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Resident urges state to release $5 million and calls for $37 million funding boost for Bridgeport schools
Summary
Joseph Oliver told the council that Bridgeport Public Schools face a projected $37 million shortfall and said the state withheld $5 million tied to a bond-bill qualifier; he urged coordinated advocacy and higher per-pupil funding tied to inflation.
A Bridgeport resident and education advocate told the city council the state’s school funding formula leaves the district behind and pressed the city and local delegation to push for more aid. Joseph Oliver said the state withheld $5 million intended for Bridgeport Public Schools by relying on a bond-bill qualifier that requires proof Bridgeport will not need supplemental aid in the future.
Oliver estimated the schools need about $37 million to maintain current levels of service and warned that every dollar below that figure will force additional cuts. “We need a $2,000 minimum per pupil increase in the foundation amount,” he said, and urged residents and council members to testify at state budget hearings, pass resolutions demanding fair funding, and pressure the governor and delegation.
Oliver criticized the governor’s assertion that districts have too many administrators and said Bridgeport’s administrative counts are comparable to wealthier districts. He called for the funding formula to include real weights for poverty, special education and English-language learners and to be tied to inflation.
The remarks were part of the public-comment period; no formal council action on state funding was recorded in this meeting.
Provenance: Joseph Oliver gave these remarks during public speaking at the start of the meeting and cited specific amounts and policy requests to the council.
