Researcher: JM Page 1 6/1/23
OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 6882 (as amended by House "A")*
AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION MANDATE RELIEF.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
SUMMARY
§ 1 — EDUCATION MAND ATE WORKING GROUP
Requires CABE to convene an 11-member mandate review working group to recommend
to the legislature repealing or amending obsolete or duplicative mandates; sets January 1,
2025, deadline for the recommendations
§ 2 — IN-SERVICE VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND SEIZURE
RESPONSE TRAINING
Requires the existing school district in-service training on school violence prevention to be
aligned with DESPP school security and safety plan standards and adds new training
requirement on emergency responses to students who have seizures
§ 3 — ACCESS TO CURRICULUM
Requires boards of education to make curriculum and associated materials available to
parents and guardians under the requirements of the federal Protection of Pupil Rights
Amendment
§ 4 — ACCESS TO ADULT EDUCATION
Allows any parent under age 17 to request permission from the local or regional board of
education to attend adult education classes
§ 5 — ELIGIBILITY FOR STATEWIDE REMOTE LEARNING SCHOOL
Requires SDE, when developing a plan for a statewide remote learning school, to narrow
the range of students eligible to enroll; also extends the deadline to submit a plan for the
school to legislative committees
§ 6 — BOARD MEETING AGENDA AND DOCUMENT POSTING
Requires boards of education conducting a board meeting to make the agenda or any
associated documents that members may review at the meeting available for public
inspection and post them on the board’s website
§ 7 — FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION
COUNCIL
Requires the education commissioner to convene a family and community engagement in
education council
§ 8 — SUPPORT FOR AFTER-SCHOOL GRANT RECIPIENTS 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JM Page 2 6/1/23
Requires SDE to support after-school grant recipients in new, specified ways; allows the
department to increase the amount it retains from the appropriation for this grant
program
§ 9 — SERC REAL ESTATE AND CONTRACTING
Removes SERC from specified state oversight pertaining to real estate and contracting
§ 10 — FREE MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS IN SCHOOL RESTROOMS
Extends the deadline for boards of education to begin providing free menstrual products in
restrooms by one year, from September 1, 2023, to September 1, 2024
§§ 11-28 — LCO TECHNICAL REVISIONS
Makes technical, grammatical, and conforming changes in the education and early
childhood statutes.
§§ 29 & 32 — MAGNET SCHOOL ENROLLMENT REQU IREMENTS
AND REVISING REDUCED ISOLATION STANDARDS
Makes permanent existing magnet school enrollment requirements; allows the education
commissioner to revise the magnet school reduced isolation standards
§ 30 — SUNSETS TARGETED MAGNET SCHOOL GR ANT
Sunsets a targeted magnet school grant
§ 31 — REINSTATES BAN ON MAGNET SCHOOL T UITION
Reinstates the ban on Sheff-decision host K-12 magnet schools charging tuition to sending
school districts
§ 33 — GRANTS TO ASSIST SHEFF PROGRAMS
Allows the commissioner to award grants from existing Sheff settlement funds for four
specific purposes
§ 34 — INTERSTATE COMPACT ON EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
FOR MILITARY CHILDREN
Makes technical changes to the Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military
Children
§§ 35 & 37 — LOWERING ELIGIBILITY AGE FOR SCHOOL
READINESS
Lowers the eligibility age of children for the School Readiness preschool program to birth,
rather than age three
§§ 36 & 38 — SCHOOL READINESS AND CHILD CARE GRANTS
Removes a requirement that certain excess funds be used exclusively to increase salaries of
early childhood educators; changes annual awarding of a school readiness grant from
annual to biennial
§ 39 — SMART START COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM
Removes the FY 24 sunset date (i.e., June 30, 2014) for the smart start competitive grant,
thus making the program permanent
§ 40 — PARENT ADVISORY CABINET
Requires OEC to establish a parent advisory council 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JM Page 3 6/1/23
§ 41 — CARE 4 KIDS INCOME LEVEL ELIGIBILITY
Requires the OEC commissioner to establish a two-tiered income eligibility limit for Care
4 Kids that conforms with federal regulations
§ 42 — PUBLIC SCHOOL OPERATOR DEFINITION FOR INSURANCE
PURPOSES
Expands the definition of the types of public school operators that can join in health care
benefit agreements with other school operators or municipalities
§§ 43 & 44 — CHARTER SCHOOLS AND THE EDUCATIONAL
INTERESTS OF THE STATE
Explicitly places charter schools under the educational interests of the state law that
includes a complaint process if a party believes the school is not meeting the educational
interests of the state
§ 45 — SDE CURRICULUM COORDINATOR
Requires the education commissioner to employ at least one curriculum coordinator
SUMMARY
This bill makes numerous changes to education law, as described
below.
