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State Rep. Bill Buckby urges changes to ECS formula and explains legislative "short session" pressures
Summary
State Rep. Bill Buckby described Connecticut's long and short legislative sessions, warned that compressing work into short sessions limits public input, and backed a proposal to raise the ECS foundation amount per pupil from $11,525 to $18,681 with automatic inflation adjustments to relieve municipal property-tax pressure.
State Rep. Bill Buckby, the representative for New Milford's 67th District, used a town livestream to explain the difference between Connecticut—————————long and short legislative sessions and to press for changes to the state's Educational Cost Sharing (ECS) formula.
"On odd-numbered years we set the budget in a long session; short sessions are supposed to be fixes but this year many large items are being crammed into a shorter calendar," Buckby said, describing late nights in Hartford and how compressed timetables can limit the public's ability to weigh in. He said short sessions have become more work-intensive and that leadership often negotiates amendments behind closed doors.
Buckby said New Milford has been underfunded by ECS for years and outlined a minority-party proposal to raise the ECS foundation amount per pupil from $11,525 to $18,681 and include an automatic inflation adjustment. "That would take a lot of pressure off municipalities like New Milford," he said, adding that both parties have ideas but that success depends on willingness to negotiate.
Why it matters: ECS is the primary state mechanism meant to help municipalities cover education mandates. Buckby said current distributions favor larger cities and have not kept pace with inflation, forcing local property taxes upward in towns like New Milford.
Details and context: Buckby traced the formula—'s problems to implementation and distribution choices that he said currently benefit larger cities (he named Hartford, New Britain, New London and Bridgeport). He said the state sometimes must "bail out" cities with difficult fiscal situations, and estimated Hartford could be tens of millions short in certain contexts. Buckby said the foundation increase and an inflation adjustment would better align state support with local costs.
What happens next: Buckby said committee meetings were wrapping up and that the House would meet the following week; he encouraged constituents to follow the session calendar online and to contact him through his constituent site. He stressed that any change requires negotiation in Hartford and that members on both sides must accept compromises for legislation to move forward.
Attribution: Buckby discussed the legislative calendar and ECS funding during a New Milford town livestream; comments were made on behalf of his role as state representative for the 67th District.
