Regional district says state "seed" special-education grant left local high school with no allocation

Superintendent (unnamed) told the Regional School District 8 Board of Education that the state’s Special Education Enhancement and Development ("seed") grant, a recurring program this year totaling roughly $30 million statewide, was distributed to towns and local districts without a clear allocation method for regional districts. He said the state issued only a memo advising regional districts to "work with their local towns" to receive funding and provided no explicit formula for distributing funds to regions.

The superintendent described how he met with a Connecticut State Department of Education staffer and computed a per-pupil estimate by dividing a town’s allocation by a local count that the state used (50% of special-education counts in their formula) and applying that per-pupil figure to Regional School District 8’s high-need students. He told the board he believes the regional district was intended to be eligible but that local districts used the state money for plans already in place, leaving the region with no allocation this year.

Board members raised concerns about miscommunication from the state and noted that some local districts made spending plans and hired staff assuming they would keep the grant funds. The superintendent said he has talked with the three sending towns’ superintendents and town managers and has reached out to the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents and the state school finance team. He said those state staffers acknowledge the distribution "was a mess" and that changes are likely next year.

The superintendent estimated the regional district’s potential share at about $39,000 (based on his per-pupil computation), and said he will advocate with state representatives and the Department of Education for a corrected distribution method in future grant rounds. He emphasized that local towns retain discretion over whether and how to share any portion of their allocation with the regional district and that no legal obligation was communicated by the state.

Board members discussed options for future coordination with the towns to agree in advance how town allocations would be shared with the region if the state does not change the distribution method. The superintendent said he had no intention of pursuing adversarial action but will continue advocacy work and coordination efforts.

The board did not vote on the issue; the discussion served as an informational briefing and an authorization to continue advocacy and outreach to the towns and state officials.