Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 172 - Support of Public Schools. Transportation
Section 10-262i. - Equalization aid grant payments. Expenditures for educational purposes only. Prohibition against supplanting local funding. Aid increase. Aid reduction. Equalization aid grant amount for the previous fiscal year. Penalty.

(a) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1990, and for each fiscal year thereafter, each town shall be paid a grant equal to the amount the town is entitled to receive under the provisions of section 10-262h. Such grant shall be calculated using the data of record as of the December first prior to the fiscal year such grant is to be paid, adjusted for the difference between the final entitlement for the prior fiscal year and the preliminary entitlement for such fiscal year as calculated using the data of record as of the December first prior to the fiscal year when such grant was paid.

(b) The amount due each town pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be paid by the Comptroller, upon certification of the Commissioner of Education, to the treasurer of each town entitled to such aid in installments during the fiscal year as follows: Twenty-five per cent of the grant in October, twenty-five per cent of the grant in January and the balance of the grant in April. The balance of the grant due towns under the provisions of this subsection shall be paid in March rather than April to any town which has not adopted the uniform fiscal year and which would not otherwise receive such final payment within the fiscal year of such town.
(c) All aid distributed to a town pursuant to the provisions of this section and section 10-262u shall be expended for educational purposes only and shall be expended upon the authorization of the local or regional board of education and in accordance with the provisions of section 10-262u. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and each fiscal year thereafter, if a town receives an increase in funds pursuant to this section over the amount it received for the prior fiscal year, such increase shall not be used to supplant local funding for educational purposes. The budgeted appropriation for education in any town receiving an increase in funds pursuant to this section shall be not less than the amount appropriated for education for the prior year plus such increase in funds.
(d) For any fiscal year, (1) if the amount of the equalization aid grant a town is entitled to pursuant to section 10-262h is greater than such town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year, the difference between the amount of such town's equalization aid grant for the fiscal year, and such town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year shall be the aid increase for such town for the fiscal year, and (2) if the amount of the equalization aid grant a town is entitled to pursuant to section 10-262h is less than such town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year, the difference between such town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year and the amount of such town's equalization aid grant for the fiscal year shall be the aid reduction for such town for the fiscal year.
(e) Upon a determination by the State Board of Education that a town or kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district failed in any fiscal year to meet the requirements pursuant to subsection (c) or (d) of this section or section 10-262j, the town or kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district shall forfeit an amount equal to two times the amount of the shortfall. The amount so forfeited shall be withheld by the Department of Education from the grant payable to the town in the second fiscal year immediately following such failure by deducting such amount from the town's equalization aid grant payment pursuant to this section, except that in the case of a kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district, the amount so forfeited shall be withheld by the Department of Education from the grants payable pursuant to this section to the towns which are members of such regional school district. The amounts deducted from such grants to each member town shall be proportional to the number of resident students in each member town. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the State Board of Education may waive such forfeiture upon agreement with the town or kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district that the town or kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district shall increase its budgeted appropriation for education during the fiscal year in which the forfeiture would occur by an amount not less than the amount of said forfeiture or for other good cause shown. Any additional funds budgeted pursuant to such an agreement shall not be included in a district's budgeted appropriation for education for the purpose of establishing any future minimum budget requirement.
(P.A. 88-358, S. 3, 9; P.A. 89-124, S. 5, 13; P.A. 98-168, S. 16, 26; P.A. 05-245, S. 31; P.A. 06-13, S. 6; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 63; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 52; P.A. 08-170, S. 1, 13; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-6, S. 30; P.A. 10-151, S. 1; P.A. 11-28, S. 9; 11-48, S. 190; 11-234, S. 1; P.A. 12-116, S. 61, 62; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 288; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-2, S. 27; P.A. 13-247, S. 154; P.A. 14-217, S. 113, 250; P.A. 15-99, S. 3; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3, S. 124; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2, S. 253, 584; P.A. 18-1, S. 3; P.A. 19-117, S. 272; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2, S. 347.)
History: P.A. 89-124 in Subsec. (b) provided that the balance be paid in March rather than April for towns which have not adopted the uniform fiscal year and which would not otherwise receive such payment within their fiscal year; P.A. 98-168 amended Subsec. (c) to add prohibition against using an increase to supplant local funding, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 05-245 amended Subsec. (c) by adding language re appropriation not less than the amount for previous year plus increase in funds and added Subsec. (d) re penalty, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-13 made a technical change in Subsec. (b), effective May 2, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 added new Subsec. (d) re minimum budget requirement, added Subsec. (e) re failure to make adequately yearly progress and deferral of increase in aid, redesignated existing Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (f) and added reference therein to Subsec. (d), effective July 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 amended Subsec. (e) to add language re notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, charter, special act or home rule ordinance, effective October 6, 2007; P.A. 08-170 amended Subsec. (e) to add provisions re member towns of regional school districts for fiscal years ending June 30, 2008, and June 30, 2009, effective July 1, 2008, and further amended Subsec. (e) to redesignate existing