House Budget Makes Historic Investment in Waterbury

June 8, 2023

Our balanced, bipartisan state budget is delivering Waterbury historic funding for education and car tax reimbursements. Our city will get a $6 million boost in motor vehicle tax reimbursements in Fiscal Year 2024 compared to this year. 

At the same time, schools needed more resources, so the House of Representatives prioritized educational spending and special education funding in the new two-year balanced and bipartisan state budget that awaits the governor’s signature.

We are making historic investments in local education through Education Cost Sharing (ECS) funds, which help reduce local property taxes and make it easier for our urban schools to recruit and retain teachers.

Waterbury will receive an increase of nearly $7.8 million in Fiscal Year 2024 from Fiscal Year 2023, and an increase of more than $17.5 million in Fiscal Year 2025, for a total increase of approximately $25.3 million for the next two years. 

The budget also prioritized higher education by significantly boosting funding to our state colleges and universities and expanding for our debt-free community college programs.

Below is a breakdown of some of those numbers:

  • $135 million will be provided to our state colleges and universities
  • $22 million to expand debt-free community college
  • $24 million to increase funding for special education to local schools
  • $6.5 million to prevent towns from receiving a funding cut to their local schools
  • $67.5 million to increase childcare provider rates
  • $240 million will be invested in public education for the 2024-25 school year
  • Caps tuition payments that local districts pay for kids attending choice programs
  • $158 million in new funding to local boards of education
  • $53.3 million in new funding for Magnet Schools
  • $11.4 million new budget for Open Choice
  • $7.2 million in new funding for Vocational Agriculture programs

I am grateful for your input and for all the hard work my colleagues put into producing a balanced budget that reflects some of state's greatest needs. In the coming weeks, I will further break down provisions in the budget and how it impacts you.

If you have any questions or comments about this or any other legislation, please reach out to my office.