Kelly: Malloy Plan A 'Devastating Blow' To Monroe

HARTFORD, CT — Calling the governor's new municipal aid plan "illegal and devastating," Sen. Kevin Kelly sharply criticized the move that will strip his district of most of its education funds. Kelly said the plan holds 30 Alliance Districts harmless, but strives to completely decimate the rest of the state.

“This is a devastating blow to my district,” said Kelly (R-Stratford) in a statement. “The governor and his followers continue to make terrible decisions that burden middle-class families who work hard every day to put food on the table and pay their mortgages. These bad policy decisions continue to show a total lack of leadership –he’s hurting seniors, he’s hurting our children and he’s hurting the average taxpayer from all corners of the state.”

The governor's plan will eliminate the education cost-sharing grant to 85 municipalities, reduce it to 54 others that have a greater reliance on state funding and hold the state’s poorest communities at recent levels. Stratford would lose all of its $21.46 million under the plan, Monroe would lose $6,394,518 and Shelton would lose $5,893,771. Seymour, losing 80 percent of its ECS funding, would be out $8,032,790.

Instead of embracing a fair education funding formula, Governor Malloy’s executive order worsens the very same education funding system that was judged unconstitutional by the Connecticut Superior Court," said Kelly."The governor has decided to subjectively distribute funds to only a chosen few school districts –depriving the remaining children across our state from the education that they need and the education they deserve."

Image via Sen. Kevin Kelly's Twitter Account