OFFICE OF FISCAL ANALYSIS
Legislative Office Building, Room 5200
Hartford, CT 06106 (860) 240-0200
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ofa
sHB-6880
AN ACT CONCERNING ASSORTED REVISIONS AND ADDITIONS
TO THE EDUCATION STATUTES.
AMENDMENT
LCO No.: 8154
File Copy No.: 757
House Calendar No.: 361
Primary Analyst: DD 5/18/23
Contributing Analyst(s): (FN)
OFA Fiscal Note
See Fiscal Note Details
The amendment strikes the underlying bill and results in the fiscal
impact indicated below.
The amendment makes several changes to various education statutes
resulting in (1) costs to the Office of Higher Education, (2) potential costs
to the Office of Early Childhood and local and regional school districts,
and (3) potential savings to local and regional school districts. The
amendment also makes several changes which have no fiscal impact.
The fiscal impact of each section is described below.
Section 1 specifies that the edTPA preservice performance
assessment tool shall only be used as an accountability tool, and not to
deny an application for the issuance of an initial educator certificate.
This has no fiscal impact.
Section 2 makes changes regarding the process for a board of
education to terminate the contract of a tenured teacher. These changes
have no fiscal impact, as they are not expected to change the cost of any
relevant proceedings.
Section 3 eliminates the option of a three-member mediation panel
for mediation and arbitration between local and regional school districts 2023HB-06880-R00LCO08154-FNA.DOCX Page 2 of 5
and collective bargaining units. As panel members are paid on a per
diem basis, this results in a savings to local and regional school districts
that engage in this process annually beginning in FY 24. This savings is
expected to be minimal, but will vary based on the extent to which three-
member panels are currently used.
Section 4 allows the State Board of Labor Relations to issue cease and
desist orders when a local or regional school district or collective
bargaining unit alleges that a prohibited practice has occurred, under
certain circumstances, beginning in FY 24. This is a procedural change
that has no fiscal impact.
Section 5 changes the kindergarten entry age of 5 from January to
September beginning in FY 25 which would likely impact the Office of
Early Childhood (OEC) expenditures on child care and school readiness
programs to the extent that OEC is required to provide continuity of
services for those children impacted by the provisions of the bill. For
reference, the preschool rate for School Readiness and Child Day Care
programs is approximately $8,900 per child per year.
Section 6 requires local and regional school districts to incorporate
play-based learning into instructional time for kindergarten and
preschool students, and to permit such instruction by teachers of grades
one through five, beginning in FY 25. There is a potential minimal cost
to the extent that this requires purchase of any materials or supplies
needed to facilitate play-based learning.
Section 7 expands professional development requirements for
educators to include play-based learning and, for principals and vice
principals, to include management of school personnel and methods for
engaging school personnel with the goals of the school. There is a
potential, minimal cost beginning in FY 25 to districts associated with
the purchase of any materials relevant to the new trainings established
by the amendment.
Section 8 requires, beginning in FY 24, local and regional school
districts to develop exit surveys and administer them to teachers who 2023HB-06880-R00LCO08154-FNA.DOCX Page 3 of 5
resign voluntarily. Section 9 requires districts to submit the results of
these surveys, and associated attrition rates, to the State Department of
Education. These provisions have no fiscal impact as it is anticipated
that districts can complete the requirement with existing resources.
Section 10 expands membership of the State Board of Education. This
has no fiscal impact as members are not compensated.
Section 11 establishes a statewide Teacher Advisory Committee. This
has no fiscal impact, as the amendment does not provide for
reimbursement to committee members for any costs associated with
participation.
Section 12 establishes a task force to study the per pupil equity of
funding of the Teachers' Retirement System. This has no fiscal impact as
legislative task force members are not compensated.
Section 13 expands professional development for paraprofessionals
to include social and emotional learning, and specifies that such
professional development cannot include certain mandatory trainings.
This has no fiscal impact, as it is not anticipated to change the cost to
local or regional school districts of providing professional development
for paraprofessionals.
Section 14 requires the professional development and evaluation
committee for each local and regional school district to include at least
one paraeducator. This has no fiscal impact. It also requires the State
Department of Education to annually develop or update guidance and
best practices for professional development for paraeducators and to
distribute those best practices to local and regional school districts. This
has no fiscal impact as it is anticipated that SDE can meet this
requirement with existing resources.
Section 15 requires a paraprofessional who is working with a child
receiving special education services to review the child's educational
program with a supervisor, as needed, after any planning and
placement team meeting. This procedural change has no fiscal impact. 2023HB-06880-R00LCO08154-FNA.DOCX Page 4 of 5
Sections 16, 18 and 19 to 22 make several changes regarding teacher
certification, permits, and endorsements. These changes have no fiscal
impact as they are not anticipated to change any costs to districts
associated with educator staff or revenue to SDE regarding fees.
Section 17 requires the Office of Higher Education (OHE) to hire one
full-time employee for the existing alternate route to the certification
program and to expand the program.
This is anticipated to result in a personnel cost to OHE of
approximately $75,000 annually beginning in FY 24 for a full-time
Senior Consultant position with corresponding fringe benefits of
$32,115. Additionally, expanding the program would result in a cost to
OHE. The scope of the programmatic costs would be dependent on how
the agency expands the program.
Section 23 makes changes to the purchase of service statutes in the
Teachers’ Retirement System that may result in additional purchases of
credited service than permitted under current law. Since the additional
credited service permitted under the amendment must be purchased by
the member at the full actuarial cost this provision is not anticipated to
result in a fiscal impact to the state.
Sections 24 and 25 make changes to the Teachers’ Retirement System
(TRS) statutes, including requiring the Teachers’ Retirement Board to
classify schools operated by Goodwin University Magnet Schools and
Goodwin University Educational Service as public schools, that are not
anticipated to result in a fiscal impact. Teachers in schools operated by
Goodwin University Magnet Schools and Goodwin University
Educational Service currently participate in the TRS through the
LEARN Regional Educational Services Center.
Section 26 makes a technical change regarding the impact of the
formation of regional school districts on teacher rights and benefits,
which has no fiscal impact.
Sections 27 to 32 make several changes regarding teacher evaluation 2023HB-06880-R00LCO08154-FNA.DOCX Page 5 of 5
and support. Section 29 requires local and regional school districts to
conduct trainings at least annually for teacher evaluators (instead of
biennially), which results in a potential minimal cost beginning in FY 24
associated with the purchase of training materials. The bill makes other
minor changes regarding teacher evaluation and support that have no
fiscal impact.
The preceding Fiscal Impact statement is prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely
for the purposes of information, summarization and explanation and does not represent the intent of the General
Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of
informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is
consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any
specific department.