FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

City of Stamford

Friday, February 3, 2023

Contact:

Lauren Meyer

203-977-5115

lmeyer@stamfordct.gov

MAYOR SIMMONS TESTIFIES IN SUPPORT OF STATE LEGISLATION CHANGING THE EDUCATION COST SHARING FORMULA 

Stamford, CT – Today, Mayor Caroline Simmons testified via Zoom at the Connecticut General Assembly’s Education and Appropriations Committees Joint Public Hearing in support of House Bill No. 5003, “An Act Concerning Education Funding in Connecticut.” This bill would make revisions to how public education is funded in Connecticut, including among other things, fully funding the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grants, effective FY 2025.

Friday, February 3, 2023 

H.B. No. 5003 AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION FUNDING IN CONNECTICUT

Good morning, co-chairs, vice chairs, ranking members, and members of the Education Committee and Appropriations Committee. My name is Caroline Simmons and I am Mayor of the City of Stamford. I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you concerning H.B. 5003, “An Act Concerning Education Funding in Connecticut.”  

As the second largest city in Connecticut, Stamford has experienced incredible growth across all sectors, including in our school district. Stamford Public Schools serves a diverse population of over 16,700 students, providing them with extensive academic and extracurricular activities and programs and a learning experience rich in cultural diversity that prepares them for our global world.

Stamford Public Schools share similar demographics to that of other urban school districts across Connecticut, as well as similar challenges. 13.62 percent of Stamford students are English Language Learners, 15.62% of students are identified with disabilities, and 54.39% of students are eligible for free and reduced priced meals. Despite this, under the current Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula, Stamford receives $14.7 million and is ranked 30^th, compared to the top five urban school districts, which are ranked in the top five in ECS funding. 

H.B. 5003, “An Act Concerning Education Funding in Connecticut,” would shift the ECS formula to provide for a more equitable and comprehensive way to fund public education in our state. This bill would fully fund ECS grants, effective FY 2025, which would result in the City of Stamford receiving a net positive impact of approximately $7.5 million.

We know the COVID-19 pandemic has put incredible strains on our public schools and now more than ever, greater state support is critical to ensure students have access to the teachers, tutors, programming, mental health support, and additional resources they need to be successful in and out of the classroom. This bill would also help bridge the fiscal cliff that many school districts across the state are facing.

Finally, this bill would make strides toward reducing the economic and racial funding disparities we see in Connecticut’s current education funding. Public school students would be funded based on their learning needs and school districts would have the financial stability to make impactful, long-term investments in resources to support their student population.

I urge you to support H.B. 5003, “An Act Concerning Education Funding in Connecticut,” to ensure that we finally make our state’s education funding system more equitable and we properly invest in the most important resource our state has – our students.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Mayor Caroline Simmons