Senator Maroney Supports Emergency Legislation Including Funding for Special Education

Today, state senator James Maroney (D-Milford) voted in support on a wide range of priorities including $40 million to help municipalities cover the cost of special education and allowing Connecticut colleges and universities to enter into deals with student-athletes to share revenue generated by the student’s sport or name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.

“I am proud to have voted in support of this crucial funding to help meet the growing needs of special education students,” said Senator Maroney. “Connecticut has made great strides in increasing support for education, but we must continue to prioritize our most vulnerable communities. Allowing colleges in Connecticut to enter into deals with student-athletes is a critical step in ensuring that our they are fairly compensated for their contributions while also maintaining the competitiveness of universities like UConn. By embracing these changes, we are not only supporting our athletes but also ensuring that Connecticut remains a powerhouse in collegiate athletics.”

Funding to Help Connecticut Municipalities Provide Special Education Services

This funding is in addition to the $181 million which was previously appropriated for Fiscal Year 2025 bringing the total to $221 million.

The funding will be allocated through the Excess Cost Grant program and distributed to municipalities through a tiered reimbursement structure that prioritizes funding for the neediest cities and towns.

Connecticut has made consistent and deliberate strides to increase its support of education over the last several years. State budgets adopted by the General Assembly have boosted funding for education by a total of $364 million since fiscal year 2023. The legislature supplemented this support with an additional $150 million dedicated to Education Cost Sharing Grants.

One of the ways in which Connecticut provides financial assistance to towns and cities for special education services is through the Excess Cost Grant program. This program is designed to offset significant expenses associated with educating certain students with special needs.

In 2022, the legislature amended the Excess Cost Grant program to create a tiered reimbursement structure to ensure that the state’s poorest municipalities were given funding priority. Meanwhile, state budgets have increased funding for the grants by $50 million over the last two fiscal years.

However, these efforts have not been enough to keep pace with significant increases in the need for additional special education funding experienced by Connecticut towns and cities. From fiscal year 2022 to fiscal year 2023, the estimated cost of fully funding the Excess Cost Sharing Grant program surged from $175.7 million to $203.8 million. That number climbed to $260 million in fiscal year 2024 and is estimated to be $289.3 million in 2025.

There are calls for more funding in addition to this immediate allocation. Budget deliberations are ongoing, and it is likely that the conversation surrounding special education funding will continue over the next several months. Senate Democrats have unveiled Senate Bill 1, An Act Increasing Resources for Students, Schools, and Special Education, and the House Democrats introduced House Bill 5001, An Act Concerning the Quality and Delivery of Special Education Services in Connecticut. Both pieces of legislation aim to reform Connecticut’s special education to lower costs, strengthen services, and provide more financial support.

Student-Athlete Compensation

The legislation also allows Connecticut colleges and universities to enter into deals with student-athletes to share revenue generated by the student’s sport or name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.

In July 2021, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) changed its longstanding policy in order to allow students to enter into NIL deals. In 2022 the Connecticut General Assembly passed a law allowing students to obtain such endorsement deals, becoming one of the first states in the country to do so.

Today’s legislation is in response to another recent policy change from the NCAA, allowing direct payments from the institutions to the student-athletes. This policy change comes as a result of an anticipated lawsuit settlement in House v. NCAA, expected at the end of March. The lawsuit was brought forward by several former NCAA athletes who claim that the NCAA rule prohibiting NIL deals prior to 2021 violated antitrust laws and athletes should be entitled to compensation for their role in college athletics.

Keeping Connecticut law in line with the new NCAA policy will ensure that Connecticut schools can remain competitive in talent recruitment, while compensating student athletes for their significant contributions to the school’s athletic programs. The legislation also exempts NIL and revenue sharing deals from FOIA requests in order to protect the competitive advantage for the schools during negotiations.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michelle Rappaport | Michelle.Rappaport@cga.ct.gov| 508-479-4969