The General Assembly plans to vote next week on a $40 million boost in state funding for cities and towns to support their special education needs.

This new funding for special education will be in addition to the $181 million previously appropriated by the legislature for the current 2025 fiscal year.

“We have heard from cities and towns across the state that special education costs are squeezing local budgets,” Speaker of the House Matt Ritter said. “This $40 million investment will help school districts now, but as our Special Education chairs will tell you, a long-term solution is our goal.”

The supplemental grants will be distributed to municipalities through the Excess Cost Grant program based on a formula that prioritizes funding for the neediest cities and towns. The program was created to help offset significant expenses associated with educating certain students with special needs.

"I am pleased to support this increase in special education funding, which will enable more students to access educational programs tailored to their individual needs and learning styles," said House Majority Leader Jason Rojas. "This investment will significantly enhance the overall educational experience for all students and ease the financial strain on municipal school budgets."

House Democrats have also introduced HB 5001 “An Act Concerning the Quality and Delivery of Special Education Services in Connecticut” with a goal of lowering special education costs, strengthening services, and increasing overall funding.

“Connecticut’s special education funding formula has long been broken, which poses a significant challenge for towns and cities that need to fund services and for students and families that deal with the repercussions of a broken system,” said Rep. Maryam Khan, who serves as House Chair of the Select Committee on Special Education. “We recognize the challenges municipal governments are up against with the rising costs of special education and while we address systemic fixes to curtail funding challenges in the future.”

Though Connecticut has made significant increases its support of local education over the last several years including boosting funding by hundreds of millions of dollars, it still has not kept pace with the growing need for additional special education funding experienced by cities and towns. For some municipalities, special education costs can be as high as 30% of their entire education budget.