New Haven Mayor, Schools Ask Gov., Lawmakers To Increase Ed Spending

From New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker:

HARTFORD, CT — Monday morning, the mayors, and school superintendents of Connecticut’s five largest cities, New Haven, Bridgeport, Hartford, Stamford, and Waterbury, held a news briefing "urging Gov. Ned Lamont and state lawmakers to increase state education funding for all students and to more adequately and equitably fund Connecticut’s high-need students during the 2025 legislative session."

The state’s per student foundation amount is currently $11,525 and has not increased in over a decade since 2013 despite average inflation of 2.77%. Meanwhile, municipalities across the state have increased their local contributions to their public schools. In addition, high-needs students – including low-income students, students with disabilities, and multilingual learners who are disproportionately served by Connecticut’s largest cities – do not receive adequate funding to support their unique learning needs. This underfunding has contributed to significant shortages in critical staffing areas and a lack of sufficient services for students.

Building on the recommendations of the 119K Commission’s Young People First report (pg. 43), Connecticut’s big city mayors and superintendents will urge state lawmakers to loosen the state’s fiscal roadblocks, to increase the state’s per student foundation amount for all students and index it to inflation, and to more equitably support Connecticut’s highest-need students.

Mayors and superintendents of Connecticut’s five largest cities urge Governor Lamont & state lawmakers to increase state education funding & to more equitably support high-needs students during the 2025 state legislative session.