*House Amendment “A” is a strike-all amendment that replaces the
underlying bill, thereby removing (1) the provision creating a task force
to study education mandates and replacing it with a working group to
study them and (2) the provision that eliminates the requirement that
high school students graduating in 2023 and after complete at least one
credit in a mastery-based diploma assessment (i.e., capstone project). In
addition to adding many new provisions, it keeps the requirement that
in-service training on school violence prevention, which boards of
education must annually provide, be aligned with the Department of
Emergency Services and Public Protection’s (DESPP) school security
and safety plan standards.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Various, see below
§ 1 — EDUCATION MAND ATE WORKING GROUP
Requires CABE to convene an 11-member mandate review working group to recommend
to the legislature repealing or amending obsolete or duplicative mandates; sets January 1,
2025, deadline for the recommendations
The bill requires the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education
(CABE) executive director or the director’s designee to convene a 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JM Page 4 6/1/23
working group to review mandates on State Department of Education
(SDE) and boards of education in the state’s statutes and regulations and
federal law and report its findings and recommendations to the
legislature. The group must identify mandates that are overly
burdensome or limit or restrict providing student instruction or
services. For each mandate identified, it must give a detailed analysis
and indicate the specific statutory or regulatory citation and how it is
imposed on the department or board. It must also make
recommendations on the (1) development of a biennial review process
to examine the education statutes and state agency regulations to
identify obsolete or duplicative mandates on SDE or boards of
education and (2) repeal of, or amendment to, any statutes or
regulations.
Working Group Membership
The 11-member working group includes the Education Committee
chairpersons and ranking members, or the chairpersons’ and ranking
members’ respective designees, and the education commissioner, or her
designee. Additionally, the group includes a representative from each
of the following organizations, designated by each organization:
1. CABE,
2. the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents,
3. the Connecticut PTA,
4. the American Federation of Teachers-Connecticut,
5. the Connecticut Education Association, and
6. the Connecticut Association of School Business Officials.
All initial appointments to the working group must be made by 30
days after the bill is effective. Any vacancy is filled by the appointing
authority.
The CABE executive director, or the executive director’s designee,
serves as the working group chairperson. The chairperson must 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
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schedule the first meeting of the working group no later than 60 days
after the bill’s effective date.
Public Input
The bill permits the working group to provide an opportunity for
public comment or seek input from students, parents, educators, boards
of education, and other education stakeholders while conducting the
review and developing its recommendations.
Reporting
By January 1, 2025, the working group must submit its (1) mandate
review and (2) recommendations to either repeal or amend any
mandates and develop a biennial review process to Education
Committee. The working group terminates on the date it submits its
report or July 1, 2025, whichever is later.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 2 — IN-SERVICE VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND SEIZURE
RESPONSE TRAINING
Requires the existing school district in-service training on school violence prevention to be
aligned with DESPP school security and safety plan standards and adds new training
requirement on emergency responses to students who have seizures
The bill requires the in-service training on school violence
prevention, which boards of education must annually provide to
teachers, administrators, and other certified school employees, be
aligned with the DESPP school security and safety plan standards (see
Background).
It also requires in-service trainings for the same groups of employees
to include emergency responses to students who have seizures in
school. This training must include (1) the recognition of the signs and
symptoms of seizures; (2) appropriate steps for seizure first aid; (3)
information about student seizure action plans; and (4) for those
authorized to administer medication under state law, the administration
of seizure rescue medication or prescribed electrical stimulation using a
vagus nerve stimulator magnet. 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JM Page 6 6/1/23
The bill also requires boards to allow paraeducators and other
noncertified employees to voluntarily participate in its in-service
training program. Currently, the board can decide whether to allow
these noncertified employees or paraprofessionals to attend.
