The mayors and school superintendents from Connecticut’s five biggest cities were in Hartford Monday to ask state legislators and the governor for more funding for education.
Education will be a top priority for lawmakers this session, and many agree changes are needed, especially when it comes to state support for special education.
“When we under invest in our students, they pay and we pay as a society both now and later,” Mayor Justin Elicker, (D-New Haven) said.
The mayors and the school superintendents from the five biggest cities in the state called for a boost in state education funding and more support for high-need students.
Things leaders say will help with core school functions.
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“I think that that often gets overlooked and, or whether there's an assumption that, there are things that we want to do. There are these shiny new objects and no these are basic needs that our students have,” Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, Hartford Public Schools superintendent, said.
The group suggests the state’s so-called fiscal guardrails should be loosened to come up with hundreds of millions of dollars.
The House Speaker doesn’t think that step is needed to improve special education resources. That issue will be a priority this legislative session.
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“At some point, there's a moral obligation for the state of Connecticut, I think, to help towns and also to support these families,” Rep. Matt Ritter, (D-Speaker of the House) said.
Calls for work on this topic go far beyond the big cities. They’re echoed by districts across the state and across the political aisle by Republicans.
“[Special education] is a huge, the biggest part of Board of Education budgets, which in turn is our budgets in our towns. So yeah, I'm really glad that we're looking at this and focusing on it and seeing how we can truly make a difference,” Rep. Lezlye Zupkus, (R-Prospect) said.
Democratic lawmakers say part of the solution will be finding what programs work best, as well as more money.
But they say it’s too early to say how much extra cash might be available.
