Legislators Recognized by BOE for Recovering Special Education Funding for Newtown

NEWTOWN – On Tuesday night, Newtown legislators State Representatives Mitch Bolinsky (R-106), J.P. Sredzinski (R-112), Dan Carter (R-2), and State Senator Tony Hwang (R-28) were recognized by the Newtown Board of Education for their work during the 2016 legislative session to return special education funding to the district.

Dr. Joseph Erardi, the Superintendent for Schools in Newtown, discovered a miscalculation and engaged Newtown’s state delegation to investigate and take corrective action.  Legislative Council member Ryan Knapp further pressed the issue, caused by an error in the accounting of a portion of Newtown’s federal Post-12/14 Recovery Grant dollars that caused Newtown Schools to be inadvertently shorted a portion of their 2014 to 2016 Connecticut Special Education Excess Cost Grant funding.

Under state law, Connecticut provides Special Education Excess Cost Grants to districts to help offset special education costs if the services’ costs are more than four and a half times the average per pupil education costs.  In this case, Newtown did not receive its FY 14-16 grant dollars in because its US Department of Justice and US Department of Education’s SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence) program grants for those years were included in the per pupil expenditure calculation, ultimately denying the district a significant amount of Special Education funding.

Through collaboration between the Newtown delegation and Dr. Erardi, they worked to reverse this error, inserting a provision in Public Act 16-188 to ensure Newtown will receive a grant payment of about $180,000 in FY 17 to make up for this exclusion.

Rep. Bolinsky (left) with Reps. Sredzinski, Dr. Erardi, Sen. Hwang, and Rep. Carter at the BOE meeting.

“Getting this bill passed and restoring the funding to Newtown Schools was a bright spot in what was an otherwise disappointing legislative session,” said Rep. Bolinsky. “I am pleased that we were able to gain bipartisan consensus to do the right thing and to make Newtown whole on these Special Ed dollars.  Dr. Erardi provided us a compelling roadmap to follow, and the district’s data was undeniable. This gave my colleagues and me a great start in gaining the full support of the State Board of Education and the legislature’s Education Committee, on which Rep. Carter and I serve.  With the help of committee leadership, our team was able to ensure this bill went through on the first run.”

“Newtown was unfairly targeted because of a calculation error, but thankfully we were able to right this wrong in this session,” said Rep. Sredziski. “I’m grateful for Dr. Erardi’s leadership and to be part of a delegation that works so hard for their constituents.”

“Things really are looking bright for Newtown,” said Rep. Carter, “especially after the opening of our new elementary school last week. With essential funding for special education programs re-instated, parents can be proud of the school system they are trusting their children’s education to. Such well-supported educators and empowering resources will allow all Newtown students to come to school each day looking forward to the lessons and activities ahead. I thank the General Assembly for their support on this legislation, and their support for the students of Newtown.”

“I am proud of my Newtown legislative colleagues for their tireless effort to protect our town from an unfair educational cut,” Sen. Hwang said.  “This bill is about restoring fairness and ensuring that all Newtown students receive the best education for their future success.  I want to especially thank Dr. Erardi, the BOE and education advocates for this successful team effort.”

The legislators were presented with certificates of appreciation from the Board of Education at their meeting Tuesday night at Reed Intermediate School.