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2025 RESC Alliance Legislative Priorities

Connecticut RESCs: Dedicated to Supporting School Districts Across the State

Connecticut's Regional Educational Service Centers (RESCs) are committed to providing a range of critical benefits to school districts, including:

  • Cost Savings: By offering cooperative purchasing, transportation services, and operational efficiencies, RESCs help school districts save millions of dollars each year.

  • Expanded Access to Resources: Through the RESC Alliance, districts gain access to a wide range of education resources, services, and grants that would otherwise be unaffordable. 

  • Advocacy and Support: RESCs advocate for laws and policies that benefit public education, partnering with state agencies and education groups to advance the needs of Connecticut schools/ 

2025 RESC Alliance
Legislative Priorities

Male Teacher with Students

Our Features

Legislative priorities for improving student achievement in Connecticut are:

Increase Educator Diversity (IED):

Support a successful model for recruiting, developing, and retaining a diverse educator workforce to enhance student development and revitalize teaching statewide.

Preserve Equitable Funding:

Support all school districts and RESC magnet schools in developing a resolution for equitable funding to provide high-quality, integrated education.

magnet school & equitable funding:

Preserve Equitable Student-Centered Funding Request

Fully fund the student-centered-funding model partially implemented in FY25 to support the 166 RESC member districts and the 29 RESC-managed magnet schools.

 

To ensure the sustainability of RESC magnet schools, it is crucial that this model receives full funding. If full funding is not achievable, we recommend removing the tuition cap. This will enable RESCs, that do not have a tax base, to effectively manage rising magnet school costs and maintain the quality of education offered. 

Hear Highlights of Testimony From the 2024 Connecticut General Assembly Public Hearing

FACTS:

  • NCEP has increased by 42% since 2010, while the Sheff Magnet Per Pupil Grant increased by 2% in the same time period;

  • The RESC Magnet Grants covers only 56% of the average cost to educate a child in CT compared to 77% in 2010;

  • Sheff Magnet do not receive funding through the state Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grant; and

  • Unlike local school districts, RESCs do not have a tax base to cover additional costs for magnet schools.

BENEFITS TO DISTRICTS

Ensures Fair &

Complete Funding for

All Public Schools

Expands Resources

Based on Growing

Student Needs

Reduces Racial and

Economic Gaps in

School Funding

educator diversity & teacher residency program:
  • Designate $1.5 million to support workforce development and the enhancement of a statewide system addressing IED by creating a new budget line item under the State Department of Education to support districts partnering with Residency Program certifying teachers of color.

  • Eliminate the well-intended funding mechanism enacted for IED Residency Programs within the 2022-23 biennial budget by eliminating the funding burden from Alliance districts.

FACTS:

  • In 2022-23, 11.2% of Connecticut’s teacher workforce were of educators of color, while 52.5% of the CT’s students identified as people of color, according to SDE.

  • The CT Teacher Residency Program:

  • ONLY CT program requiring districts to provide a living wage to residents

  • Nearly 150 teachers of color added in 34 districts since 2020

  • 100% retention rate with 100% residents teaching in classrooms

  • Launched Special Education certification in June 2023 with nine (9) residents

  • TRP Executive Summary

Hear More about TRP from our Teachers & Residents

BENEFITS TO DISTRICTS

Diversifies the Educatior Workforce

Invests in Hands-on Training for Long-term Teacher Retention

Reduces the Educator Workforce Shortage

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