Hartford, CT: City budget includes $60M to expand SPED

April 24, 2026, Greenwich Times: Hartford Public Schools presents $496.3M budget plan to city council

Hartford Public Schools presented a $496.3 million budget plan for the 2026–27 school year, a $60.4 million increase from this year, to City Council members on Wednesday.

“For far too long, Hartford Public Schools has been making cuts to keep up with a structural deficit,” Superintendent Andraé Townsel said at the budget hearing. 

Over the past three years, the district has cut $70 million and eliminated more than 400 positions to help mitigate deficits Townsel said. But he warned the school district cannot continue reducing staff and programs. 

“There is nothing left to cut,” Townsel said. “We are down to the bone.” 

The district is facing a $22 million deficit this school year and is projecting a $52.5 million shortfall for 2026–27.  

The proposed budget includes an additional $8 million to the $52.5 million for the 2026-27 school year to expand in-house special education programming and elementary literacy interventionists required under the Alliance Grant, officials said.