New Haven, Connecticut – Today, February 6, 2017, Governor Malloy issued a press release indicating his proposed changes to the state’s Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula. The ECS formula, which is supposed to be used to determine the distribution of state education dollars to local districts, has been revised numerous times and is currently not being followed at all. In a recent court decision that attracted national attention, CCJEF v. Rell, a judge determined that Connecticut’s current funding formula is unconstitutional because it allocates resources irrationally. Governor Malloy observed in his statement that the state must not wait for further court orders before working to correct this problem. In response to the Governor’s press release, Jeffrey Villar—Executive Director of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER)—made the following statement:
“CCER is optimistic about these proposed changes to ECS. We are part of a coalition of education stakeholders that has spent over two years analyzing ECS and contemplating solutions to make it more fair, equitable, and predictable. In line with that coalition’s design principles for improvement, CCER believes that a new ECS formula must address the following six principles: (1) equitably funding all schools, based on student need; (2) incentivizing innovation and efficiency in support of mastery-based learning; (3) coherence in terms of applicability to all school types; (4) transparency and predictability; (5) fairness in determination of the amount of aid for each community—based on a combination of factors, including multiple measures of property and income conditions, and concentration of low-income students; and (6) transparency of district expenditures, in furtherance of accountability.
“By using HUSKY A data to more accurately measure poverty, and by basing the formula on current enrollment—the Governor’s proposal sounds as though it would begin to address many of these principles.
“However, CCER would also advocate for the points outlined in the coalition’s design principles, such as the consideration of additional funding weights for communities that have high densities of poverty. In addition, the state needs to do more to ensure that all schools, including schools of choice, receive the same levels of funding so that they can meet their students’ needs.
“We look forward to further details of the Governor’s proposal, including the potential impact of de-coupling special education funding, in the coming weeks.”
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About the Connecticut Council for Education Reform
The Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER)–a statewide, non-partisan, 501(c)(3) not- for-profit organization–works to close the achievement gap and raise academic outcomes for all students in Connecticut. The achievement gap is the disparity in academic achievement between children from low-income families and children of color, and their peers. We advocate for state policies and local practices that research shows have the best chance of raising achievement for high-need student populations.
For more information on CCER, go to www.ctedreform.org