Background — School Security and Safety Plans
The law requires DESPP, in consultation with SDE, to develop
standards for school security and safety plans and reevaluate and
update them every three years. SDE must distribute these standards to
all public schools. Each board of education must annually develop and
implement a school security and safety plan for each school within its
district based on these standards (CGS §§ 10-222n & -222m).
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 3 — ACCESS TO CURRICULUM
Requires boards of education to make curriculum and associated materials available to
parents and guardians under the requirements of the federal Protection of Pupil Rights
Amendment
The bill requires local and regional boards of education to make all
curriculum approved by their school district curriculum committee, as
well as all associated curriculum materials, available to parents and
guardians under the requirements of the federal Protection of Pupil
Rights Amendment (PPRA). PPRA, in part, gives parents and guardians
the right to inspect instructional material used by the school district as
part of their student’s educational curriculum (excluding academic tests
and assessments) (20 U.S.C. § 1232h).
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 4 — ACCESS TO ADULT EDUCATION
Allows any parent under age 17 to request permission from the local or regional board of
education to attend adult education classes
Current law allows a mother under age 17 to request permission from
the local or regional board of education to attend adult education
classes. The bill extends eligibility to any parent under age 17.
By law and unchanged by the act, a majority vote of present board
members is required to assign the requesting student to adult education. 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JM Page 7 6/1/23
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 5 — ELIGIBILITY FOR STATEWIDE REMOTE L EARNING SCHOOL
Requires SDE, when developing a plan for a statewide remote learning school, to narrow
the range of students eligible to enroll; also extends the deadline to submit a plan for the
school to legislative committees
Under current law, SDE must develop a plan to create and implement
a statewide remote learning school for grades kindergarten to 12. When
making the plan, the department must estimate the number of
Connecticut students who may be eligible to enroll. The bill limits
eligibility to those Connecticut students who are unable to attend school
in-person due to a (1) medical diagnosis, including a psychological or
physical condition or restriction, or (2) medical exemption to required
immunizations, documented by the child’s health care provider.
The bill also extends the deadline for submitting the plan, draft
requests for proposals, and any legislation recommendations from July
1, 2023, to January 1, 2024. By law, SDE must submit these items to the
Appropriations and Education committees.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 6 — BOARD MEETING AGENDA AND DOC UMENT POSTING
Requires boards of education conducting a board meeting to make the agenda or any
associated documents that members may review at the meeting available for public
inspection and post them on the board’s website
The bill requires each local or regional board of education conducting
a regular or special board meeting to make available for public
inspection (1) the meeting agenda or (2) any associated documents that
board members may review at the meeting. The board must also post
these items on its website. The bill’s requirements appear to be in
addition to those of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA, see
Background).
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
Background — Freedom of Information Act
Generally, requirements for noticing and conducting public agency
meetings are governed by FOIA (CGS § 1-225, et seq.). Among other 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
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things, FOIA requires that the agenda for a regular meeting be available
at least 24 hours before the meeting. However, only state agencies must
post the agenda online (CGS § 1-225(c)).
Under FOIA, a special meeting is one held to consider business that
(1) was unforeseen when scheduling regular meetings and (2) should be
addressed before the next regular meeting. Among other things, FOIA
requires that notice of a special meeting be given 24 hours before the
meeting and specify the business to be transacted. The notice must be
posted on the public agency’s website if available (CGS § 1-225(d)).
For both types of meetings, additional requirements apply if the
meeting is held solely or in part by electronic equipment (e.g., the
meeting notice must include information on how the public may attend
the meeting) (CGS § 1-225a).
§ 7 — FAMILY AND COM MUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION
COUNCIL
Requires the education commissioner to convene a family and community engagement in
education council
Duties
The bill requires the education commissioner to convene a family and
community engagement in education council.
Under the bill, the council must meet at least quarterly to do the
following:
1. advise the commissioner on issues and policies related to family
and community engagement in education,
2. provide parent and community feedback on SDE products and
initiatives;
3. review and make recommendations on the State Board of
Education’s (SBE’s) five-year comprehensive plan, specifically on
school-family-community partnership initiatives; and
4. review and make recommendations on effective practices to
increase school and district capacity to develop successful 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
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partnerships and families’ capacity to support their children’s
education.
Membership
The bill requires the education commissioner to choose the council’s
members. The membership must balance representation from the
following groups: (1) school and district staff; (2) students’ parents and
guardians; and (3) community members who reflect the state’s
geographic, economic, ethnic, and racial diversity and bring an
authentic parent and community voice to the council.
