My Editorial: “A Necessary Conversation on Education”

While recently reading to our local students in celebration of “Read Across America Week,” I was moved by how engaged they were in my role as State Representative and their role as future voters. Our students represent the next generation of Connecticut workers, parents, business owners, and residents which makes it critical to prioritize their needs and support their education.

As a member of the Education Committee, I share this sentiment with some colleagues on both sides of the aisle, however, certain proposals this session fail to both prioritize our schools while also reducing the financial burden on our taxpayers. Although education legislation can be difficult to understand, I will break down a few bills I have flagged as unfunded mandates that would make our state even more unaffordable.

After reviewing hundreds of education-related bills throughout my tenure, I know an unfunded mandate when I see one. Many times, these bills use terms in their descriptions like “free” or “universal”, when in reality, nothing in government is free.

That brings me to our first bill, An Act Establishing Universal Access to Prekindergarten Education (Senate Bill 540), which promotes a good idea without the necessary funding. For years, I have joined lawmakers to invest in quality early childhood education which can greatly impact a child’s educational journey. The challenge, however, is expanding access without creating an additional financial burden on taxpayers who may not benefit from these programs.

This same challenge also exists with our next proposal, An Act Concerning Free Bus Passes for High School Students (House Bill 5382). As someone who remembers walking to the bus stop in the freezing cold, a free bus pass may have made it worthwhile. The same is true with An Act Concerning Universal School Meals (House Bill 5746). But as much as “free” bus passes and “universal” lunches would be ideal, who bears the cost? Property taxpayers? Schools? Municipalities?

Apart from affordability concerns, one unfunded mandate proposed this session involves giving newborns numbers to track their development. In An Act Concerning the Assignment of SASID Numbers at Birth (House Bill 5521), State Assigned Student Identifier (SASID) numbers, which are used in CT schools to track enrollment, would be given to every child born in Connecticut to track their mental development early on. As a lawmaker, I see this as another unfunded mandate on our families. As a mother, I think this might be too intrusive on the lives of our children and families.

Again, even though these bills try to do something positive, whether it’s providing lunches or helping developmentally disabled students access necessary resources, it’s irresponsible to promise solutions without informing folks of predicted financial consequences. Right now, my colleagues and I are in the midst of negotiating our future state budget agreement and my motto simply continues to be: if we don’t have the money for it, we can’t afford it.

Quality education is essential, but it can only be achieved by passing legislation that is in line with our budget. My Republican colleagues and I have a history of prioritizing education funding whether it was using remaining COVID relief funding to help cover special education costs last year or recently advocating for amending Excess Cost Sharing statutes to fully fund special education.

Looking ahead, I will continue to protect my constituents from unfunded mandates while keeping our students and hardworking teachers at the forefront of our conversation on education. If you have questions about this, or any state issue, please contact me at Kathy.Kennedy@housegop.ct.gov or at 860-240-8700.