STATEMENT BY MAYOR ELICKER ON THE BIENNIAL STATE BUDGET

NEW HAVEN, CT - Mayor Justin Elicker released the following statement regarding the biennial state budget for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, which passed by both chambers of the Connecticut General Assembly and Governor Lamont had indicated he will sign into law:

"New Haven's state delegation were fierce advocates for our city and delivered several important local wins. In particular, the increased funding New Haven will receive through the PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) program and the Supplemental Revenue Sharing Grant will help support critical municipal services and are incredibly important funding sources for the city, given the significant amount of non-profit, non-taxable land that exists in New Haven.

However, on the larger issue of state education funding, our state delegation's hands were tied by Governor Lamont whose obsession with the state's "fiscal guardrails" and belief that urban school districts don't need additional funding is causing real harm to our students in New Haven and students across the state.

Governor Lamont continues to say the state is providing "historic levels of support" for education. However, the only thing "historic" about the state's K to 12 education funding is the ongoing record Connecticut is setting for not increasing the state's allocation level of per student funding, which hasn't increased from its stagnant amount of $11,525 since 2013. It is irresponsible for the state to continue to fund public schools at the same per pupil level as it did over a decade ago.

Governor Lamont also likes to claim that Connecticut spends more on education than any other state, but he doesn't acknowledge that most of that funding comes from local municipalities who have been compensating for the state's lack of support. In reality, only 36 percent of education funding in Connecticut came from the state, the sixth least of any state, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Connecticut is woefully behind other states when it comes to state education funding and equitably funding its highest needs students and school districts. As a result, Connecticut has among of the highest proficiency gaps between white students and students of color in the nation, according to the Nation's Report Card.

Public school families, teachers, superintendents, and mayors from across the state have made it abundantly clear that we are facing a funding crisis in public education. Disappointingly, that message was not heard by Governor Lamont this legislative session.

We know our state delegation did everything they could, including setting an appropriate benchmark of an added 50 percent financial weight to support the more diverse and complex learning needs of students with disabilities. However, they lacked a partner in Governor Lamont to ensure it is fully funded.

As a result, in the coming weeks, like other municipalities and school districts across the state, New Haven will have to make difficult decisions and painful choices, as New Haven Public Schools faces a deficit of $16.5 million dollars -- and staff reductions and program cuts will be unavoidable.

Despite this disappointing news, it was inspiring to see so many students, educators and residents rally for our public schools and advocate for additional funding throughout the legislative session, and we will continue to advocate as a community for more equitable funding for our students."

PRESS CONTACT:

Lenny Speiller | (203) 725-4249; Lspeiller@newhavenct.gov