Reporting
The bill requires the council to report to SBE and the Education
Committee annually, beginning by January 1, 2025, about its review and
recommendations on the five-year plan’s school-family-community
partnership initiatives.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 8 — SUPPORT FOR AFTER-SCHOOL GRANT REC IPIENTS
Requires SDE to support after-school grant recipients in new, specified ways; allows the
department to increase the amount it retains from the appropriation for this grant
program
By law, SDE may administer an after-school grant program to
support programs for students in grades kindergarten through 12
offering educational, enrichment, and recreational activities for children
and that have a parent involvement component. Local and regional
boards of education, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations are
eligible recipients (CGS § 10-16x(a)).
Current law requires SDE to give after-school grant recipients
technical assistance, evaluation, program monitoring, professional
development, and accreditation support. The bill instead requires the
department to collaborate with regional educational service centers
(RESCs) to give the recipients (and, in some cases, applicants) more
specific and targeted forms of support by doing the following:
1. monitoring and evaluating programs and activities, 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
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2. conducting a comprehensive evaluation of pr ograms’
effectiveness,
3. implementing risk assessments,
4. providing technical assistance and training to eligible applicants,
and
5. ensuring program activities are aligned with state academic
standards.
The bill also allows SDE to increase the percentage of appropriated
grant funds it retains, from 4% to 7.5%, to provide this support.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 9 — SERC REAL ESTATE AND CONTRACTING
Removes SERC from specified state oversight pertaining to real estate and contracting
The bill removes from state law provisions that do the following:
1. require that SERC’s investing, buying, and disposing of real
estate be subject to any state agency’s approval, review, or
regulation under the laws governing state real property or any
other laws and
2. subject SERC to rules, regulations, and restrictions on
purchasing, procurement, personal service agreements, and asset
disposition that generally apply to state agencies under existing
state law.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 10 — FREE MENSTRUA L PRODUCTS IN SCHOOL RESTROOMS
Extends the deadline for boards of education to begin providing free menstrual products in
restrooms by one year, from September 1, 2023, to September 1, 2024
By law, each local and regional board of education must provide free
menstrual products in the following areas that are accessible to students
in grades 3-12: women’s restrooms, all-gender restrooms, and at least
one men’s restroom. The bill delays the deadline by which boards must 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
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begin providing these products by one year, moving it from September
1, 2023, to September 1, 2024.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§§ 11-28 — LCO TECHNICAL REVISIONS
Makes technical, grammatical, and conforming changes in the education and early
childhood statutes.
The bill makes technical, grammatical, and conforming changes in
the education and early childhood statutes. Among the conforming
changes is the addition of a definition for “reading” in the law on the
required public school program of instruction (§§ 18 & 19). This
definition aligns with the term’s definition in other education statutes
governing public school reading instruction and assessments (CGS §§
10-14t, -14u, -14hh & -14ii).
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage, except that the additions of the
reading definition take effect on July 1, 2023 (§ 18), and effect on July 1,
2025 (§ 19), respectively.
§ 29 & 32 — MAGNET SCHOOL ENROLLMENT REQ UIREMENTS
AND REVISING REDUCED ISOLATION STANDARDS
Makes permanent existing magnet school enrollment requirements; allows the education
commissioner to revise the magnet school reduced isolation standards
The bill makes permanent the requirements that a magnet school’s
total enrollment (1) have no more than 75% of students from one school
district and (2) meets the reduced isolation setting (i.e., desegregation)
standards developed by the education commissioner. These
requirements are set to expire after the 2023-2024 school year. It also
extends the law barring the commissioner from awarding grants to
magnet schools that do not comply with these enrollment standards.
This ban is set to expire after the 2022-2023 school year and the bill
extends it to the 2024-2025 school year.
The bill leaves unchanged an exception that allows the commissioner
to award a grant for an additional year or years to a noncompliant
school if she finds it appropriate and approves a plan to bring the school
into compliance with the residency and reduced isolation setting 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
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standards as existing law requires. (Reduced-isolation standards
consider the racial composition of the school’s student body.)
The law sets minimum criteria for the commissioner to use in setting
the reduced isolation standards, including (1) at least 20% of a magnet
school’s enrollment must be reduced isolation students and (2) a
school’s enrollment may have up to 1% below the minimum percentage,
if she approves a plan for the school to reach the 20% minimum or the
percent she established in the standards. It also requires the
commissioner to define “reduced isolation student.”
