Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we need to increase funding to magnet schools?
Magnet schools have not received an increase in state funding since 2010. Each year, the cost of living increases and so do the costs of running schools. Many costs increase naturally each year. These include heating, building maintenance, teachers' salaries and benefits, athletic facilities and uniforms, support services, supplies, books, technology and more. If magnet schools do not receive an increase in funding, they will be forced to cut programs, charge for programs that are currently free of charge, or increase tuition to local school districts.
How are magnet schools funded?
Connecticut's system for funding magnet schools is very complex, and reimbursement differs depending on a variety of factors including the organization running the school and where the school is located. Because many magnet schools are not run by a traditional district, they do not receive money throught the traditional means of state funding, called the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grant. The state reimburses magnet schools per pupil, but if the school is not run by a traditional district, the operator of a magnet school may charge the district where a student resides a minimal tuition to make up the difference between the state reimbursement and the cost of educating a student. Many magnet schools have not received an increase in funding since 2010, even though local school districts have received an approximately 2.5% increase annually over the same period of time.
How are traditional public schools funded?
Traditional public schools are funded through a combination of local and state funding. Local districts are not allowed by state law to reduce education funding from year to year. This is called the Minimum Budget Requirement (MBR). The state pays a portion of the cost of educating students in local districts through a complicated formula called the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) Formula. The combination of local funding and state funding makes up the majority of local school districts' budgets. The state has increased ECS funding to districts by approximately 9% in the past six years.
Are magnet schools “creaming” the best children?
No, the lottery is a “blind” lottery, run by the State Department of Education. The application does not include any tests of competency. Magnet schools have about the same percentage of children with special needs as districts statewide.
How is it determined who goes to what school?
Entrance to all school choice programs in Connecticut is determined by blind lottery, as required in state statute. In the Hartford area, the Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) was created by the Connecticut State Department of Education to assist families interested in learning about and applying to magnet schools and the Hartford Region Open Choice program in the Greater Hartford area. Hartford area magnet schools are required to meet certain obligations regarding racial isolation as stipulated in the Sheff V. O'Neil settlement. In other areas of Connecticut, school districts run their own blind lotteries for entrance to inter-district magnet schools.
Have the magnet schools been successful?
Students in magnet schools have performed extremely well when compared with Connecticut's state averages for all students, indicating that the achievement gains generated by Connecticut's school integration programs are helping to close the "achievement gap." Students in Hartford-area magnet school programs show higher than average student test scores in every subject, including reading, writing, math, and science, significantly exceeding state proficiency standards (and with a substantial number of students meeting or exceeding state academic "goals").
What is the cost of enrolling students in magnet schools?
Magnet school funding is a complex issue because different types of magnet school operators receive different per-pupil reimbursement. Currently magnet providers are given between $7,900 and $14,108 per pupil, depending on where the school is located. If all magnet schools in Connecticut were to receive a 3% increase in funding from the state it would cost approximately 8 million dollars. Because magnet schools currently educate over 33,000 Connecticut students, this would amount to approximately $240 per student. This is less than 1/2 of 1% of state funding to districts.
How much money do districts receive for transportation?
Currently, the state reimburses districts in the Sheff region $2,000 per pupil for out-of-district magnet school transportation. Non-Sheff magnet schools or the host district transporting a student receive $1,300 per pupil for transportation.
Do magnet schools drain resources from neighborhood schools?
A town’s Educational Cost Sharing (ECS) grant is not reduced relative to the number of students attending magnet schools. In addition to receiving ECS for students attending magnet schools, the school district continues to collect tax dollars from the town for each student enrolled in a magnet school. The average school district cost for educating a child is currently $14,498, within a range of $9-18K, depending on the district. Magnet school tuition is around one third of that amount, about $5,000 per student.
What is Sheff vs. O’Neill?
Sheff vs. O’Neill is a Connecticut Supreme Court case involving a 1989 lawsuit filed by Elizabeth Horton Sheff and other parents on behalf of their children against Governor William A. O'Neill. The suit charged that Connecticut's system of separate city and suburban school districts led to racially segregated schools and a violation of their children's rights to an equal educational opportunity.
What is the difference between Sheff magnet schools run by Regional Education Service Centers (RESCs) and those run by other districts?
