Sen. Hwang comments on Malloy’s Ed Funding Cuts

Friday, December 30, 2016 4:04 PM
The Malloy administration has announced $20 million in cuts to Education Cost Sharing payments to towns across the state. The $20 million lapse was included in the governor’s changes to the 2017 budget, but the precise cuts to individual towns were not announced until Dec. 29. The cuts to area towns’ Education Cost Sharing funding are as follows:

Easton school aid was cut by $67,274, a 27.4 percent reduction.

Fairfield school aid was cut by $570,798, a 34.4 percent reduction.

Newtown school aid was cut by $186,185, a 3.7 percent reduction.

Weston school aid was cut by $118,049, a 30.9 percent reduction.

Westport school aid was cut by $443,947, a 48.8 percent reduction.

Sen. Tony Hwang issued the following statement regarding the cuts:

“Local officials should be able to plan on what their state education funding should be. The state’s funding system should be logical, predictable and transparent.

“The system should not be about winners and losers. There should be no last minute, 11th hour surprises. The rug should not be pulled out from under municipalities. Unfortunately, that’s what has happened here.

“The Malloy administration waited until half the fiscal year went by before letting towns know how much they would lose. That elapsed time makes these cuts even more difficult for towns to bear.

“My top priority has been to protect towns like Easton, Fairfield, Newtown, Weston and Westport from having education funding taken away.

“After witnessing these cuts, I now have concerns over whether state reimbursement for ongoing school construction projects will be altered. In Fairfield, for example, we have projects underway. Will Fairfield receive the funding it has planned on?

“I have warned that without predictability, stability and transparency in state policies, Connecticut government will continue to lurch from crisis to crisis. Those crises negatively impact the most vulnerable in our communities: our children, our seniors, the sick and the disabled.

“There is reason for optimism going forward. Balance has been restored to the Connecticut State Senate, where we now have 18 Democrats and 18 Republicans. That tie is good news for taxpayers who, like me, are tired of learning of these unwanted surprises and want to see Connecticut get back on a path to long-term stability and success. We must get to work immediately.”

Hwang can be reached at 800 842-1421 and at [email protected] . On the web: www.SenatorHwang.com .