Connecticut
Opinion: Fully fund the excess cost grant
Connecticut’s Excess Cost Grant is a crucial state program that helps school districts cover the extraordinary costs of educating students with disabilities who require intensive, individualized services.
These are students with the most significant needs, students who deserve every opportunity to thrive, and who often rely on specialized supports to access a free and appropriate public education. Yet for years, the state and federal governments have underfunded this grant, shifting the financial burden onto local school districts and municipalities and leaving many communities struggling to meet both student needs and budget demands.
This year, the Connecticut General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee took an important step forward. The Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) extends sincere thanks to Sen. Catherine A. Osten, Rep. Toni E. Walker, and members of the Appropriations Committee for voting to approve an additional $124 million in each year of the biennium for the Excess Cost Grant. If enacted by the full General Assembly, this funding would, for the first time ever, fully fund the Excess Cost Grant for the 2025 – 2026 school year.
This is not just a budget decision; it’s a moral commitment. Fully funding the Excess Cost Grant ensures that every student, regardless of ability, can access the specialized instruction and services they need. It affirms our values as a state that prioritizes equity, inclusion, and educational opportunity for all.
It also provides tangible relief to local school districts and municipalities. Special education costs are unpredictable and, in some cases, extraordinary. When the state falls short in its obligation to share these costs, districts are forced to reallocate local resources, often at the expense of other programs or services. Full funding allows district leaders to stabilize their budgets, plan more effectively, and maintain the full range of supports their students and communities require.
This has long been a top legislative priority for CAPSS, as well as for Connecticut’s Special Education Task Force. We now urge the full General Assembly to act decisively to approve this investment. Doing so would demonstrate a powerful commitment to students with disabilities, to equity in public education, and to the fiscal health of our towns and cities.
Connecticut has the opportunity to correct a longstanding funding gap and to strengthen the foundation of support for our most vulnerable learners. Let’s seize this moment and fully fund the Excess Cost Grant.
Fran Rabinowitz is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents.
Connecticut
New businesses heading to West Haven’s shoreline
New businesses are soon set to replace old, rundown buildings in West Haven.
By the end of the summer, the former Savin Rock conference center is slated to become the Kelsey, a restaurant and banquet facility.
Crews are currently working on the inside, according to Mayor Dorinda Borer.
Next door, Jimmies of Savin Rock sits empty after it closed last month. It was open for a hundred years and is now for sale.
Borer said it’s another opportunity to draw people to the city.
“When there are new developers in town, and they’re making things all bright and shiny, that makes people attracted to our city,” Borer said. “It just seems like everything’s starting to bust loose at once. It’s a lot of work behind the scenes, and then it all starts to come to fruition.”
Thirty new luxury apartments are set to replace the Debonair Beach Motel that fell into disrepair after its last day open more than a decade ago. Demolition began last fall, and it’s expected to continue in March.
Down the street, new condos were built by the same owner of the restaurant and bar Riva. They opened their doors last summer, welcoming eager crowds.
“The turnout’s been unbelievable,” Riva’s owner, Michael Delvecchio, said. “People traveling from other states, New York, Rhode Island, all over Connecticut. It’s something that West Haven been dying for.”
Riva replaced Chick’s Drive-In, a West Haven hot-dog and seafood staple that closed in 2015 after its owner passed away.
Delvecchio doesn’t ignore that history. A sign that says “The Lodge at Riva” will be removed and replaced with “Chick’s” during the summer, with accompanying pictures of Savin Rock amusement park on the walls.
“Everybody in town has been, with all this shoreline and all this beach, waiting for something to happen,” he said. “Riva’s a little bit of everything.”
Connecticut
State opens investigation into former New Haven police chief amid stolen money allegations
Connecticut State Police and the Chief State’s Attorney have opened an investigation into former New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobsen and allegations that he misused public funds.
The City of New Haven reported the allegations to State’s Attorney John Doyle on Monday.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said Monday Jacobson admitted to stealing money from a fund used by the New Haven Police Department to pay for an support its confidential informant program.
Several officers flagged irregularities in the account and notified the three assistant chiefs in the department, according to Elicker. It was then that the assistant chiefs confronted Jacobson on Monday morning.
Elicker said after being confronted, Jacobson admitted to taking the funds. The assistant chiefs then notified Chief Administrative Officer Justin McCarthy, who then notified Elicker.
Jacobson was called in for a meeting with Elicker, where he was to be placed on administrative leave. Elicker said that before the meeting, Jacobson handed in his paperwork to retire, effective immediately.
The mayor was unable to share additional details on how much money was reportedly taken or for how long due to the ongoing investigation.
Assistant Chief David Zannelli has been appointed as the acting police chief.
State police will conduct the investigation and Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin has appointed New Britain Judicial District State’s Attorney Christian Watson to oversee the investigation to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.
Connecticut
Made in Connecticut: Rochambeau Memorial Monument
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