Municipal Leaders Join Senate Democrats to Champion Transformative Education Investment

Hartford, CT – Senate Democratic leaders and municipal officials from across Connecticut gathered Wednesday to promote Senate Bill 7, landmark legislation that would provide a transformative increase in state funding for public education in every city and town across the state.

The press conference was held immediately before the Education Committee’s public hearing on the bill, which proposes raising the Education Cost Sharing formula’s foundation grant from the current $11,525 per pupil to:

• $12,500 in fiscal year 2027,
• $13,500 in fiscal year 2028,
• $14,500 in fiscal year 2029,
• $15,500 in fiscal year 2030.

After the 2030 increase, the bill would index the foundation grant to economic indicators, ensuring school funding keeps pace with current conditions.

The foundation grant is the basic, per-pupil funding each district receives under the ECS formula before other adjustments. Increases in the foundation grant benefit every municipality in Connecticut.

The proposal would provide:

• $58 million in new state education funding in fiscal year 2027,
• $233 million in fiscal year 2028,
• $422 million in fiscal year 2029,
• $618 million in fiscal year 2030.

Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, and Education Committee Co-Chair Senator Doug McCrory, D-Hartford, were joined by mayors and first selectmen from communities across Connecticut to highlight the statewide impact of the proposed funding increases.

“For too long, Connecticut’s education funding has failed to keep pace with the actual cost of educating our children and has placed an excessive burden on the municipal property tax,” Senator Looney said. “Senate Bill 7 addresses that problem by substantially increasing the foundation grant and ensuring it grows with economic conditions moving forward. Every community in this state will benefit from these increases, from our largest cities to our smallest towns. The municipal leaders standing with us today understand what’s at stake. We have the resources to make this investment, and we have a responsibility to our children to make good on that commitment.”

“Senate Bill 7 puts real dollars into every school district in this state, including in Norwalk, where we know what it takes to run quality schools,” Senator Duff said. “This isn’t a one-time boost. We’re building a funding structure that grows with the economy and keeps our schools on solid ground. The mayors and first selectmen standing with us understand you can’t build strong communities without investing in education. This is how we make sure every kid in Connecticut gets a fair shot.”

“I’ve spent my career in education, and I’ve seen what happens when schools don’t have the resources they need,” Senator McCrory said. “Teachers buy supplies out of their own pockets. Programs get cut. Kids fall behind. Senate Bill 7 changes that trajectory. By raising the foundation grant, we’re delivering significant new resources to underfunded districts in Hartford, Bloomfield, and Windsor while lifting up schools across the state.”

Joining Senate leadership at the press conference were New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons, Norwalk Mayor Barbara Smyth, West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer, Bristol Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu, East Haven Mayor Joseph Carfora, Branford First Selectman Joshua Brooks, Guilford First Selectman Matthew Hoey, and North Haven First Selectman Michael Freda.

City and town officials welcomed the additional support from the state.

“Municipal leaders have been calling on state leaders to fix the state education funding formula, which has not increased the foundation grant of $11,525 per student since 2013,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said. “Student needs have far outpaced the current level of state funding that’s being provided to our children and we need a new state education funding formula that acknowledges the need to invest more in our schools and that accounts for these naturally rising costs moving forward. With Senate Bill 7, it’s clear the Senate Democrats have heard that call. The proposal by Senator Looney, Senator Duff and the Senate Democrats is inspiring and will go a long way towards helping to ensure our students receive the additional resources they need to begin to stabilize our school districts and provide a high-quality education for our children moving forward.”

“We have a great need, so I’m so proud to stand alongside fellow mayors and state legislators to advocate for increased and equitable education funding for our communities,” Norwalk Mayor Barbara Smyth said. “We’re committed to working in true partnership, and that’s how we get things done with all of our state leaders, regardless of zip code, and to make sure that our children have access to the resources, support and opportunities they deserve.”

“This bill is critical to helping keep up with inflation and the rising cost of living and giving critical relief to our districts at a time when fixed costs are going up,” Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons said. “Education is the foundation of our communities. It’s the foundation of our state’s future, and I can’t thank you enough for being here to advocate for SB7.”

The Education Committee was expected to hear testimony on Senate Bill 7 and other education proposals as part of its public hearing beginning at 11 a.m.