[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6387595,"mediaKeyId","2116238-d3cae59e38635828c2203ce92e9bfe39","parentId",2116238,"title","Task force recommends decoupling gifted-and-talented identification from special education process, calls for clearer identification guidance","audioSeconds",287,"startMs",1928000,"endMs",2215000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2116238-d3cae59e38635828c2203ce92e9bfe39&start=1928&end=2215","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2116238-d3cae59e38635828c2203ce92e9bfe39/thumbnail_1928000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6387595/Connecticut/Task-force-recommends-decoupling-gifted-and-talented-identification-from-special-education-process-calls-for-clearer-identification-guidance","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6387595-a76e94acd0b320b00c96b6a9f8f1bc7e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770952227&Signature=HEryGL0TKu6pgrUF-sTRoOFJliO~s9fShnp-QSg-4ywKEapGQg0hHHrK6gwntfnBh11iEaSQEpikt8rr1gTNcU7p5X0wUX2J7j252AgarLGt4ihi0ran5-P~DzQf4MM-zMOnK89sMjY1RgHaj4ZkOID1xD90ZWjY-Zp-gRL5qVyMUAl99jgt8jaHkI0mirog1ancDIA9302D~5Xy76VjKoOhdJwje1IgjMU7nrN7pyUoRQs8l29r7BOxqGziZ62AF~mzk92DGEigBSu4NgHhUt6PyLPkxOIeqc~pmh8fZHux8E-ej1esotmV3FUDljNDL--PNzYucZTnW7t3We-Q~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","CGA - Education Committee","date","2025-01-14T00:00:00Z","article","Task force members recommended that the state decouple the identification process for gifted and talented students from the special education exceptional-child identification procedures.

Members said the current practice of folding gifted-and-talented identification into special-education procedures has forced districts to apply IDEA procedural safeguards — which are designed for disability determinations — to gifted identification in ways that do not fit. The panel discussed replacing that linkage by requiring a consistent state-level identification process while allowing districts discretion in assessments and programming.

The group also discussed a cap in state guidance on identification that limits any district to identifying no more than 10% of its students under a specific process. Members asked that guidance emphasize outreach to underrepresented communities and avoid imposing rigid assessment tools that would constrain district-level curriculum alignment. The task force agreed to restore explanatory language that had been deleted from an earlier draft to give context for the recommendation.

Members also suggested stronger emphasis on multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS/RTI) and clearer state guidance and training to distinguish language-acquisition issues from language delays when making eligibility decisions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Task Force to Study Special Education Services and Funding Meeting 2025-01-14","oneSentenceSummary","The task force backed a consensus position to separate gifted-and-talented identification from the special-education eligibility process and asked for consistent guidance to ensure underrepresented students are identified fairly.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature CT, Connecticut","taxId",77677,"location","Connecticut","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6387600,"Task force debates paraeducator pay, benefits and 'living wage' language",7053,1695000,8748000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2116238-d3cae59e38635828c2203ce92e9bfe39&start=1695&end=8748","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2116238-d3cae59e38635828c2203ce92e9bfe39/thumbnail_1695000.jpg","/articles/6387600/Connecticut/Task-force-debates-paraeducator-pay-benefits-and-living-wage-language","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6387600-a568eda3975d7cb2662e737c4917bb2a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770952227&Signature=f49lVKFxjja9AqjqTQ1p4enabyX25qmXXhgt0wHL4ta-M0cTmHGzpZiTinuhYAtO3FlGGX9jrUIi2vKewkpBCZr0gEyyhE7bh3DDnMT7qrWPZ7dBlYMbIAz7rEJGy5Dv8fNzRFnHbPvr-aKt6dDajC7Qc5LV1Zii3CDL3QIFhCAbaitXQ8Y9sKP3mjwoTvPqEzKkHOtHUmW7a3SFau4gyWCVQevZsh1rmaG9FVfJu9gca9KvkYSawijT-LOrdMIcPzW24XwdiJ4128ZRytV0R~K775iBRw0NNgvpH3-wA31GTzrLOuJ-AMlbmvSmBC1xpGkwEiFiZyrugj8EixQ6tw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the Connecticut Special Education Task Force spent substantial time debating how the report should address paraeducator compensation and benefits.

Several task force members said the report should recognize the need for a living wage and the importance of employer-provided health benefits, while others objected to specifying a numeric minimum or mandating benefits because local collective bargaining and differing district budgets make a single statewide dollar figure impractical.

At one point members discussed specific figures that had been in earlier drafts: a historical $20,000 starting teacher salary from 1986 and a separate suggested $60,000 starting-teacher figure were mentioned in discussion of earlier draft text (participants agreed to remove the explicit $25-per-hour paraeducator minimum from the draft but to retain language calling for further study). The final wording retained in the report, as recorded in the meeting, asks for “further study of this issue to identify cost-effective solutions that will provide a living wage.”

