After reaching a compromise with legislators earlier this week, Governor Ned Lamont today signed into law an additional $40 million in special education funding for this fiscal year.
“We are dealing with a special education crisis, and have shortages of teachers and paras,” said Manchester Education Association President James Tierinni, who joined the governor, lieutenant governor, legislators, and educators for the bill signing at East Hartford Middle School. “I’m hoping we will continue to prioritize this critical funding for our special education students.”
State Rep. Maryam Khan, a special education teacher in East Hartford, co-chairs the legislature’s Select Committee on Special Education.
“This funding helps makes towns whole, because special education is crucial for towns to fund, but it’s also crucial that the state steps in to assist so that all students can receive the best education possible,” she said.
After the State House and Senate initially passed a bill that contained $40 million for special education funding this fiscal year, the governor vetoed the legislation out of concern for how the bill was funded. This week the governor and legislators reached a compromise, and the governor signed a new bill passed by the legislature into law.
Manchester Education Association President James Tierinni said he hopes the state will continue to prioritize special education funding.
“We’ve got a special $40 million appropriation that’s going to go into effect in less than a month and make sure that we can keep our commitment to each and every one of these kids,” Lamont said.
“Special education costs are going up rapidly and municipalities across the state are struggling as they are often unable to predict and fully absorb these rising costs on their own, so this funding has been long anticipated,” said Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz.
State Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox said that, as co-chair with Khan of the legislature’s Select Committee on Special Education, she appreciated the opportunity to hear firsthand from teachers, parents, and community members during listening sessions the committee held around the state.
“We will continue to listen,” she said. “We still have more work to do, and that’s what we’re going to do as a Special Education Committee. We’re going to look forward, but we heard your needs for an immediate funding source. You’re getting that funding now, and I’m so grateful for that. I look forward to those continued conversations to make sure that we meet our constitutional and moral obligation to all of our students”
“It’s wonderful that we came together to ensure that this additional funding could get directly to our schools for this current budget year,” said Education Committee Chair Jennifer Leeper.
“Connecticut is one of the wealthiest states in the country, with a $356.4 million budget surplus,” said CEA President Kate Dias. “While these additional funds do not cover the full amount of special education excess costs, they do provide some much-needed relief to impacted districts. We hope the governor and legislators continue to prioritize ensuring our schools have the resources they need to educate all of our students.”