The bill authorizes the commissioner to revise the standards as
needed and adds the requirement that they comply with the Sheff
decision and any related stipulations or orders. (It also allows the
commissioner to revise, as needed, the alternative reduced-isolation
enrollment percentages for the 2018-2019 school year. Those
percentages expired in 2019, so it is unclear if this has any legal effect.)
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 30 — SUNSETS TARGE TED MAGNET SCHOOL GR ANT
Sunsets a targeted magnet school grant
The bill retroactively sunsets a targeted magnet school grant at the
end of FY 22 (June 30, 2022). The grant applies to a magnet school
operated by a regional educational service center (RESC) that (1) began
operations in the 2001-2002 school year and (2) for the 2008-2009 school
year enrolled at least 55% but not more than 80% of the school’s students
from a single town. (The school, Edison Magnet School in Meriden, no
longer exists in that form; it was moved to Waterbury and reconstituted
as ACES at Chase and is eligible for other magnet grants.)
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 31 — REINSTATES BAN ON MAGNET SCHOOL T UITION
Reinstates the ban on Sheff-decision host K-12 magnet schools charging tuition to sending
school districts
The bill reinstates for FY 23 the prohibition on Sheff K-12 magnet
schools operated by local or regional boards of education charging 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JM Page 13 6/1/23
tuition to school districts sending students to the magnets. The ban had
expired after the 2018-19 school year (although in practice, none of these
schools had begun charging tuition). Sheff magnet schools are schools
operating under the Sheff v. O’Neill state Supreme Court decision and
related stipulations and orders (see BACKGROUND ).
The bill, as under existing law, (1) applies the ban to preschool
programs and kindergarten through grade 12 and (2) includes an
exception that allows the Hartford school district to charge tuition for
any student enrolled in the Great Path Academy, which it operates in
Manchester.
BACKGROUND — Sheff v. O’Neill State Supreme Court Decision
In this 1996 decision, the state’s Supreme Court ruled that the state
had a constitutional obligation to remedy the educational inequities in
the Hartford schools caused by racial and ethnic isolation (238 Conn. 1
(1996)). The court ordered the state legislature and the governor to craft
a solution and legislation was passed to create voluntary desegregation
in Hartford by creating magnet schools and using other programs such
as Open Choice.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 33 — GRANTS TO ASSIST SHEFF PROGRAMS
Allows the commissioner to award grants from existing Sheff settlement funds for four
specific purposes
The bill allows the commissioner, in order to help the state meets its
Sheff desegregation obligations, to award grants from funds
appropriated for the Sheff settlement for academic and social student
support programs at (1) magnet schools, (2) the Open Choice program,
(3) the interdistrict cooperative program, and (4) the state technical
education and career high schools.
By law, unchanged by the bill, the commissioner can transfer Sheff
money for grants for unspecified purposes for the same programs, also
including grants to state charter schools.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
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§ 34 — INTERSTATE CO MPACT ON EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES FOR MILITARY CHILDREN
Makes technical changes to the Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military
Children
The bill makes two technical changes in the statute addressing the
Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§§ 35 & 37 — LOWERING ELIG IBILITY AGE FOR SCHO OL
READINESS
Lowers the eligibility age of children for the School Readiness preschool program to birth,
rather than age three
The bill lowers the eligibility age of children for the Office of Early
Childhood’s (OEC) School Readiness preschool program. Under current
law, eligible children are those ages three or four, and children age five
who are not eligible to enroll in school (by law a child must reach age
five before January of the school year to attend school that year). The bill
lowers the entry age to birth.
