OFFICE OF FISCAL ANALYSIS
Legislative Office Building, Room 5200
Hartford, CT 06106 (860) 240-0200
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ofa
sHB-5437
AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION MANDATE RELIEF.
As Amended by House "A" (LCO 4977)
House Calendar No.: 413
Senate Calendar No.: 422
Primary Analyst: DD 5/3/24
Contributing Analyst(s):
Reviewer: JS
OFA Fiscal Note
State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 25 $ FY 26 $
Education, Dept. GF - Cost 51,500 103,000
State Comptroller - Fringe
Benefits
1
GF - Cost 21,243 42,487
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact:
Municipalities Effect FY 25 $ FY 26 $
Local and Regional School
Districts
Cost Potential Potential
Local and Regional School
Districts
See Below See Below See Below
Explanation
The bill makes a variety of changes to education statutes that impact
the State Department of Education and local and regional school
districts. The impact of these changes is described by section below.
Section 1 establishes the Education Mandate Review Advisory
Council. This has no fiscal impact.
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 41.25% of payroll in FY 25. 2024HB-05437-R01-FN.DOCX Page 2 of 5
Sections 2 allows professional development and evaluation
committees within local and regional school districts to determine the
manner and schedule of professional development requirements in
their districts. The amendment requires that each requirement is
provided at least once every five years. This potentially shifts the cost of
meeting the requirements across fiscal years, to the extent that these
committees alter their districts' professional development schedules.
Section 3 makes conforming changes regarding existing trainings for
educators and paraeducators. This has no fiscal impact.
Sections 4 - 5 adjust certain training requirements for school resource
officers. This has no fiscal impact as it does not affect the cost to local
and regional school districts of providing such training.
Section 6 eliminates, for some elementary and secondary school
facilities, and delays, for others, a requirement that has not yet taken
effect for school facilities serving any grades K-12 that generate a high
volume of waste to separate and compost organic waste (i.e., food
scraps).
The section limits the number of these facilities that will be required
to separate and compost food scraps to such facilities located within 20
miles of a composting facility. For those facilities that must separate and
compost food scraps, the requirement is delayed from January 1, 2025
to July 1, 2026.
The section results in: (1) a delay, from FY 25 to FY 27, of any fiscal
impacts for local and regional school boards associated with these
provisions, and (2) an elimination of fiscal impacts to those facilities that
generate a high volume of food scraps and are more than 20 miles away
from a composting facility.
Sections 7 - 8 have no fiscal impact. They make procedural changes
regarding the administration of local and regional district finances.
Section 9 has no fiscal impact. It makes several changes to high school
graduation requirements that are not expected to increase the cost of 2024HB-05437-R01-FN.DOCX Page 3 of 5
curriculum administration or development.
Section 10 has no fiscal impact. It exempts international students
enrolled in endowed academies from the requirement to fill out a Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Sections 11 - 12 make technical changes and have no fiscal impact.
Sections 13 - 19 have no fiscal impact. They make changes regarding
school climate and student discipline. These changes are not expected
to increase costs to SDE or to local and regional school districts
associated with: (1) the provision of services to students who are
arrested or receive out-of-school suspensions; or (2) the administration
of school climate surveys.
Section 20 results in an annual cost beginning in FY 25 for the State
Department of Education to appoint a director of school climate
improvement. It is anticipated that SDE will have to hire an employee
to fulfill this requirement.
These costs to SDE are expected to be $51,500 in FY 25 and $103,000
in FY 26 and annually thereafter. There are corresponding fringe benefit
costs of $21,243 in FY 25 and $42,487 in FY 26 and annually thereafter.
FY 25 costs are in anticipation of a January 1, 2025 hire date.
Sections 21 – 22 have no fiscal impact. The sections require the
Connecticut Preschool Through Twenty and Workforce Information
Network (P20 WIN) to create a plan to establish a data intermediary to
facilitate data sharing across nonprofits, and to annually report
regarding disconnected youth. It is anticipated that the network can
fulfill these responsibilities with existing resources.
Section 23 has no fiscal impact. It requires local and regional school
districts to enter agreements to share certain student data with local
youth service bureaus. It is anticipated that school districts can meet
these provisions with existing resources.
Section 24 makes technical changes regarding youth service bureaus, 2024HB-05437-R01-FN.DOCX Page 4 of 5
which have no fiscal impact.
Section 25 results in potential costs annually beginning in FY 25 to
local and regional school districts. It requires local and regional school
districts to expand credit recovery programs available within
alternative education to any student who is at risk of not graduating and
is enrolled in a traditional education program. To the extent that this
requirement increases enrollment in credit recovery programs, districts
could incur costs to purchase additional supplies and materials for those
classes.
Section 26 makes a technical change regarding a model student work
release policy developed by the Chief Workforce Officer. This has no
fiscal impact, as it is not anticipated to affect the cost of updating the
policy.
Section 27 allows the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education
to convene a working group to conduct a review of high school
graduation requirements. This has no fiscal impact as it does not
establish any new requirements of the State Department of Education or
local or regional school districts.
Section 28 allows the Connecticut Education Association to convene
a working group to conduct a review of high school grading policies
and the accountability index. This has no fiscal impact as it does not
establish any new requirements of the State Department of Education or
local or regional school districts.
Section 29 establishes a task force to develop recommendations for
the creation and administration of a statewide program for bereavement
and grief counseling to children and families. This has no fiscal impact.
Section 30 repeals a working group to review mandates on the State
Department of Education and local and regional school districts.
House "A" strikes the underlying bill and its associated fiscal impact
and results in the above identified fiscal impact. 2024HB-05437-R01-FN.DOCX Page 5 of 5
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to inflation.
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.