Education Funding and Excess Cost Grant Overview in Watertown Public Schools
The pre-budget information presented to the Board of Education in Watertown Public Schools covers the breakdown of education funding sources in Connecticut, details of federal and state grants received, and an explanation of the Excess Cost Grant (ECG) supporting high-cost special education placements. The ECG application process, reimbursement percentages, and historical data on ECG reimbursements are highlighted, offering insights into funding allocation for special education programs.
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Pre-Budget Information on ECS & ECG Monday, February 13, 2023 Presented to the Board of Education by Alison Villanueva, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools
Where Does Education Funding Come From? In Connecticut, (in 2020) education revenues were: 5% from federal sources 41% from state sources 53% from local sources (54% from property taxes) Sources: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cma and CT data from SDE Bureau of Grants Management: https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/Fiscal-Services/Grant-Calculations-and-Payments/Documents
Watertown Public Schools Grants in Any Given Year In Approximations FEDERAL GRANTS STATE GRANTS IDEA (Special Education): $700,000 Title I: $260,000 Title II: $49,000 Title III: $15,500 Title IV: $15,400 Carl Perkins: $27,700 Education Cost Sharing: $11,800,000 Excess Cost Grant: $1,150,000 The last two years we saw pandemic relief money (ESSER, CARES, ARP ESSER)
What is the Excess Cost Grant (ECG)? The Excess Cost Grant provides state support for high cost special education placements and select regular education placements https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/Fiscal- Services/Special-Education. The threshold for which a student becomes eligible for the Excess Cost Grant is calculated with the following formula: Watertown s 2021-2022 Per Pupil Expenditure is $19,010 For example: [district s per pupil expenditure] x 4.5 $19,010 x 4.5 = $85,545
Excess Cost Grant (ECG) Special Education 5 Years 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 (anticipated) 2023-2024 83.0% TBD TBD 72.8% 73.6% 71.1% 83.5% % of ECG Reimbursement TBD TBD $882,512 $847,748 $919,422 $1,058,164 $1,133,181 $ Amount of ECG received n/a $8,661,222 $9,985,804 $11,103,885 $10,877,867 TBD TBD ~ Total Annual Actual Special Education Costs Including Salaries
How do you apply the Excess Cost Grant (ECG)? A student becomes eligible for the Excess Cost Grant when the costs of their placement (including transportation) exceeds $85,545. Any funds spent beyond the base amount of $85,545 becomes eligible and can be submitted to the State for reimbursement. The State reimburses a percentage of the excess costs back to the district. Excess Cost Grant amounts are submitted on December 1 and March 1 of each academic year. Excess Cost Grant funds are dispersed each year in February and May. February s disbursement is calculated using the prior year s data. The formula is then updated to calculate the May disbursement.
Parent Choice @ Nonnewaug HS Cost $19,756.17 SY Tuition SY Transportation Student A ESY Tuition ESY Transportation Total *$19,756.17 * Special Education Costs additional Parent Choice @ ACES at Chase Cost $32,820.00 SY Tuition SY Transportation Student B ESY Tuition ESY Transportation Total $32,820.00
Parent Choice @ Waterbury Arts Magnet Cost $54,470.00 SY Tuition Student C SY Transportation ESY Tuition ESY Transportation Total $54,470.00 Out of District Placement @ State Street Waterbury Cost $70,000.00 SY Tuition $29,503.00 SY Transportation Student D ESY Tuition ESY Transportation Total $99,503.00
Out of District Placement @ Meliora Academy Cost $168,140.00 SY Tuition Student E $30,370.00 SY Transportation $40,700.00 ESY Tuition $7,700.00 ESY Transportation Total $246,910.00 Out of District Placement @ Milestones Cost $249,285.97 SY Tuition Student F $40,755 SY Transportation ESY Tuition $4,487.50 ESY Transportation Total $294,528.47
State of CTs Investment into Education Major Education Programs FY 2021-22 App. (In $Millions) $2,140 ECS TRS-Pension obligations $1,475 Debt-service k-12 related (est.) $1,000 Magnet Schools $282 CTHSS Excess Cost (Special Education) $165 $141 Debt service P.O.Bs $203 Charter Schools $127 11 Choice Transportation $63 Total Major Education App. $5,596 FY 2021-22 App. $20, 746 27.0% Sources: Presentation at UCONN ELP. Office of Fiscal Analysis, Budget Book for FY 2022-23 Biennium, found here: https://www.cga.ct.gov/ofa/Documents/year/BB/2021BB- 20210927_FY%2022%20and%20FY%2023%20Connecticut%20Budget.pdf
What is the ECS Formula? ECS was created in 1988 and enacted in 1989 Foundation (proxy for state portion of regular education costs: (now $11,525) X Number # of students with need weighting (Resident Students + More Students added for FRPL and EL) *100 resident students could become 140 with need factored in X Base Aid Ratio (BAR) measures each town s ability to pay for education using both property and income, a formula that provides the % of the Foundation that a town gets: A city with many need students and little wealth could get 70% or more of the Foundation X Need students Source: Sections 225-230, Public Act 17-02, June Special Session, An Act Concerning the State Budget for the Biennium Ending June 30, 2019, Making Appropriations Therefore, Authorizing and Adjusting Bonds of the State, and Implementing Provisions of the Budget and P.A. 21-2, JSS.
The ECS Foundation ($11,525) Source: UCONN ELP / CT State Department of Education, Division of Finance and Internal Operations
Education Cost Sharing (State Funding) 5 Years 2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 (anticipated) 2023-2024 $11,748,394 $11,780,186 $11,879,281 $12,005,854 TBD Amount of ECS received + $31,792 + $99,095 + $126,573 TBD TBD +/- 2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 (anticipated) 2023-2024 $16,878 $19,043 $19,123 TBD State Funded Per Pupil Cost
Minimum Budget Requirement Town are required to make their education budgets at least equal to the year prior to fulfill the Minimum Budget Requirement (MBR) except when: High performing school districts (top 10%) Regional school districts in the first year of implementation The MBR does not include Covid-19 or other related funding. Here are allowable MBR reductions (for non-Alliance Districts): Enrollment decreases (# of students times 50% of NCEP) Reduced enrollment for communities that do not have high schools and have to pay tuition for their students Achieved (and SDE approved) efficiencies/changes resulting in savings (limited to .5% of education budget) School closings (the Commissioner of Education determines value of MBR reduction) Catastrophic self-insured losses (a one-time budget increase) and ECS decreases. Sources: P.A. 17-02, June Special Sessionand P.A. 21-2, JSS.
How do we pay for a budget? FY22 $ 11,879,281.00 $ 1,133,181.00 $ 3,936,909.52 $ 31,139,813.62 $ 677.86 Education Cost Sharing (goes straight to town): Excess Cost Grant (goes straight to special education): All State & Federal Grants (Including emergency relief): Municipal Share: Funds Returned to the Town $ Last Year s Budget 48,089,863.00
