Politicians: Branford Schools Fare Well Under State Budget

BRANFORD, CT - Branford schools - and taxpayers - fared better under the new state budget than many first feared.

the Democratic Branford legislative delegation of state Senator Christine Cohen (D-Guilford) and state Representatives Robin Comey (D-Branford) and Sean Scanlon (D-Guilford) praised new education funding for Branford and a productive legislative session.

In the new state budget passed last week, Branford’s school district will receive $2,483,807 for the 2020 fiscal year and $2,679,195 for the 2021 fiscal year, a funding increase of $390,775 from 2019-2021.

“For years Branford has not received its fair share of funding from Hartford, and recent budget proposals actually eliminated our funding entirely. We are proud to have worked together this session to pass a budget that not only stopped any cuts, but actually increased our overall funding,” delegation members said.

The new state budget also does not include shifting a portion of the teacher pension cost onto the town.

“I’m pleased to see these two outcomes included in the state budget,” said Sen. Cohen. “Fully funding the bipartisan ECS formula for the recommended 10 years will ensure that our students have the necessary resources to thrive inside and outside of the classroom. This will not only benefit Branford schools, but will have a positive effect on people’s wallets. Additionally, preventing the shift of teacher pension costs onto municipalities and local taxpayers, while ensuring that they are still funded by the state, will provide peace of mind to those retired teachers who rely on their earned pensions.”

“Whether it was stopping massive cuts to our funding in 2017 or helping to secure $30 million dollars for the new Walsh Intermediate School, I’ve always tried to do all I can to make sure our schools have the resources they need to give our students the best education possible,” said Rep. Scanlon. “This year’s funding increase is another step in the right direction for our community and I’m proud to have worked to make it happen alongside Senator Cohen and Representative Comey.”

“Education is the foundation of strong and stable communities,” said Rep. Comey. “I’m encouraged to see the budget we just passed prioritized our children by upholding the ECS funding formula, investing in early education, and stabilizing the teacher’s retirement fund. These are the investments we must support if we want all our students to succeed.”