S CHOOL F INANCE 101 How Connecticut’s school funding system impacts public schools and communities
Contact Us For questions or comments about the information presented today, please contact us: Katie Roy, Director and Founder Email: katie.roy@ctschoolfinance.org Cell: 860-912-0775 Twitter: @eduKATEmatters To learn more about the Connecticut School Finance Project, visit us at: www.ctschoolfinance.org Follow us on Twitter: @CTSchoolFinance 2
About the CT School Finance Project • The way Connecticut funds its schools isn’t working. The current system is unfair to students, schools, and communities across the state. • Founded in 2015, the nonprofit Connecticut School Finance Project aims to fix this broken system and be a trusted, nonpartisan, and independent source of accurate data and information. • Although not a member-based organization, the Connecticut School Finance Project actively works with a diverse group of stakeholders, including education and community leaders, nonprofit organizations, and individuals interested in how school finance impacts their students and schools. • We aim to develop fair, well thought-out solutions to Connecticut’s school finance challenges that incorporate the viewpoints and perspectives of stakeholders. 3
CT School Finance Project’s Goals • Build knowledge about how the current school funding system works, • Bring together stakeholders who are impacted by how schools are funded, and • Identify solutions to Connecticut’s school funding challenges that are fair to students and taxpayers, and strengthen schools and communities. 4
Equality vs. Equity 5
S TATE AND D ISTRICT O VERVIEW
Over the last 10 years, the total number of students in Connecticut public schools has declined Connecticut Public School Enrollment by School Year 600,000 580,000 Enrollment 560,000 540,000 520,000 500,000 School Years Source: Connecticut State Department of Education. (2016). CT Public School Enrollment_2000.mdb . Available from http://ctschoolfinance.org/data/ connecticut-school-enrollment. 7
Over the past decade, enrollments for Griswold, Norwich and Lisbon have declined Enrollment by School Year by District 4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 Lisbon Griswold 2,000 Norwich 1,500 1,000 500 0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Source: Connecticut State Department of Education. (2016). CT Public School Enrollment_2000.mdb . Available from http://ctschoolfinance.org/data/ connecticut-school-enrollment. 8
While Norwich’s school-age population is projected to slightly increase by 2025, Griswold’s and Lisbon’s populations are expected to decrease Projected School-Age Population (5-19-year-olds) by District 8,000 7,512 7,571 7,000 7,454 6,000 5,000 Lisbon 4,000 Griswold 3,000 Norwich 2,323 2,289 2,193 2,000 850 702 633 1,000 0 2015 2020 2025 Source: Batt, S., Guarino, Z., & Zheng, Q. (2015). Demographic Change in Connecticut School Districts [Data visualizations]. Storrs, CT: Connecticut State Data Center. Retrieved from http://blogs.lib.uconn.edu/outsidetheneatline/2015/07/24/demographic-change-in-connecticut-school-districts/. 9
Student need is increasing across the state and in Griswold, Lisbon, and Norwich 10
CT’s low-income, EL, and special education populations have increased over the past 10 years Connecticut Public School Demographics 40 35 30 25 Percent 20 % FRPL 15 % EL 10 % SPED 5 0 School Years Source: Connecticut State Department of Education. (2016). CT Public School Enrollment_2000.mdb . Available from http://ctschoolfinance.org/data/ connecticut-school-enrollment. 11
Student poverty in Griswold, Lisbon, and Norwich has increased significantly over the past 10 years Estimated % of Students in Poverty 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% Lisbon 25% Griswold 20% Norwich 15% 10% 5% 0% 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2016) . U.S. Census Bureau Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates, 2015 . Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/did/www/ saipe/data/schools/data/2015.html. 12
The percentage of FRPL-eligible students each district serves has also increased significantly over the past 10 years % of Students w/ Free and Reduced Priced Lunch 100% 90% 75% 80% 70% 60% Lisbon 49% 50% Griswold 40% 40% Norwich 26% 30% 19% 15% 20% 10% 0% 2007 2016 Source: Connecticut State Department of Education. (2016). CT Public School Enrollment_2000.mdb . Available from http://ctschoolfinance.org/data/ connecticut-school-enrollment. 13
Griswold Public Schools spends less than similar and nearby districts, while Norwich and Lisbon spend slightly more than the state average 2015-16 Spending Per Student $20,000 $17,689 $17,012 $16,249 $16,263 $15,605 $15,320 $16,000 $14,011 $12,000 $8,000 $4,000 $0 Griswold Montville Groton State Average Norwich Lisbon Lebanon Griswold Montville Groton State Average Norwich Lisbon Lebanon 40% 38% 42% 38% 75% 26% 17% % FRPL 1% 3% 3% 6% 14% % EL * * 14% 15% 16% 14% 18% 12% 15% % SPED *Due to the low number of students meeting this demographic, 2015-16 data from these districts is suppressed to ensure student confidentially. Sources: Connecticut State Department of Education. (2016). 2015-16 Net Current Expenditures Per Pupil . Available from http://ctschoolfinance.org/data/connecticut- public-school-district-spending-per-student-2015-16. Connecticut State Department of Education. (2016). CT Public School Enrollment_2000.mdb . Available from http://ctschoolfinance.org/data/connecticut-school-enrollment. 14
H OW ARE C ONNECTICUT’S P UBLIC S CHOOLS F UNDED?
