Agencies Tout Policy Gains In Early Childhood, Special Education, Housing

At this week’s virtual meeting of the Interagency Council for Ending the Achievement Gap, state agency leaders reviewed a legislative session focused on reducing disparities in education, housing, and child welfare but also warned that looming federal cuts could jeopardize that progress.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who chaired the meeting, opened by noting the volume of policy issues addressed in the 2025 session. “It was a very busy legislative session, particularly when it comes to education and funding, from early childhood all the way through higher education,” she said.

John Frassinelli, a division director at the State Department of Education, highlighted major reforms included in House Bill 5001 and Senate Bill 1. Those bills advanced a range of special education measures, including mandatory background checks for private providers, expanded trauma-informed services, dual-credit programs, and the creation of a new Office of the Educational Ombudsman. One provision directs the state to develop a family-facing guide on special education rights, while another mandates a study of racial over-identification in special education placements. Frassinelli also noted that early childhood expansion may reduce special education referrals by up to 60%.

He also confirmed that HB 7009, which would have required schools to limit student cell phone use, failed to pass. Districts have raised concerns about the academic and behavioral impacts of phones and social media. Additional state investments will continue in high-dose tutoring, the Learner Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP), and the Local Food for Schools initiative, which received a $1.5 million appropriation for FY26.

Peter Hopko, a budget specialist at the Office of Policy and Management, reported that the state has nearly doubled its special education spending since fiscal year 2018. He highlighted two new grants to help districts strengthen in-house special education services and reduce costly outplacements. Hopko also announced the rollout of a new rate-setting mechanism for private providers, calling it “a huge degree of stability” for the system.

Beth Bye, commissioner of the Office of Early Childhood, emphasized the burden on families trying to secure care for preschoolers with special needs, with parents often having to choose between working and staying home to ensure transportation to services and childcare.

“When kids miss two years of services because parents need to put food on the table, everybody pays when that kid hits kindergarten,” Bye said. She announced that Smart Start funding, previously limited to general education programs, will now be available to districts offering only half-day special education slots so they can expand to full-day programming.

Bye also sounded the alarm about federal threats to key early childhood funding streams, including Head Start and the Child Care and Development Block Grant. She said those cuts were only reversed after “big backlash from the red states” and stressed that even though Connecticut invests heavily in early childhood, roughly a quarter of its funding still comes from federal dollars, compared to near-zero state-level funding in some Republican-led states.

Doug Casey, executive director of the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology at the state’s Department of Administrative Services, recapped several key legislative actions, including new laws requiring schools to disclose the use of AI, monitor chronic absenteeism, and invest in HVAC infrastructure. He also noted that federal funding for digital equity programs was recently slashed

Mike Carone, legislative affairs director for the Department of Children and Families, discussed recent statutory changes that allow youth to reenter DCF care between the ages of 18 and 21 and extend congregate care through age 22. He also described coordination with the FBI and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection to ensure that children in emergency placements can remain with relatives or “fictive kin.”

Patricia Nunez, a regional manager of Juvenile Probation Services in the Judicial Branch’s Court Support Services Division, described the implementation of individualized reentry success plans for young people exiting the Department of Correction and the juvenile justice system. She said the effort includes enhanced collaboration with the Office of Policy and Management and data-sharing under the P20-WIN system, which tracks outcomes for disconnected youth from preschool through age 20.

Shanté Hanks, Ph.D., senior advisor to the commissioner of the Department of Housing, emphasized the connection between housing stability and educational outcomes. She confirmed the continuation of state-funded RAP housing vouchers despite federal voucher shortfalls and cited House Bill 5002 as a key driver of new affordable housing. She also noted the failure of HB 6891, which would have capped security deposits at one month’s rent for all tenants, not just seniors. “The legislature this year invested $800 million in housing,” she said, “and that’s on top of $900 million we received earlier.”

Paula Talty, interim dean of the School of Education and Professional Studies at Central Connecticut State in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, reported continued growth in dual enrollment programs and highlighted scholarship support for future educators. “This past semester, 22 students received the future educator scholarship and put that much-needed money toward their education,” she said.

Representatives from the Department of Economic and Community Development and the Department of Social Services were also present but did not provide formal updates.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The original version of this story had the wrong job title for Shanté Hanks.