Schools

School District to Receive Transportation Funding Under Budget Approved by House

For the past several months, school officials in Durham and Middlefield have been asking lawmakers to restore $282,000 in transportation funds eliminated under Gov. Malloy's initial budget.

School board members can breathe a sigh of relief after House lawmakers voted early Sunday in support of a $37.5 billion two-year state budget that restores nearly $25 million in school transportation funds each year.

If approved by the Senate (a vote is expected today) and signed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, the budget would provide the relief that board members sought after learning that regional school districts had been unfairly impacted by state transportation cuts, to the tune of $282,000 in Durham and Middlefield.

In April, school board members agreed to take the risk of including the school transportation funding as a revenue line in the budget. While school officials had not yet announced what steps would be taken if the transportation funds were not restored, they had asked local residents to contact their legislators in order to urge them to restore the transportation funds.

School board officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

“We appreciate the efforts of the Governor and lawmakers to craft a budget to keep towns whole,” said Betsy Gara, executive director of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns.

“Cuts to PILOTs, the Pequot Mohegan grant and school transportation would have hit many small towns very hard. Towns would have been forced to increase property taxes or cut vital programs, wreaking havoc in our communities," she  said.

Gara, a Durham resident, is a former Regional School District 13 Board of Education member.


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