The mayors and superintendents of 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 five largest cities gathered at the state Capitol in Hartford on Monday morning to call for a significant increase in state funding for their school districts.
Endorsing the recommendations of by the 119K Commission, part of the 黑料吃瓜网 Conference of Municipalities, the officials from Bridgeport, Stamford, Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury called for a statewide increase of $545 million in education cost sharing (ECS) funding.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said the state鈥檚 funding formula provides a per-student foundation amount of $11,525, a sum that hasn鈥檛 been raised or adjusted for inflation since 2013. He said that leaves municipalities in the position of needing to raise taxes to pay for education necessities, with urban districts having a disproportionate number of the state鈥檚 鈥渉igh-needs鈥� students 鈥� students who are English learners, students with disabilities, students receiving free or reduced-priced lunch, or a combination of the three.
鈥淚n the last five years in New Haven, we have increased the municipal share of our education funding by 50%,鈥� Elicker said. 鈥淭hat is a remarkable increase, 50% over the last five years, that we have done to ensure that our students have the support they need, and we need to see that kind of support from the state.鈥�
鈥淲e need to loosen the fiscal guardrails to get to that point,鈥� Elicker said.
The state鈥檚 so-called "," championed by Gov. Ned Lamont and some leaders in the General Assembly, place constraints on state spending. Some policy advocates in various subject matters have proposed bypassing those constraints to fund things like higher education, social services and health care programs.
City schools need help meeting 鈥榖asic needs鈥�
鈥淭he guardrails are important, but there鈥檚 a time when the state can afford it and the need is great,鈥� said Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim.
Acting Bridgeport Superintendent Royce Avery echoed the calls for a loosening of the guardrails, noting that 83% of the student body of the five cities鈥� districts are 鈥渉igh-needs鈥� students.
鈥淚 think every kid in the state of 黑料吃瓜网 needs opportunity, and this is the time that we鈥檙e able to provide that opportunity, when the state is able to do that,鈥� Avery said.
Hartford Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez said districts like hers aren鈥檛 looking to fund 鈥渟hiny objects.鈥�
鈥淚 want the basics,鈥� Torres-Rodriguez said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about basic needs.鈥�
Torres-Rodriguez said Hartford Public Schools has 188 teacher vacancies, 鈥渁bout half of those focused on special education.鈥�
Elicker and other officials at the press conference said current funding levels have made for a significant lack of resources in terms of staffing.
鈥淚n New Haven, we have one school counselor for every 412 students. We have one social worker for 358 students, one psychologist for 595 students,鈥� Elicker said. 鈥淭hose numbers are astounding.鈥�
Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski said his district has 42 special education teacher vacancies, 鈥渕ore than 20% of the required workforce.鈥�
鈥淎dditionally, we face 29 [paraeducator] vacancies, further straining our capacity,鈥� Pernerewski said. 鈥淭he state is in a position to offer help. We need them to step up and do that. It isn鈥檛 a frivolous request.鈥�
Elicker said the loosening of the guardrails is the 鈥渇inancially correct choice for our state.鈥�
鈥淚f we don鈥檛 invest in our young people today, it will become not only a liability from a values perspective, but a financial liability for the state,鈥� Elicker said. 鈥淭hat ranges from everything from our disconnected youth not being prominent taxpayers in the future鈥� all the way to the fact that we may have to pay for incarceration for some of our youth.鈥�
State leaders consider 鈥榤inor modifications鈥�
At a separate Capitol press conference Monday, House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) said some education funding challenges could be addressed without adjustment to the fiscal guardrails, though adjustments are also on the table.
鈥淎re we looking at ways to make minor modifications? I think [Senate President Martin Looney] and I have been pretty honest that we are,鈥� Ritter said.
Asked whether the $545 million figure seemed meetable, Ritter said he would have to review the proposal.
鈥淭hey tend to ask on the high end and we work through it, but I haven鈥檛 seen their proposal so it鈥檚 hard to comment on it,鈥� Ritter said.
The Senate Republican Caucus issued a statement, saying the guardrails should stay in place.
"We must not tweak or adjust our smart bipartisan fiscal guardrails which have served 黑料吃瓜网 taxpayers so well," the statement read. "Today鈥檚 alterations to the guardrails will lead to tomorrow鈥檚 tax increases on working and middle class families. We can鈥檛 afford tax hikes in this state."
Asked about the appeal to loosen the guardrails from the mayors and superintendents, a spokesperson for the governor directed 黑料吃瓜网 to an answer Lamont gave at an unrelated press event on Monday afternoon.
鈥淎s you know, municipal aid in general has gone up way above inflation over the last six years, but I鈥檓 going to sit down and talk to the mayors,鈥� Lamont said. 鈥淢aybe they have some ideas, in addition to just more funding, how we can get a better handle on this and take care of the kids.鈥�
Speaking Monday morning, Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said the key to solving the issue was, in fact, additional funding.
鈥淲hat we lack is not structure or personnel,鈥� Arulampalam said. 鈥淲hat we lack are the resources.鈥�
