The cost of out-of-district special education tuition and transportation is a major driver of the increase in the West Hartford Public Schools budget.

By Karla Ciaglo, CTNewsJunkie.com 

Connecticut lawmakers, advocates, and educators gathered for a press conference at the Legislative Office Building on Monday morning to rally behind two major education bills aimed at overhauling how the state funds and regulates special education.

The bills – Senate Bill 1561 and House Bill 7277 – run more than 120 pages combined and propose a statewide tuition rate for private providers, caps on mid-year rate hikes, a new $50 million transportation grant, and a special education offset grant to ease the burden on local districts.

The push comes as costs for private special education placements have surged 35% over the last three years, while the needs of students have also become more complex.

Click here to read the rest of the article on CTNewsJunkie.com.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.