House Republican Press Release

March 23, 2006

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Rep. Hovey Helps Draft Proposal To Provide More Education Funding for Monroe, Newtown

Compromise Measure Would Secure Two Percent Hike In Education Assistance for Both Towns

State Representative DebraLee Hovey, working with state Senator Thomas P. Gaffey, D-13^th District, and state Representative Andrew M. Fleischmann, D-18^th District, the co-chairs of the General Assembly’s Education Committee, helped draft a bipartisan compromise proposal that would secure a two percent increase in state education funding for Monroe and Newtown for the 2006 – 2007 fiscal year.

Under the original legislation (House Bill 5562), the state’s Education Cost Sharing (E. C. S.) formula  would have been changed to provide additional funding to the state’s poorest municipalities – but not middle-class communities like Monroe and Newtown, said Representative Hovey, R-112^th District.

“I and other members of the Education Committee advocated for middle class communities like Monroe and Newtown that would have received no increase in E. C. S. funding under the bill as it originally was written,” Representative Hovey said. “Working with Senator Gaffey and Representative Fleischmann, we were able to draft a compromise amendment to the bill that would ensure that every town in the state receives at least a two percent increase in E. C. S. funding during the 2006 - 2007 fiscal year.”

“As part of our ongoing effort to provide additional state funding to local school districts and lighten the load for Connecticut’s property tax payers, I welcomed Representative Hovey’s commitment to forging an acceptable compromise on the E. C. S. adjustment initiative,” Senator Gaffey said. “Progress on this and so many other public policy issues is always so much easier when all oars are pulling in the same direction; Representative Hovey always looked beyond partisanship and kept her eye on the prize and the result was committee approval.”

The compromise measure also provides that for the fiscal years that come after the 2006 – 07 fiscal year ends June 30, 2007, every town’s E. C. S. grant will increase by not less than the percentage increase in the most recent calendar year average in the consumer price index for urban consumers, said Representative Hovey, who was cited for her efforts in drafting the compromise proposal by Senator Gaffey and Representative Fleischmann.

Both the compromise amendment and the bill as amended were approved unanimously by the Education Committee. The bill was referred to the Appropriations Committee for further action.