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Full-day kindergarten, early literacy and additional student support are among the top priorities, Malloy said as he announced the funds with Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor.
The Alliance Districts will receive a total of $132,901,813 in additional funding for the 2014-15 academic year to help implement academic improvement plans.
“A central part of our effort to improve public education is to make sure that districts that need the most help are getting the extra support they need, and that’s exactly what the Alliance District programs does,” Malloy said.
Here are the amounts for the local school districts in past years and for the new school year:
Danbury
- $1,696,559 for 2012-13
- $4,436,289 for 2013-14
- $6,696,567 for 2014-15
Norwalk
- $577,476 for 2012-13
- $904,066 for 2013-14
- $1,180,676 for 2014-15
Stamford
- $920,233 for 2012-13
- $1,855,142 for 2013-14
- $2,626,442 for 2014-15
The Alliance District program is the state’s lead initiative to improve student success in the state’s 30 most chronically struggling school districts and to help close achievement gaps.
Since its creation in 2012, the Alliance District program has invested $259,843,832 in Connecticut’s high-need school districts.
“With this additional funding, districts are doing everything from focusing on early literacy to adding full-day kindergarten," Malloy said. "It’s a huge step forward, one that is led at local level to the benefit of every child in that district.”
The increased financial investment is tied to greater accountability for how this funding is spent. The Alliance District program requires an annual submission of turnaround plan amendments for approval from the state.
“The Alliance Districts program represents a true alliance between historically lower performing school districts and the state,” Pryor said. “As participants in this partnership, districts craft and commit to strategies aimed at improving their performance in key state and locally identified areas and, in turn, the state provides substantial new resources to assist these districts in carrying out their plans.
"In addition, the State Department of Education convenes the 30 Alliance Districts quarterly in order to enable them to share best practices and hone their strategies. Many Alliance Districts are making real progress in improving conditions and enhancing opportunities at their schools and in their classrooms, and the results are starting to show."
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