Steinberg: Proposed $2M Educational Cut ‘Dead on Arrival’

UPDATE Westport State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg said today that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s plan to eliminate education cost sharing (ECS) grants to 28 of Connecticut’s wealthiest school districts—including an almost $2 million cut for Westport—is “dead on arrival” in the state legislature. 

Jonathan Steinberg: Malloiy’s proposal “a provocation.” Contributed photo

“We in the legislature, virtually all of us, view it as a provocation,” said Steinberg, who represents Westport. “We interpret it as the governor telling us he doesn’t need to respect the legislature, and he’s making it very difficult for us to engage in further negotiations as we attempt to reach closure on the budget in the next few weeks.”

Under Malloy’s plan, Westport would see its state educational aid reduced from $1,988,255 to zero.

Malloy’s proposal to cut ECS grants is the administration’s latest effort to close a $922 million deficit projected for the next fiscal year. While the proposal aims to cut the ECS grants to the wealthiest towns, it aims to protect the state’s 30 lowest performing school districts.

It also comes at a time when most of the state’s municipalities have already set or are setting their budgets for 2016-17 and their mill rates. At the same time the proposal aims to cut grants the wealthiest towns, it aims to protect the state’s 30 lowest performing school districts.

“The timing of this is very challenging in that municipalities have set their grand lists and their mill rates, and it’s very hard for them to come up with shortfalls,” Steinberg said. “The timing is contrary to what the governor has promised in the past, which was to hold municipalities harmless and not to disrupt their budgeting processes.”

The timing, with legislative counter proposals and expected vetoes, he said, could wind up extending the budget process scheduled to be finalized by May 4.

Even with the proposal’s defeat, Westport can expect some reductions in ECS grants for mandated programs, Steinberg said.

“I believe there will be some cuts to Wetsport’s funding because of the shortfall,” he said.“There will be some cut, $2 million is the whole thing; it’s irresponsible.”

“The House Appropriations Committee already cut $650,000, so what he (Malloy) did was more than double that,” Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon said.

Landon said he feels the cuts proposed had more to do with political posturing than Malloy’s resolve to eliminate aid.

“This is the strangest political year I’ve experienced both nationally and statewide,” he said.

And about the proposed $2 million cut?

“I’m optimistic that reason will prevail,” he said. “We may not like it, but it will prevail.”

—James Lomuscio

This story was updated with comments from Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon.