Summary

HB 6704 (Open States or Connecticut Legislature) establishes the state’s budget for the fiscal years 2014 and 2015. It expands previously enacted K-12 education reforms as well as science and technology programs at the University of Connecticut. It also appropriates funds for longitudinal data systems and implementation of the Common Core State standards.

Legislative Analysis

HB 6704 establishes a two-year state budget, appropriating funds for state agencies and programs and estimating state revenues for the fiscal years 2014 and 2015.  It expands previously enacted education reforms that help the state’s lowest performing schools, instituting new performance-based teacher evaluations, increasing access to high-performing charter schools, and implementing the Common Core State Standards. It also invests in expanding science and technology programs at the University of Connecticut.

The legislation appropriates $1.26 million for longitudinal data systems for both the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 periods. For Common Core implementation, it appropriates $8.3 million for 2013-2014 and $6.3 million for 2014-2015. It also adds technology acquisition related to implementing the Common Core State Standards to the list of projects that can receive funding through the Local Capital Improvement Program (LOCIP). LOCIP reimburses municipalities for the cost of eligible local capital improvement projects.

This law supports digital learning through investments in technology itself and technology education at both the K-12 and postsecondary education levels. It also supports the use of data for understanding student learning and improving the education system. More broadly, HB 6704 supports innovation and choice in education, which creates the opportunity for digital learning to thrive as well.

Legislative History

Detailed Vote History: Legiscan |  Open States

Approved by Governor Dannel Malloy on 6/18/2013