A series of grants first set in motion in 2025 is making its way to schools across the state. The High-Quality Special Education Incentives Grant Program originated in the biennial budget proposal Gov. Ned Lamont released at the start of the 2025 legislative session. State legislators kept the i dea and wrote it into law (along with some bigger special education funding boosts the governor wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about). Now that fiscal year 2027 has officially begun, the first round of grant money is ready to go out. In total, the state is sending $10.6 million to 41 school districts. The grant was competitive, with over 100 districts submitting proposals, and the money was awarded based on the strength and specificity of the application. Individual districts could qualify for a maximum of $350,000, while collaborative projects could qualify for $500,000. The general aim of the grant is to get schools to build more in-district special education programming. It’s common for schools to send students with disabilities to outplacement facilities, which can be extremely expensive. Until recently, however, those were also the only costs the state would (partially) reimburse. The idea behind the new grants was that by boosting in-district services, costs for both schools and the state should go down. Plus, students receiving in-district services can spend more time with their general education peers. That’s a major goal of special education advocates in the state and throughout the country. Lamont acknowledged as much in a statement announcing the release of the grant funds. “It is important that school districts have the resources to support special education programming that allows more students to learn alongside their peers in their own communities,” Lamont said. What exactly schools will do with the money will vary, though it generally involves hiring staff. For example: Hartford is using its $350,000 to hire two special education teachers and a social worker; those staffers will expand the district’s RISE Academy into Bulkeley High School, where they will serve an estimated 30 students.  Putnam is receiving $315,000 to hire a specialized program coordinator and a special education coach; the former will provide much-needed administrative support, while the latter will train teachers on implementing IEPs and providing quality services. West Hartford is using $350,000 to hire two special educators and a board certified behavior analyst as part of its “push-in” model — sending extra hands into classrooms to support students with high needs rather than pulling them out into isolated settings. Simsbury already opened a new building earlier this year for its New Path program, which supports students grades 9 to 12 with high behavioral needs. It’s using $350,000 to expand that to grades 7 and 8 by hiring a new teacher and paraeducator. The money will also support the purchase of a van to transport students back to the main school, giving them more time to spend with general education peers. New Haven will spend part of its $350,000 to create one new specialized classroom program for children in kindergarten through 5th grade with autism. The district came under fire earlier this year after a state complaint alleged it had failed to staff such a classroom with a special education teacher. The rest of the money will go toward professional development. Some proposals also involve opening or expanding new facilities. That includes Bethel and Brookfield, one of two pairs of districts to win $500,000 through a collaborative proposal. In their case, the money will go to support the creation of a “living laboratory” for students aged 18 to 22 who need additional support mastering activities of daily living and transitioning to the workforce. The house is located near downtown Bethel, with multiple job sites in walking distance. Bethel’s director of special education services, Meghan Stabile, said the district already had a robust program before the grant, but the space it was using lacked important amenities for daily living activities, such as a full kitchen. Moreover, it wasn’t big enough to accommodate the growing need; Bethel, like most districts in Connecticut, has seen a steady rise in special education students in recent years. “The community here in Bethel is pretty amazing and we have so many local businesses that employ our students, and so they’re going to be able to keep those job sites … it’s pretty amazing, actually,” Stabile said. A full list of grant awardees can be found here. Grant money aside, the issue of special education funding remains far from resolved in Connecticut. Special education is not factored into the state’s main funding system — a problem when the population of special needs students keeps growing. The SEED grant — also passed in 2025 — aimed to fill in the gap, but it remains underfunded by about $150 million. That’s far more than what the High-Quality Special Education Incentives Grant provides. Lamont has signaled he’s aware of the problem. On various occasions speaking with educators and state leaders this year, he has brought up the idea that the state could step in to provide or negotiate for services with more leverage than individual districts can muster. His ongoing Blue-Ribbon Commission on K-12 Education Funding and Accountability is also looking at special education as part of its larger effort to reimagine the state’s relationship to its public schools. The commission aims to release its recommendations at the end of the year, in time for the 2027 legislative session. ...read more read less