Magnet schools operated by CREC, Learn, ACES, Cooperative Educational Services (CES), and EastConn are "RESC magnet schools." Magnet schools operated by school districts are “host” magnet schools. Different magnet school providers receive different amounts of reimbursement from the state. Generally, RESC magnet schools receive more per-pupil from the state because they cannot supplement funding through taxes. RESCs are able to charge the school district in which a student resides the difference between the state reimbursement amount and the cost of educating a child. Host districts receive less additional state money for students who attend the magnet school and reside in the host district, and they can not charge tuition for out-of-district students. Magnet schools in the Hartford region are reimbursed at a higher rate as stipulated in the Sheff V. O'Neill settlement agreement.
What are the compliance requirements for a Sheff school (racial ratio, etc.)?
Under the Sheff Stipulation Agreement signed in December 2013, the desegregation standard for compliance purposes changed to a Reduced Isolation Setting for 2014-15. The agreement, known as Sheff Phase III, runs from December 13, 2013 to June 30, 2015. A Sheff school will be deemed to provide a reduced-isolation setting if its enrollment is such that the percentage of enrolled students who identify themselves as any part Black/African America, or any part Hispanic, does not exceed 75% of the school’s total enrollment.
Why is Sheff just in the Hartford region?
The Sheff plaintiffs filed their complaint on behalf of Hartford residents and the Settlement Agreement named school districts specifically in the Capitol Region. The conditions that led to the lawsuit have existed and continue to exist in other cities in Connecticut, but those cities and towns are not named in the Sheff Settlement, nor have similar lawsuits been filed. New Haven and New London have benefited from the Settlement by using Sheff strategies to renovate existing school buildings for magnet schools and for the construction of new magnet school facilities.
What is a Regional Education Service Center (RESC)?
Every school district in Connecticut benefits from services provided by Regional Educational Service Centers (RESCs). Through RESCs, districts and communities have access to high quality, cost-effective collaborative programs and initiatives. All RESCs support the instructional and operational components of Connecticut school districts. RESCs design and deliver community-based education, training, and human service programs, which add to the economic well-being and quality of life throughout the state.
What role do RESCs play in Sheff V. O'Neill?
RESCs were selected by Hartford area superintendents, boards of education, and the State of Connecticut as a neutral party to support the goals of the Sheff Settlement. RESCs' governing boards (board of education members from the RESCs' member districts) agreed to assist the state in meeting the requirements set forth in the Sheff Settlement Agreement.
Magnet schools have not received an increase in state funding since 2010. Each year, the cost of living increases and so do the costs of running schools. Many costs increase naturally each year. These include heating, building maintenance, teachers' salaries and benefits, athletic facilities and uniforms, support services, supplies, books, technology and more. If magnet schools do not receive an increase in funding, they will be forced to cut programs, charge for programs that are currently free of charge, or increase tuition to local school districts.
How are magnet schools funded?
Connecticut's system for funding magnet schools is very complex, and reimbursement differs depending on a variety of factors including the organization running the school and where the school is located. Because many magnet schools are not run by a traditional district, they do not receive money throught the traditional means of state funding, called the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grant. The state reimburses magnet schools per pupil, but if the school is not run by a traditional district, the operator of a magnet school may charge the district where a student resides a minimal tuition to make up the difference between the state reimbursement and the cost of educating a student. Many magnet schools have not received an increase in funding since 2010, even though local school districts have received an approximately 2.5% increase annually over the same period of time.
How are traditional public schools funded?
Traditional public schools are funded through a combination of local and state funding. Local districts are not allowed by state law to reduce education funding from year to year. This is called the Minimum Budget Requirement (MBR). The state pays a portion of the cost of educating students in local districts through a complicated formula called the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) Formula. The combination of local funding and state funding makes up the majority of local school districts' budgets. The state has increased ECS funding to districts by approximately 9% in the past six years.
Are magnet schools “creaming” the best children?
No, the lottery is a “blind” lottery, run by the State Department of Education. The application does not include any tests of competency. Magnet schools have about the same percentage of children with special needs as districts statewide.
How is it determined who goes to what school?
Entrance to all school choice programs in Connecticut is determined by blind lottery, as required in state statute. In the Hartford area, the Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) was created by the Connecticut State Department of Education to assist families interested in learning about and applying to magnet schools and the Hartford Region Open Choice program in the Greater Hartford area. Hartford area magnet schools are required to meet certain obligations regarding racial isolation as stipulated in the Sheff V. O'Neil settlement. In other areas of Connecticut, school districts run their own blind lotteries for entrance to inter-district magnet schools.
Have the magnet schools been successful?
