This spring, New Haven Public Schools announced cutting 129 teaching positions due to a $23 million budget shortfall. It’s a devastating blow to children and families in a district that already grapples with overcrowded classrooms and outdated facilities.
Sadly, what’s happening in New Haven is not an isolated crisis. Districts around the state, especially those in our highest-need communities, face the same tough choice year after year: do what’s best for students or keep a balanced budget.
These constant funding crises raise a larger question: why can’t Connecticut, a state with innovative leaders and huge resources, figure out school funding? Advocates often point to a common theme: reactivity over long-term strategy.
Take this year’s legislative session, for example. Lawmakers took a positive step by fully funding the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula, our state’s primary funding tool, for the first time since its introduction nearly ten years ago. But even this celebrated move won’t be enough to turn the tide for districts like New Haven, which still face rising inflation and persistent budget gaps that make it impossible to direct resources where they’re needed most.
Nowhere is this financial disconnect more glaring than in special education. Special education costs are rising nearly 10% per student every year—far faster than the state’s reactive funding can keep up. For example, the state approved an extra $40 million in support from the state’s Excess Cost Grant (ECG) to offset special education expenses, but it’s not enough. Districts like Hartford, Bridgeport, and New Haven will still come up millions short, denying children the services the law guarantees them.
And it’s not just special education. Chronic underfunding has real, harmful consequences for all students. Research shows that high teacher turnover, worsened by budget instability, undermines student learning, breaks down trust, and makes it harder to build consistent, supportive school environments—especially in classrooms facing hardship in our highest-needs districts. These aren’t temporary problems. They are ones that have lasting consequences for student achievement, teacher retention, and a devolution of trust between families and schools.
The conversation would be different if Connecticut didn’t have the money, but that’s not the case. If we deliver our money strategically, we have the resources to address these financial issues. Delegating funds to the students and districts who need them most, like our special education students in our highest-needs districts, can promote equity and give kids the resources they need to thrive academically.
But time and again, Connecticut continues to avoid long-term, high-impact investments, leaving us with a piecemeal approach that forces expensive short-term fixes instead of long-term planning. The $40 million the legislature recently added to ECG is just the tip of the iceberg; in this legislative session, legislators also moved the Special Education and Expansion Development (SEED) grant forward to help the special education crisis. While we appreciate the attempt to fill the gap, schools would need about $200 million each year, and that funding hasn’t yet been guaranteed. As a result, districts will get only about 15% of what they need.
Funding schools isn’t about simply spending more. It’s about investing wisely in what helps kids learn and grow. For nearly a decade, Connecticut has relied on short-term fixes instead of making strategic, forward-looking investments. Failing to account for inflation is just the latest example. Lawmakers took steps in the right direction when they decided to fully fund the long-awaited ECS Formula.
Now, it’s time to finish the job. That means updating funding formulas for inflation, fully funding special education, and ensuring dollars go where they’re needed most. These aren’t radical ideas—they’re smart, proven solutions supported by educators, families, and experts.
If we act boldly and consistently, Connecticut can not only avoid crisis spending—it can build a public education system that works for every child, every year.
Daniel Pearson is the Executive Director of Educators for Excellence – Connecticut.