Connecticut 2023 2023 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06880 Introduced / Fiscal Note

Filed 05/24/2023

                    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. 
As Amended by House "A" (LCO 8376) 
House Calendar No.: 361  
 
Primary Analyst: DD 	5/24/23 
Contributing Analyst(s):    
 
 
 
 
OFA Fiscal Note 
 
State Impact: 
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 24 $ FY 25 $ 
Higher Ed., Off. 	GF - Cost 75,000 75,000 
Higher Ed., Off. 	GF – Potential 
Cost 
See Below See Below 
Office of Early Childhood GF – Potential 
Cost 
None See Below 
State Comptroller - Fringe 
Benefits
1
 
GF - Cost 32,115 32,115 
Note: GF=General Fund 
  
Municipal Impact: 
Municipalities Effect FY 24 $ FY 25 $ 
Local and Regional School 
Districts 
Potential 
Cost 
Minimal Minimal 
  
The Out Years 
The bill makes several changes to various education statutes resulting 
in (1) costs to the Office of Higher Education, and (2) potential costs to 
the Office of Early Childhood and local and regional school districts. 
The amendment also makes several changes which have no fiscal 
                                                
1
The fringe benefit costs for most state employees are budgeted centrally in accounts 
administered by the Comptroller. The estimated active employee fringe benefit cost 
associated with most personnel changes is 42.82% of payroll in FY 24.  2023HB-06880-R02-FN.DOCX 	Page 2 of 5 
 
 
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 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 3 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 4 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 5 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.   2023HB-06880-R02-FN.DOCX 	Page 3 of 5 
 
 
Section 6 requires, beginning in FY 24, local and regional school 
districts to develop exit surveys and administer them to teachers who 
resign voluntarily. Section 7 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 8 expands membership of the Connecticut Advisory Council 
for Teacher Professional Standards. This has no fiscal impact as 
members are not compensated. 
Section 9 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 10 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 11 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 12 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.  
Sections 13, 15 to 18 make several changes regarding teacher  2023HB-06880-R02-FN.DOCX 	Page 4 of 5 
 
 
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 14 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 19 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 20 and 21 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 22 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 23 to 27 make several changes regarding teacher evaluation 
and support. Section 25 requires local and regional school districts to  2023HB-06880-R02-FN.DOCX 	Page 5 of 5 
 
 
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. 
House "A" strikes the underlying bill and results in the above 
identified fiscal impact.  
The Out Years: 
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would 
continue into the future subject to inflation.