Students in magnet schools have performed extremely well when compared with Connecticut's state averages for all students, indicating that the achievement gains generated by Connecticut's school integration programs are helping to close the "achievement gap." Students in Hartford-area magnet school programs show higher than average student test scores in every subject, including reading, writing, math, and science, significantly exceeding state proficiency standards (and with a substantial number of students meeting or exceeding state academic "goals").
What is the cost of enrolling students in magnet schools?
Magnet school funding is a complex issue because different types of magnet school operators receive different per-pupil reimbursement. Currently magnet providers are given between $7,900 and $14,108 per pupil, depending on where the school is located. If all magnet schools in Connecticut were to receive a 3% increase in funding from the state it would cost approximately 8 million dollars. Because magnet schools currently educate over 33,000 Connecticut students, this would amount to approximately $240 per student. This is less than 1/2 of 1% of state funding to districts.
How much money do districts receive for transportation?
Currently, the state reimburses districts in the Sheff region $2,000 per pupil for out-of-district magnet school transportation. Non-Sheff magnet schools or the host district transporting a student receive $1,300 per pupil for transportation.
Do magnet schools drain resources from neighborhood schools?
A town’s Educational Cost Sharing (ECS) grant is not reduced relative to the number of students attending magnet schools. In addition to receiving ECS for students attending magnet schools, the school district continues to collect tax dollars from the town for each student enrolled in a magnet school. The average school district cost for educating a child is currently $14,498, within a range of $9-18K, depending on the district. Magnet school tuition is around one third of that amount, about $5,000 per student.
What is Sheff vs. O’Neill?
Sheff vs. O’Neill is a Connecticut Supreme Court case involving a 1989 lawsuit filed by Elizabeth Horton Sheff and other parents on behalf of their children against Governor William A. O'Neill. The suit charged that Connecticut's system of separate city and suburban school districts led to racially segregated schools and a violation of their children's rights to an equal educational opportunity.
What is the difference between Sheff magnet schools run by Regional Education Service Centers (RESCs) and those run by other districts?
Magnet schools operated by CREC, Learn, ACES, Cooperative Educational Services (CES), and EastConn are "RESC magnet schools." Magnet schools operated by school districts are “host” magnet schools. Different magnet school providers receive different amounts of reimbursement from the state. Generally, RESC magnet schools receive more per-pupil from the state because they cannot supplement funding through taxes. RESCs are able to charge the school district in which a student resides the difference between the state reimbursement amount and the cost of educating a child. Host districts receive less additional state money for students who attend the magnet school and reside in the host district, and they can not charge tuition for out-of-district students. Magnet schools in the Hartford region are reimbursed at a higher rate as stipulated in the Sheff V. O'Neill settlement agreement.
What are the compliance requirements for a Sheff school (racial ratio, etc.)?
Under the Sheff Stipulation Agreement signed in December 2013, the desegregation standard for compliance purposes changed to a Reduced Isolation Setting for 2014-15. The agreement, known as Sheff Phase III, runs from December 13, 2013 to June 30, 2015. A Sheff school will be deemed to provide a reduced-isolation setting if its enrollment is such that the percentage of enrolled students who identify themselves as any part Black/African America, or any part Hispanic, does not exceed 75% of the school’s total enrollment.
Why is Sheff just in the Hartford region?
The Sheff plaintiffs filed their complaint on behalf of Hartford residents and the Settlement Agreement named school districts specifically in the Capitol Region. The conditions that led to the lawsuit have existed and continue to exist in other cities in Connecticut, but those cities and towns are not named in the Sheff Settlement, nor have similar lawsuits been filed. New Haven and New London have benefited from the Settlement by using Sheff strategies to renovate existing school buildings for magnet schools and for the construction of new magnet school facilities.
What is a Regional Education Service Center (RESC)?
Every school district in Connecticut benefits from services provided by Regional Educational Service Centers (RESCs). Through RESCs, districts and communities have access to high quality, cost-effective collaborative programs and initiatives. All RESCs support the instructional and operational components of Connecticut school districts. RESCs design and deliver community-based education, training, and human service programs, which add to the economic well-being and quality of life throughout the state.
What role do RESCs play in Sheff V. O'Neill?
RESCs were selected by Hartford area superintendents, boards of education, and the State of Connecticut as a neutral party to support the goals of the Sheff Settlement. RESCs' governing boards (board of education members from the RESCs' member districts) agreed to assist the state in meeting the requirements set forth in the Sheff Settlement Agreement.