Special-education task force urges $160M ECS boost, lower excess-cost threshold and new oversight of private placements

HARTFORD, Jan. 29 — A legislative special-education task force recommended a major change to Connecticut's school funding system and a package of policy and oversight steps aimed at easing staff shortages, improving equity and curbing sharply rising placement costs.

"There were 4 areas that were huge areas for us to really focus in on. Number 1 is the severe staff shortages. Number 2, the lack of resources. Number 3, the lack of equity across the state. And 4, the failure to close the achievement gap," Fran Rabinowitz, executive director of the superintendents organization and a tri-chair of the task force, told the Select Committee on Special Education during a Jan. 29 presentation.

The task force proposed amending the state's Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula to add a special-education weight that the group said would be equivalent to a 50% weight based on the number of special-education students in each district. The task force said the change would add about $160,000,000 to the next state budget, an estimate the group cited from the School and State Finance Project.

Nut graf: The recommendation aims to put more predictable dollars into districts to cover unusually high per-student costs tied to special education, while also pushing districts to expand in-district programs, increase oversight of private placements and invest in workforce steps for teachers and paraeducators.

The task force emphasized multiple, linked reforms rather than a single fix. Key finance and program recommendations included:

- Adjust ECS: Add a special-education weight to ECS (task force cited a 50% weight proposal) to deliver a substantial, recurring increase in state aid.

- Change…