Members emphasized that total compensation varies across districts (for example, differences in health-insurance packages can change total value by an estimated $15,000–$30,000 in some examples raised during the meeting). The task force also recommended exploring pathways to certification, micro‑credentialing and other strategies to expand the paraeducator workforce while examining mechanisms for funding any wage changes.

The transcript shows advocates for keeping a strong statement on compensation while removing hard numbers; the committee directed staff to keep language recognizing the problem and to recommend additional study rather than mandating a specific wage in the report.","Members debated whether to include a dollar minimum for paraeducator pay in the report, how to account for benefits in total compensation, and recommended further study on cost-effective ways to provide living wages.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6387605,"Task force approves special education report urging full excess-cost funding, more tuition transparency",6734,2770000,9504000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2116238-d3cae59e38635828c2203ce92e9bfe39&start=2770&end=9504","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2116238-d3cae59e38635828c2203ce92e9bfe39/thumbnail_2770000.jpg","/articles/6387605/Connecticut/Task-force-approves-special-education-report-urging-full-excess-cost-funding-more-tuition-transparency","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6387605-e4f40ecce85c40fe467eecebd5f91d81/orig.mp4?Expires=1770952227&Signature=QQeC6K9XH3c2he9F2gP38wJaUKyP-DIH-Tg~uCvn6o~jw9OlFG8PVKGJGpTd5MvWQ7Hc6dV2DnavI8Wxh9spJ5IIvQmVNHh~W1VRrpdu3qGbr2~ffHBR-9WPUtqz3TSkTqXwcJjddzVU0JKcYjRkvck08qf5mPhErhsyngan-TEgBiQQvKDDYvXoNoGwj5lT~En~lPLXrFXqlveHWbhvEL716HzheCSArRfNUxccbNvSDcPJWR25SBw5A-huEhrij~QTInoA293d3kV6aXbdqfFk9ICHe7GfhfmCokGlCrPsn4oi942cHnLaxsS0yKRllYNjCHo33t-DTy5uThbMnA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Connecticut Special Education Task Force voted to approve a revised report that urges the state to fully fund excess cost (ECS) reimbursements, consider eliminating tiered reimbursement thresholds, and require the State Department of Education to collate tuition-rate information for private and regional programs and make it available to districts.

The panel’s vote to adopt the report as edited by staff came at the end of a lengthy meeting during which members debated the costs and mechanics of proposed changes. The motion to approve the report, described in the meeting as “the report as modified by Michelle Robbins,” passed by voice vote; members recorded “aye” and the chair declared the motion adopted. No roll-call tally was provided in the transcript.

The report highlights the decline in the share of excess costs covered by the state and calls attention to a shortfall that, according to discussion in the meeting, could leave districts reimbursed for a substantially smaller percentage of their excess costs in the current fiscal year. Task force members discussed preliminary figures ranging in the discussion from roughly $231 million to $261 million as points of reference for state reimbursements and funding gap estimates.

Members emphasized two financing options the report includes: (1) elimination of the tiered reimbursement system in favor of reimbursing districts for the full amount of excess special education costs once the statutory threshold is met, and (2) a separate proposal that would adjust the statutory threshold used to trigger reimbursement (the group discussed a differential of 4.5 times per-pupil expenditure for out-of-district placements and a lower multiple — discussed as 3 to 3.5 times — for in-district programs).

The report also recommends that the State Department of Education collect and make available to school districts information on tuition rates charged by approved private day and residential programs (APSEs and RESCs). Members were divided over whether that information should be fully public or shared only with districts; the final motion instructs the department to make the data available to districts (the report text retained language to “collate and make available to districts” rather than explicitly requiring public posting).

Task force members repeatedly framed the financing recommendations as tools to reduce out-of-district placements by helping districts develop and maintain local programs. The report notes that Connecticut’s published figures show a recent decline in out-of-district placements (from 6.8% to 5.88% across three reporting periods, as cited in the meeting); members said more up-to-date fiscal data is expected from the Office of Fiscal Analysis presentations to legislators.

The panel scheduled its report to be presented to the legislature’s special education committee, and members said staff would finalize editorial changes overnight. The meeting record shows the vote to approve the draft; the transcript does not list a recorded count of yea/nay/abstain votes.","The Connecticut Special Education Task Force voted to approve a draft report that calls for changes to the state's excess cost reimbursement system, new reporting on private/residential tuition rates, and other recommendations to reduce out-of-district placements and support in-district programming.","actionData","errors"]

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Task force recommends decoupling gifted-and-talented identification from special education process, calls for clearer identification guidance

Task force debates paraeducator pay, benefits and 'living wage' language

Task force approves special education report urging full excess-cost funding, more tuition transparency