A majority of Connecticut residents believe education should be a higher priority and that the state should lessen the burden of local property taxpayers on funding schools, according to a study released by CCM’s new Foundation for Youth.
“After we received this report from the foundation, our thought process (on the Education Cost Sharing formula) was very clear,” said Joe DeLong, executive director of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, which recently formed the foundation. “We didn’t need to build a messaging to the residents around this issue. The residents are very clear. The electorate is very clear where they stand on this issue: the importance of education funding, the importance of stopping shifting the burden into the property tax, the significance of high property tax and over-relying on property tax and the inequity they create.”
The study, conducted by the Glastonbury-based GreatBlue Research market research firm and Strother Nuckels Strategies, is based on a poll of Connecticut registered voters to explore their perspectives on education funding and priorities in the state. The survey included viewpoints of 400 registered voters and was fielded from Jan. 6-13, 2025. The margin of error on this study was +/-4.85% at a 95% confidence level.”
Released just as the state legislative session kicks off, the study released the following results:
- 86% of respondents see property taxes as too high
- 59% believe the state should provide a larger share of funding to reduce the property tax burden
- 72% say education funding should be prioritized in the state budget over other spending
- 53.5% of those polled would support state tax increases to fund education in the state.
The poll and study came about as part of the Young People First report, which was the idea of the 119K Commission. That commission was borne out of the finding that 119,000 youth in Connecticut are disconnected in schools, jobs, and life, in general.
Following the 119K Commission creation, CCM instituted the Foundation for Youth. That group’s mission is based on the Young People First report, which has 22 aligned actions.
“Where that group coalesced was in the area of school funding,” DeLong said. “It’s a driver. More importantly, it was the recognition that school funding didn’t just impact at-risk young people. It really impacted all young people in the school system. And it also impacted all property taxpayers in Connecticut, really impacting how we fund education from a home ownership perspective, from a small business perspective and what that means in driving inequity within the state.”
The CCM foundation recommends state legislators and the governor adopt an ECS formula where state funding increases by $545 million for K-12 schools in fiscal year 2026 for a total of $2.96 billion, according to DeLong. The weighting of the funds would be as follows: economically disadvantaged (40%), concentrated poverty (20%), multilingual learner (35%), and students with disabilities (50%).
“The current ECS formula has been in place since 2013,” DeLong said as he shared . “And so that’s your foundation for where we begin. But the state would be paying $818 million more in public education today just to be flat funded since 2013.
“Ultimately, where the (119K commission) fell was a scenario that means not making up all that funding reduction from the state but increasing the weights in certain areas, making a modest inflationary change, which would lead to $545 million invested in public education.”
CCM Foundation for Youth
The CCM Foundation for Youth is a new entity aimed at addressing the critical challenges facing public education in Connecticut. It is dedicated to improving educational opportunities for all young people across the state, with a particular focus on equitable funding, access to resources, and community-driven solutions to the disparities that persist in Connecticut’s school systems.
The CCM Foundation for Youth was created in response to these systemic challenges, with a mission to advocate for a more equitable, sustainable, and student-centered approach to public education.
“The establishment of the Foundation for Youth is an exciting moment for CCM and for the future of Connecticut,” DeLong said. “Additionally, the survey offers a fresh perspective regarding Connecticut’s educational system and reveals voter’s views on education and how it impacts Connecticut’s future.”