By law, School Readiness is a nonreligious, state-funded program
that (1) meets state standards, (2) provides at least 450 hours and 180
days of developmentally appropriate learning per year, and (3) is open
to age-eligible children.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§§ 36 & 38 — SCHOOL READINESS AND CHILD CARE GRANTS
Removes a requirement that certain excess funds be used exclusively to increase salaries of
early childhood educators; changes annual awarding of a school readiness grant from
annual to biennial
Excess Grant Award Flexibility
Under current law, state-licensed school readiness programs that
operate full-day, year-round programs and receive school readiness
per-pupil state grants must use any grant amount exceeding $8,927 per
child exclusively to increase the salary of individuals directly
responsible for teaching or caring for children in school readiness
program classrooms. 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
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Current law also has a similar excess-funds salary provision for state-
contracted child care facilities that was set to begin with FY 24. This
applies to child care facilities’ contracts with the state for a grant for (1)
an amount at least equal to the per-child cost set in state law for each
child ages three to five, and not yet eligible to enroll in school, and (2) a
$13,500 per-child grant for children ages three and younger who are in
toddler or infant care and not in a preschool program. The amount per
child that is over the amount of the per-child cost stated in the FY 23
contract must be used exclusively to increase salaries of early childhood
educators employed at these child care facilities.
The bill repeals both of these excess-funds salary provisions.
Biennial Grant Award
The bill also changes school readiness grants for priority school
districts from an annual to a biennial award beginning in FY 23. As
under current law, awards depend on available funding and a
satisfactory annual evaluation.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 39 — SMART START COMPETITIVE GRANT PRO GRAM
Removes the FY 24 sunset date (i.e., June 30, 2014) for the smart start competitive grant,
thus making the program permanent
The bill removes the FY 24 sunset date (i.e., June 30, 2014) for the
smart start competitive grant to provide funds for capital and operating
expenses for school districts to expand or establish preschool programs.
The bill makes the program permanent with no end date.
Under current law, the OEC commissioner must prioritize school
boards (1) that demonstrate the greatest need to establish or expand a
preschool program and (2) whose plan allocates (a) at least 60% of the
spaces in the preschool program to children who are members of
families at or below 75% of the state median income or (b) 50% of the
spaces to children who are eligible for free and reduced price lunches
(FRPL). The bill eliminates the option for the commissioner to give
priority to boards that reserve spaces for FRPL-eligible children. 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JM Page 16 6/1/23
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 40 — PARENT ADVISORY CABINET
Requires OEC to establish a parent advisory council
The bill expands OEC’s statutory duties to include establishing a
parent advisory cabinet. The cabinet must advise OEC on ways to:
1. strengthen partnership and communication with families,
2. bring awareness to gaps and barriers to services,
3. increase access to services for families, and
4. help improve the lives of young children and families in the state.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 41 — CARE 4 KIDS INCOME LEVEL ELIGIBILITY
Requires the OEC commissioner to establish a two-tiered income eligibility limit for Care
4 Kids that conforms with federal regulations
The law generally sets the family income eligibility limit for Care 4
Kids child care subsidies at 50% of the statewide median income (SMI)
and additionally gives the OEC commissioner the authority to increase
the family income eligibility limit up to 85% of SMI, the maximum level
allowed under federal law. (In practice, OEC has set the eligible income
level at 60% of SMI.)
Conforming with Federal Regulations
The bill requires the commissioner to establish a two-tiered income
eligibility limit that conforms with federal regulations.
The regulations require that if OEC establishes a maximum income
level at less than 85% SMI, then it must provide a graduated phase-out
by implementing the original eligibility tier plus a second tier set at 85%
SMI or lower, while staying above the agency’s initial eligibility
threshold (for Connecticut 60%) that must account for the typical
household budget of a low-income family. It must also provide a
justification that the second tier threshold is (1) sufficient to
accommodate increases over time in family income and that promote 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JM Page 17 6/1/23
and support family economic stability and (2) reasonably allows a
family to continue accessing child care services without disruption.
Also, the second tier must be used when the recipient is considered for
redetermination.
The limit applies to both applicants for and current recipients of the
subsidy.
The bill also eliminates a provision that requires the commissioner set
the maximum income eligibility at 55% of SMI for applicants and
recipients who qualify based on their loss of eligibility for temporary
family assistance.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 42 — PUBLIC SCHOOL OPERATOR DEFINITION FOR
INSURANCE PURPOSES
Expands the definition of the types of public school operators that can join in health care
benefit agreements with other school operators or municipalities
Current law allows a school board or a municipality to join together
with other school boards or municipalities through a written agreement
to form a single entity in order to provide medical or health care benefits
for their employees.
The bill expands what kinds of entities can participate by allowing
“public school operators” to be part of these agreements. It defines
“public school operator” as a local or regional board of education, a
regional educational service center, the governing council of a state or
local charter school, or an operator of an interdistrict magnet school
program, as described in law.
