Governor Lamont’s New Budget Gives $40 Million To Special Education Funding

On Feb. 3, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont presented his proposed state budget in Hartford which included huge support for special education funding for the next two years.

The $40 million budget would allow towns and cities the ability to provide new services and programs for students with disabilities.

The budget has created the High-Quality Special Education Incentive Grant program for districts and municipalities to provide special education programs to students in their region.

The High-Quality Special Education Incentive Grant program will allot funds to school districts who implement superior special education programs. This program is included in the budget and will reduce the need for out-of-district placements and meet students’ needs in their hometowns.

For the 2023-24 school year, the state allocated $181 million for special education, according to the Connecticut Education Association. 

The new budget is a 25 percent increase from the current special education budget. 

The decision for the large hike in spending was based on “the increase in the number of students eligible for special education services and the rapid increase in the cost of those services,” Lamont said.

Fiscal year 2027 is the proposed goal for completion of the $40 million goal. 

This funding will add to the Excess Cost Grant which “subsidizes high-cost placements for students with the greatest needs,” according to the Office of the Governor.

Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker has been part of research to find the best quality education for children with disabilities.

Russell-Tucker has been the Commissioner since 2021 after serving as Acting Commissioner.

Currently, 91,847 students receive special education support in Connecticut. 

Addressing this growing number now will “directly tackle the rising costs of special education services,” Russell-Tucker said. “It will assist our schools in building stronger educational opportunities.”

The budget was approved just two days later at the General Assembly session in Hartford on Feb. 5.

“We’re in this together for the kids,” Lamont said.