Reddington-Hughes Advocates for $108 Million in Special Education Funding

HARTFORD – On Wednesday, the House introduced its second special education funding bill in just a week after Governor Lamont vetoed the first one, citing reckless spending. In response, majority party leadership struck a behind-the-scenes deal to create an off-budget funding mechanism, bypassing established surplus funds.

Rep. Reddington-Hughes, a member of the Education Committee, expressed concern: “The legislature missed a big opportunity to responsibly fund special education excess cost grants. Instead, we continue with the same policies that contributed to Connecticut’s fiscal issues prior to the implementation of spending and borrowing caps. Circumventing these guidelines sets a dangerous precedent for our budget process.”

Before the $40 million allocation was approved, House Republicans proposed a $108 million funding package to fully support excess cost grants, using surplus funds and maintaining fiscal guardrails.

“The failure of this amendment along party lines shows that the intent wasn’t to fully meet the needs of our municipalities,” said Reddington-Hughes. “We offered a clear funding path that would protect Connecticut’s cities and towns, but the majority rejected it.”

Despite her efforts, the amendment was unsuccessful, and Reddington-Hughes could not support the underlying bill, as it bypassed state budgeting policies and broke spending caps.

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