provisions as new Subdivs. (1), (2) and (5), to provide in new Subdiv. (1) for exception to Subdivs. (2), (3) and (4), to redesignate Subdivs. (1)(A) to (1)(D) as Subdivs. (1)(A)(i) to (1)(A)(iv), to change percentage from 50 to 30 in Subdiv. (1)(A)(iii) and from 15 to 50 in Subdiv. (1)(A)(iv), to redesignate Subdivs. (2)(A) to (2)(D) as Subdivs. (1)(B)(i) to (1)(B)(iv), to change percentage from 50 to 30 in Subdiv. (1)(B)(iii) and from 15 to 50 in Subdiv. (1)(B)(iv), to redesignate Subdivs. (3)(A) to (3)(D) as Subdivs. (1)(C)(i) to (1)(C)(iv), to change percentage from 50 to 30 in Subdiv. (1)(C)(iii) and from 15 to 50 in Subdiv. (1)(C)(iv), to make provisions of new Subdiv. (2), re school districts in third year or more of being identified as in need of improvement, applicable for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, to add new Subdiv. (3) re school districts in third year or more of being identified as in need of improvement for fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, to add new Subdiv. (4) re member towns of regional school districts and to delete from new Subdiv. (5) similar provisions re such towns for fiscal years ending June 30, 2008, and June 30, 2009, effective July 1, 2009; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-6 added new Subsec. (d) re requirement for the budgeted appropriation for education for fiscal years 2010 and 2011, redesignated existing Subsecs. (d) to (f) as Subsecs. (e) to (g) and made conforming changes therein and amended redesignated Subsec. (g) by replacing references re expenditure with references to budgeted appropriation for education, effective October 5, 2009; P.A. 10-151 amended Subsec. (d) by adding exception re reduction of budgeted appropriation for education for fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, due to decrease in number of resident students in district during school year commencing July 1, 2009, effective June 8, 2010; P.A. 11-28 made technical changes in Subsec. (f), effective June 3, 2011; P.A. 11-48 repositioned former Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (e), redesignated existing Subsec. (e) as Subsec. (d), added new Subsec. (f) re requirement for the budgeted appropriation for education for fiscal years ending June 30, 2012, and June 30, 2013, redesignated existing Subsecs. (f) and (g) as Subsecs. (g) and (h) and made conforming changes, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-234 amended Subsec. (f) by designating existing language as Subpara. (A) and adding Subpara. (B) re reduction in number of resident students in district that does not maintain a high school in Subdivs. (1) and (2), repositioning provisions re prohibition against reducing budgeted appropriation for education if school district failed to make adequate yearly progress in mathematics or reading or satisfied certain requirements of federal law in fiscal years 2012 or 2013 from Subdivs. (1) and (2) to new Subdiv. (4), adding definition re “poverty rate” in Subdiv. (4) and making conforming changes, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 12-116 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re exclusion of amounts paid pursuant to Sec. 10-66ee(c)(1), (d)(1) and (l), amended Subsec. (b) by designating existing provisions as Subdiv. (1), adding Subdiv. (2) re amounts due to a town pursuant to Sec. 10-66ee(c)(1), (d)(1) and (l) to be paid by Comptroller to treasurer of each town and making a conforming change, amended Subsec. (f) by deleting proviso re reduction not to exceed one-half of one per cent of budgeted appropriation for education for fiscal year 2011 in Subdiv. (1), and adding “a town may reduce its budgeted appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, by one of the following:”, making conforming changes and adding Subpara. (C) re reduction of budgeted appropriation for new and documentable savings in Subdiv. (2), and amended Subsec. (g)(1) by adding “for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, to June 30, 2012, inclusive”, effective July 1, 2012; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 amended Subsec. (f) by adding Subdiv. (5) re minimum budget requirement for alliance districts and making conforming changes, effective July 1, 2012; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-2 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b)(2) by deleting references to “subsection (l)” of Sec. 10-66ee, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 13-247 deleted former Subsecs. (d) to (g), added new Subsec. (d) re minimum budget requirement and exceptions for fiscal years 2014 and 2015, added new Subsec. (e) re calculation of aid increase and redesignated existing Subsec. (h) as Subsec. (f) and amended same to make a conforming change, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 14-217 amended Subsec. (c) by adding references to Sec. 10-262u, effective June 13, 2014, and amended Subsec. (b) by adding Subdiv. (3) re amount due to Winchester for fiscal years ending June 30, 2015, and June 30, 2016, and making a conforming change, effective July 1, 2014; P.A. 15-99 deleted former Subsec. (d) re minimum budget requirement, redesignated existing Subsecs. (e) and (f) as Subsecs. (d) and (e) and made conforming changes, effective July 1, 2015; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3 amended Subsec. (d) by deleting provision re aid increase for fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, and each fiscal year thereafter, and adding Subdivs. (1) and (2) re aid increase and aid reduction for fiscal year ending June 30, 2017, and amended Subsec. (e) by adding reference to Sec. 10-262j, effective July 1, 2016; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision re exclusion of amounts paid pursuant to Sec. 10-66ee(c)(1) and (d)(1), and amended Subsec. (b) by deleting Subdiv. (1) designator and former Subdivs. (2) and (3), and making a conforming change, amended Subsec. (d) by replacing former provisions re aid increase and aid reduction for fiscal year ending June 30, 2017, with provisions re aid increase and aid decrease for fiscal years ending June 30, 2018, and June 30, 2019, effective October 31, 2017 (Revisor's note: Subsec. (e) was omitted from the printed version of the 2018 Supplement and has been restored editorially by the Revisors.); P.A. 18-1 amended Subsec. (d)(2) by adding definition of “equalization aid grant amount for the previous fiscal year”, and making technical and conforming changes, effective April 26, 2018; P.A. 19-117 amended Subsec. (d)(1) by making provisions applicable to fiscal year 2020 and replacing references to base grant amount with references to town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year, amended Subsec. (d)(2) by making provisions applicable to fiscal year 2021 and deleting definition of “equalization aid grant amount for the previous fiscal year”, and made technical and conforming changes, effective July 1, 2019; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2 amended Subsec. (d) by deleting former provisions re aid increase and aid reduction for fiscal years ending June 30, 2020, and June 30, 2021, and adding provisions re aid increase and aid reduction for any fiscal year, effective July 1, 2021.