If you have a question or concern about special education law, school administration, federal standards, or the overall rights of a student, please feel free to call the expert education law attorneys at Maya Murphy, P.C. in Westport today at (203) 221-3100.

In Connecticut, the state share of public elementary and secondary education costs is too low. According to the U.S. Census, Connecticut is the most reliant state in the nation on the property tax to fund PreK-12 public education.

The Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grant is now underfunded by over $763 million (see Appendix D for town-by-town amounts).

The cost for public education in our state for the current school year is over $10 billion, and municipal property taxpayers will:

• Fund 51.4 percent of that amount (more than $5 billion). The State contributes an es mated 42.9 percent and the federal government 5.2 percent.2
• Pay at least $0.62 of every $1.00 raised in property taxes toward PreK-12 public educa on.
• Pay at least 60 percent of Connec cut’s $1.7 billion in special-educa on costs.
• Pick-up the bill for numerous other state-mandated educa on priori es that are not fully funded by the State.

The quality of Connecticut’s educated workforce is one of the key assets in retaining businesses. A first-rate education system - and education finance system - is vital for Connecticut’s prosperity and quality of life. State law limits municipalities primarily to the property tax for own-source revenue, and when municipalities do not receive adequate state education aid, they are forced to raise property taxes, cut other vital services, or both. Local property taxes cannot continue to shoulder the lion’s share of PreK-12 public educa on costs.

For almost 40 years, court case after court case has ordered the State to increase funding support for PreK-12 public education in order to meet state constitutional requirements. For Connecticut to compete economically with its neighbors and the world, the State must increase and sustain its financial commitment for PreK-12 public education.

If you have a child with a disability and have questions about special education law, please contact Joseph C. Maya, Esq., at 203-221-3100, or at JMaya@mayalaw.com, to schedule a free consultation.

Source- http://ctschoolfinance.org/assets/uploads/files/Education-Finance-in-Connecticut-Overreliance-on-the-Property-Tax.pdf