MBR Gets F from Municipalities

MBR Gets F from Municipalities

Much-needed exemptions still needed from unwieldy mandate

If you were to ask municipal leaders what concerns them about public education costs, the Municipal Budget Requirement (MBR) would be nearly at the top of their list. CCM has been working closely with the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) to come up with a compromise MBR proposal before legislature adjourns in June.

Education is the largest single item in municipal budgets, making up more than three-quarters of the total budget in some communities. A mandate like the MBR says that despite any good reason — such as shrinking student base or if a special needs student graduates or moves out — you cannot decrease the amount you spend. If you spent $100,000 last year, you must spend $100,000 this year. The state knows how confining this is, but place this burden on municipalities anyway.

Connecticut has always prided itself on quality public education, and the MBR tied municipal spending to a minimum per pupil spending. Over time, that connection became in name only, and its goal became to prohibit a town from supplanting local education funding when it received increases from the state.

By law, our school districts are tested on their performance through the State’s Accountability Index. This system looks at not only graduation rates, but also chronic absenteeism and physical fitness of students, to give a deeper and fuller report of a school district’s success.

Those that rank at the bottom of that scale become Alliance Districts, where extra state dollars are funneled to help them reach higher standards of excellence. Currently, there are 33 Alliance Districts designated for Fiscal Years 18-22, and they serve more than 200,000 students in more than 410 schools, making up a full third of our education system in Connecticut.

The state has already implemented other programs to identify and help underperforming schools, so it makes sense to eliminate the MBR for non-Alliance Districts altogether.

Furthermore, tying budgets to a strict limit does not allow for fluctuations that schools see when it comes to their student populations.

There are 70,000 special education students in the state, and one out of every five dollars spent on education goes to their care and education.

After the Great Recession of 2008, the population in America took a downward trend. Millennials are having fewer children than any generation before them so it is no surprise then that Connecticut’s school populations are declining. But towns have no recourse under the MBR to lower their budgets to reflect this current population trend.

One group that is growing is special education students. There are 70,000 special education students in the state, and one out of every five dollars spent on education goes to their care and education. Because the federal government falls short on its share — it had promised 40 percent, but only pays 10 — the majority of these costs fall onto the state and municipalities.

Towns and cities try to plan for these expenses, but a single special-needs child moving out of town can represent hundreds of thousands of dollars. In one instance in Southeastern Connecticut, a child was budgeted $260,000 for their special care, until they moved one town over.

If the state does not move to eliminate the MBR for all non-Alliance Districts, then special exceptions must be made to allow school districts, regional school districts and municipalities to reduce the MBR to reflect the costs associated with special education students when such students leave the district.

Common sense exemptions could be reflected in other areas. For one, you could create exemptions for municipalities that demonstrated savings through increased efficiencies or regional collaborations, or for towns that pay more than 50 percent of their education costs. Additionally, payments toward the Teachers’ Retirement System should count towards meeting the obligations of the MBR.

Governor Lamont has stated that he wants more carrots than sticks in his vision of Connecticut, and the MBR definitely fits in the latter. Municipal officials take very seriously the responsibility to provide quality public education. They want students to learn, develop, and realize their potential. They examine and recommend ways to be innovative and create efficiencies without negatively impacting the classroom experience. Eliminating the MBR for all non-Alliance Districts, or greatly expanding the exemptions is such a cost-effective measure. It’s an unnecessary and unwieldy mandate, and should be relegated to the history books.