% of the district’s budget.
“That’s done nothing but increase, both in the number of students who need those services and the cost of those individual services,” he said.
Programs at risk without larger increase
District leaders say funding shortfalls could force cuts that go beyond routine belt-tightening. Gasper said maintaining current staffing and programs would require an $18.9 million increase in funding for his district alone.
“If the worst were to come true and we got none of that increase, my district — and many other districts like us — we would be forced to cut back to just those programs that are required by law,” he said.
Gasper said elective courses, college credit offerings and extracurricular programs would be difficult to sustain without additional funding.
“When it comes to those really big dollar numbers, I think it would be unreasonable to ask philanthropy to help,” he said.
Efficiency debate continues
Some lawmakers have urged districts to pursue greater efficiencies before seeking more state aid. Gasper said his district already operates with lean administrative staffing.
“Only 2.7% of my staff are school administrators or district administrators,” he said. “All 11 times, somebody says, ‘I heard you’re top heavy!’ It’s just simply not true.”
Call for faster action
While Gasper said he welcomed Gov. Ned Lamont’s plans to review the funding formula, he warned that districts cannot wait for long-term studies while costs continue to climb.
“It’s been incredibly frustrating to hear this discussion about surplus funds going to these other causes while we have a statutory funding formula that hasn’t been adjusted for inflation in more than 12 years,” he said.
State leaders face difficult budget decisions, Gasper acknowledged. But he said the needs of students require urgent attention.
“These are political decisions, very hard political decisions,” he said. “I do understand how difficult these decisions are, but we’ve reached a point where we really need to consider that these are needs.”