What are the funding sources for public education in Connecticut? Funding by Source ($Billions) $12 $0.5 $10 Funding ($Billions) $4.1 $8 $6 $10.5B $4 $5.9 $2 $0 Connecticut From Local Sources From State Sources From Federal Sources Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2016). Public Education Finances: 2014 . Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/ 2016/econ/g14-aspef.pdf. 16
Funding sources differ between Griswold, Lisbon, Norwich, and their peer and nearby districts Per Pupil Funding by Source, 2014-15 $18,000 $16,552 $15,902 $15,581 $15,230 $14,520 $14,185 $15,000 $5,611 $5,391 $6,631 $12,000 $5,082 $8,102 Tuition/Other $pp $6,029 Federal $pp $9,000 State $pp $6,000 Local $pp $10,229 $9,473 $8,901 $8,762 $7,036 $6,747 $3,000 $0 Griswold Montville Groton Norwich Lisbon Lebanon Lower $ Per Pupil Higher $ Per Pupil Sources: Connecticut State Department of Education. (2016). Connecticut Local Public School District Per Pupil Expenditures by Revenue Source & Property Tax Information, 2013-15 . Available from http://ctschoolfinance.org/data/local-school-district-per-pupil-expenditures-by-revenue-source- property-tax-information. 17
L OCAL F UNDING
While taxpayers contribute $7,036 per student in Griswold, $6,747 in Norwich and $8,762 in Lisbon 2014-15 Local Contribution Per Pupil $11,320 $12,000 $10,229 $9,473 $10,000 $8,901 $8,762 $8,000 $7,036 $6,747 $6,000 $4,000 $2,000 $0 Griswold Montville Groton State Norwich Lisbon Lebanon Average Lower $ Per Pupil Higher $ Per Pupil Source: Connecticut State Department of Education. (2016). Connecticut Local Public School District Per Pupil Expenditures by Revenue Source & Property Tax Information, 2013-15 . Available from http://ctschoolfinance.org/data/local-school-district-per-pupil-expenditures-by-revenue-source- property-tax-information. 19
Is there a minimum budget amount? CT has a “minimum budget requirement”, also known as the “MBR,” which • all communities must adhere to in providing funding to their local school districts. In general, the rule is that a municipality must provide its local school • district with no less local support in the current year than in the prior year , plus or minus any increase/decrease in ECS funding. – However, Alliance District-specific funding is not part of the MBR calculation. Consequently, an Alliance District’s total budget can be reduced by the difference between FY 2015-16 and FY 2016-17 Alliance District funding without violating a community’s MBR. During the 2015 legislative session, some changes were made that allow • non-Alliance District communities to lower their MBRs under some circumstances. Additionally, the percentage MBR for Alliance Districts was removed from statute. As a result, communities are no longer required to provide a minimum percentage of their school district budget. Source: Conn. Gen. Statutes ch. 164, § 10-262i, 10-262f as amended by Conn. Acts 15-99; Conn. Acts 16-03, section 125 (May Special Session). 20
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