General Assembly Proposed Bill No. 6815
January Session, 2017 LCO No. 2341
*02341*
Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
Introduced by:
REP. RITTER M., 1st Dist. REP. ROJAS, 9th Dist. SEN. BYE, 5th Dist. REP. CURREY, 11th Dist. SEN. LARSON, 3rd Dist. REP. SOTO, 39th Dist.
General Assembly
Proposed Bill No. 6815
January Session, 2017
LCO No. 2341
*02341*
Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
Introduced by:
REP. RITTER M., 1st Dist.
REP. ROJAS, 9th Dist.
SEN. BYE, 5th Dist.
REP. CURREY, 11th Dist.
SEN. LARSON, 3rd Dist.
REP. SOTO, 39th Dist.
AN ACT CONCERNING THE CREATION OF A STATE SPECIAL EDUCATION PREDICTABLE COST COOPERATIVE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
That part V of chapter 164 of the general statutes be amended to create a special education predictable cost cooperative that shall (1) aggregate special education costs at the state level to compensate for the volatility at the local level by (A) providing predictability to local and regional boards of education for special education costs, (B) maintaining current state funding for special education services, (C) differentiating funding based on student learning needs, (D) equitably distributing special education funding, (E) providing boards of education with flexibility and encourage innovation, and (F) limiting local financial responsibility for students with extraordinary needs, (2) be funded as follows: (A) A community contribution for each school district will be calculated based on the number of special education students enrolled in the school district and the school district's previous special education costs, and each municipality will be responsible for paying the community contribution of their resident students, which shall be reduced by an equity adjustment based on the municipality's ability to pay, and (B) the state contribution, which shall be from reallocating the special education portion of the equalization aid grant, and the excess cost grant, (3) provide all school districts with some state support for special education services, (4) ensure that a school district's community contribution will be lower than the actual per pupil special education cost of the school district, and (5) reimburse school districts for one hundred per cent of their actual special education costs for a fiscal year.
Statement of Purpose:
To create a state special education predictable cost cooperative that will require the state and school districts to share in special education expenditures.