OFFICE OF FISCAL ANALYSIS
Legislative Office Building, Room 5200
Hartford, CT 06106 (860) 240-0200
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ofa
sSB-5
AN ACT CONCERNING SCHOOL RESOURCES.
Primary Analyst: DD 4/2/24
Contributing Analyst(s): LD, RP, ES
Reviewer: JS
OFA Fiscal Note
State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 25 $ FY 26 $
Education, Dept. GF - Cost 90 million
to 140
million
90 million
to 140
million
Education, Dept. GF – Potential
Cost
See Below See Below
Department of Emergency
Services and Public Protection
GF - Cost 87,954 87,954
State Comptroller - Fringe
Benefits
1
GF - Cost 34,219 34,219
Resources of the General Fund GF - Cost See Below See Below
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact:
Municipalities Effect FY 25 $ FY 26 $
Local and Regional School
Districts
Revenue Gain 90 million to
140 million
90 million to
140 million
Various Local Boards of
Education
Cost/Revenue
Gain
See Below See Below
Explanation
The bill results in significant costs annually beginning in FY 25 to the
State Department of Education (SDE) and the Department of Emergency
Services and Public Protection (DESPP). It: (1) uncaps funding for the
Excess Cost grant; (2) establishes new requirements of SDE relating to
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. 2024SB-00005-R000201-FN.DOCX Page 2 of 4
artificial intelligence and to social media; and (3) requires DESPP to
administer a new grant program. The bill also makes a minor reporting
change that has no fiscal impact.
Section 1 results in a cost to the State Department of Education (SDE),
annually beginning in FY 25, of an estimated $90 million to $140 million.
It requires SDE to annually pay to school districts the full amount they
are owed under the Excess Cost formula, regardless of the
appropriation. There is a corresponding revenue gain to districts of
between $90 million and $140 million annually beginning in FY 25 as a
result of the bill.
Sections 2 and 3 result in potentially significant costs annually
beginning in FY 25 to the State Department of Education by requiring
SDE to: (1) purchase and make available an artificial intelligence (AI)
tool for use in classrooms; and (2) develop a professional development
program for teachers to use AI in the classroom. Any costs would vary
based on the type of AI purchased and the materials developed for
professional development.
Section 4 requires the Department of Emergency Services and Public
Protection (DESPP) administer a program to give grants to local or
regional boards of education for services to provide school mapping
data, resulting in a potential cost to the state of at least $122,173 in both
FY 25 and FY 26. The potential cost is contingent upon funding being
made available for the grant program.
2
Depending on the requirements of the program, the complexity of the
applications, and the number of applications received, DESPP may need
to hire one emergency management program specialist. This results in
a potential cost to DESPP of $87,954 for salary and other expenses and a
potential cost to the Office of the State Comptroller of $34,219 for fringe
2
The bill does not allocate funds from any source. Historically, DESPP has received
funds for similar programs from a variety of sources including appropriations, bond
authorizations, and federal funds (including ARPA). If DESPP receives state funding,
it is assumed to be a General Fund appropriation or bond authorization. 2024SB-00005-R000201-FN.DOCX Page 3 of 4
benefits in FY 25 and FY 26.
A district that chooses not to participate in the grant program will
incur no fiscal impact. A district that chooses to participate will incur a
cost to build school mapping data. This cost would be at least partially
offset by grant funding it receives from DESPP under the bill's
provisions. The net impact to districts will depend on: (1) the per facility
cost of building school mapping data; (2) the number of facilities
mapped; and (3) the grant funding provided by DESPP.
The typical cost of services to provide school mapping data for one
building is approximately $4,000 to $5,000. There are 900 to 1,100 eligible
school buildings in the state.
Section 5 results in potential costs annually beginning in FY 25. It
requires the State Department of Education (SDE) to develop a pilot
program for participating schools to study the impact of social media in
various ways. Costs are associated with hiring a contractor assist with
pilot administration and purchasing any necessary materials.
Section 6 expands eligibility for the Care 4 Kids program to include
parents or guardians of children who are enrolled in Medicaid and adds
them to the priority intake and eligibility list. This makes families
enrolled in Medicaid eligible without any of the work, job training, or
education requirements. This could result in a cost to the Office of Early
Childhood (OEC) to the extent that more families qualify under the
provisions of the bill. OEC manages Care4Kids expenditures with the
use of the waitlist which may be increased should more families qualify
for Care4Kids.
Section 7 has no fiscal impact. It requires local and regional school
districts to report certain HVAC maintenance information to the
Department of Administrative Services. It is anticipated that districts
can meet this requirement with existing resources.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would 2024SB-00005-R000201-FN.DOCX Page 4 of 4
continue into the future subject to inflation.