The bill makes a conforming change to specify that the agreement is
subject to any applicable collective bargaining agreement and, in cases
where there is an existing agreement between a school operator and a
municipality or the municipality and the school operator have separate
plans, the municipality’s legislative body must approve the agreement.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JM Page 18 6/1/23
§§ 43 & 44 — CHARTER SCHOOLS AND THE EDU CATIONAL
INTERESTS OF THE STATE
Explicitly places charter schools under the educational interests of the state law that
includes a complaint process if a party believes the school is not meeting the educational
interests of the state
By law, charter schools are required to follow all federal and state
laws governing public schools, with limited exceptions. The bill
explicitly adds that state laws governing public schools includes the
educational interests of the state. It also allows complaints to be brought
to SBE in situations where a resident or a parent alleges the failure or
inability of a charter school to implement the educational interests of the
state. This complaint provision currently applies to local and regional
boards of education.
The existing exceptions allow (1) charter schools to seek an
enrollment lottery waiver from SBE to pursue a school that has a special
student body such as (a) students with a history of behavioral and social
difficulties, (b) English language learners, or (c) students of a single
gender and (2) the commissioner to waiver certain teacher certification
requirements for charter school staff.
Educational Interests of the State and Complaint Process
By law, the educational interests of the state include the requirement
to implement the educational state mandates and that each:
1. child must have equal opportunity to receive a suitable program
of educational experiences as prescribed in law;
2. school district must finance, at a reasonable level at least equal to
the minimum budget requirement required by state law, an
educational program designed to provide suitable educational
experiences; and
3. school district shall provide educational opportunities for its
students to interact with students and teachers from other racial,
ethnic, and economic backgrounds and may provide these
opportunities with students from other communities.
Complaints must be made to SBE in writing and SBE may initiate a 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JM Page 19 6/1/23
complaint on its own. If after an investigation, during which the school
board or charter school is given the opportunity to present its case, SBE
can require the school board or charter to develop and plan to address
the situation or take other reasonable steps.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 45 — SDE CURRICULUM COORDINATOR
Requires the education commissioner to employ at least one curriculum coordinator
The bill requires the education commissioner to employ at least one
curriculum coordinator. It requires the coordinator to provide
curriculum materials and assist local and regional boards of education
to include certain subject areas when developing instructional
programs.
The bill requires the coordinator to assist with a number of subject
areas in existing law, including:
1. financial literacy in high school (CGS § 10-16pp),
2. cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as part of the health and
safety curriculum (CGS § 10-16qq),
3. African American and black studies and Puerto Rican and Latino
studies as part of the curriculum (CGS § 10-16ss),
4. black and Latino studies course offered in high school (CGS § 10-
16uu),
5. Native American studies as part of the social studies curriculum
(CGS § 10-16vv),
6. Asian American and Pacific Islander studies as part of the social
studies curriculum (school years beginning on or after July 1,
2025) (CGS § 10-16ww), and
7. Holocaust and genocide education and awareness as part of the
social studies curriculum (CGS § 10-18f). 2023HB-06882-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JM Page 20 6/1/23
These subject areas overlap with many of the subjects in the
statutorily required program of instruction that all districts must
provide (see BACKGROUND )
BACKGROUND — Required Program of Instruction
By law, the required program of instruction includes, among other
subjects, the arts; health and safety, including CPR instruction; language
arts, including reading and writing; mathematics; physical education;
science; and social studies, including citizenship, geography,
government, history, Holocaust and genocide awareness, African
American and black studies, Puerto Rican and Latino studies, Native
American studies, and Asian American and Pacific Islander studies
(CGS § 10-16b). (A separate law specifies the minimum high school
graduation requirements.)
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
BACKGROUND — Related Bills
sSB 1028 (File 440), favorably reported by the Education Committee,
includes provisions that are very similar to sections 29-34 of the bill.
sHB 6686 (File 404), favorably reported by the Education Committee,
includes provisions identical to those found in sections 35-40.
sHB 5003 (File 575), §§ 2 & 4, favorably reported by the Education
Committee, includes identical provisions regarding charter schools and
complaints to SBE and the magnet school grant law.
HB 6758 (File 277), § 2, favorably reported by the Education and
Appropriations committees, includes the same SDE staffing provision
as section 45.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Education Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 44 Nay 0 (03/24/2023)