Sen. Gordon Continues His Work On An Affordability Agenda To Help The People Of Connecticut: Part #1 – Putting Education Funding First To Help Property Taxpayers, Students, and Teachers

HARTFORD, CT – State Senator Dr. Jeff Gordon (R-Woodstock) today announced the continuation of his Affordability Agenda, a series of proposals and policy initiatives he will roll out over the coming weeks aimed at further tackling the high cost of living and making Connecticut more affordable for hard-working people, families, seniors, small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and municipalities.
“Affordability is one of the biggest challenges facing the people of Connecticut. You hear it everywhere you go, and I see and feel it myself. Groceries cost too much. Electric bills are too high. Property taxes continue to strain household budgets. Health care and prescription drugs remain too expensive. People work hard for their money, but it seems like less and less of it stays in their pockets,” said Sen. Gordon.
“Some people talk about what they want to do and tell you what you already know about the Affordability Crisis, but have not shown up to do the actual work. That does nothing. Some people talk about raising taxes to spend more money. We have too many taxes. State government is overflowing with tax revenue. You need to keep more of your money upfront and get taxed less!”
“That is why, starting today and over the next several weeks, my Affordability Agenda will lay out a series of common-sense ideas to tackle affordability from different directions. Some will build upon work already done or started. Others will address areas where state government needs to do things differently. The goal is simple: lower costs, let people keep more of their hard-earned money, and make Connecticut a more affordable place to live, work, raise a family, retire, and run a business.”
“I believe in common sense, showing up to do the work needed, getting results, and putting people first. Working across the aisle when there are good ideas and pushing back when state government makes life more expensive are both important. That is the leadership ethic I have. Affordability is too important to treat as a political slogan, a social media graphic, or a quirky video. It requires action and leadership. That’s what my work has been about, and the fight for people will continue based upon my life experiences as a doctor, a state senator, a former town official, and an active member of the community.”
Since taking office, Sen. Gordon has made affordability a major focus of his work at the State Capitol, advocating for and helping advance policies to lower taxes, reduce prescription drug costs, provide energy rate relief, increase state education funding to ease pressure on local property taxpayers, make childcare and early education more affordable, and help working families with child and caregiver expenses. Among these efforts, Gordon helped lead the bipartisan effort that resulted in historic prescription drug pricing reform, supported income tax relief and expanded tax exemptions on retirement income, fought to reduce “public benefit” taxes embedded in electric bills, stopped cuts in state funding for public education, and worked to secure increased support for local education and special education costs. Overall, Sen. Gordon can cite at least 37 items done to address affordability.
“We have made progress. The work we have done has helped put more money back into people’s pockets and lower some of the costs that burden them. Through my life experiences, I understand what people are going through. But we are nowhere near done,” said Gordon. “Connecticut remains too expensive. For many people, affordability is not an abstract policy debate. It is the electric bill sitting on the kitchen table. It is the grocery bill at the end of the week. It is the property tax bill, the cost of filling the gas tank, paying for childcare, or picking up a prescription.”

Part #1 – Putting Education Funding First To Help Property Taxpayers, Students, and Teachers

• Increase the base amount of state funding per pupil in the Education Cost Sharing grant to bring it up to the current needs in 2026 (last updated in 2013) and tag it to an annual cost-of-living increase to keep it current.
• Rework the failed ECS funding formula to better match financial needs with state funding support and to create a realistic formula that truly addresses the needs of rural and small towns.
• Fund towns’ special education costs.
• Further fund special education collaborative or regional programs that towns decide themselves to join or create.
• Create an Opportunity Tax Credit to help students pay for college and post-graduate tuition and expenses.
• Create a Student Loan Tax Credit to help graduates.
• Create a Lifetime Learning Tax Credit to help workers advance their careers.
• Continue funding the Early Childhood Education Endowment Fund.
• Fund a Teacher School Supply Expense Tax Credit.

“This is not an all-inclusive list, but it includes items that have been part of my work and will continue to be,” said Sen. Gordon. “Fixing the failed Education Cost Sharing formula and funding can have a direct, positive impact on lowering property taxes. We stopped $7 million in proposed state education cuts to the 35th State Senate District that would have burdened taxpayers. There has also been a significant ‘opening of the door’ in the legislature to increased funding that we can build upon next year when the legislature creates a new 2-year state budget. This brought millions more dollars to the 35th State Senate District. My participation in the Blue Ribbon Commission on Education has also focused on these funding issues. The more we can do at a state level, the better we can help make Connecticut more affordable for more people.”