CT SB00451

Amends the minimum budget requirement for education spending for fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, by requiring towns to base appropriations on the prior year's budget minus any reductions to equalization aid grants from fiscal year 2018, plus any aid increases received.

Allows districts experiencing aid reductions to decrease their budgeted education appropriation by the amount equal to that aid reduction.

Permits districts with at least 20% of students eligible for free or reduced price lunches and declining enrollment to reduce budgets by up to 1.5% of the prior year's appropriation, based on per-student spending multiplied by the student decline (with Commissioner approval for greater reductions).

Permits districts with fewer than 20% of students eligible for free or reduced price lunches and declining enrollment to reduce budgets by up to 3% of the prior year's appropriation under similar conditions (with Commissioner approval for greater reductions).

Allows tuition-paying districts without high schools and districts achieving documented efficiencies or participating in regional collaborations to reduce budgeted appropriations by specified amounts approved by the Commissioner of Education.