Connecticut Public

Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday said his budget proposal would boost spending for special education by about $54 million in the second year of the biennium, aligning himself with legislators who have prioritized the issue. The budget will include pitches for a $40 million increase to the Excess Cost Grant, which is the state’s reimbursement model to districts for high special education costs, and a $14 million grant program to help districts develop ways to educate more students with disabilities in-district rather than sending them to private programs outside the district. But districts wouldn’t receive the money until 2026-27, the second year of the new biennium. And with state officials worried that President Donald Trump and Congress could soon slash state aid, Connecticut’s fiscal outlook could change dramatically well before districts are due to receive the proposed $54 million.