Bacchiochi Pushed to Save Special Education Funding

State Rep. Penny Bacchiochi pushed for changes last week after she got a look at a deficit mitigation proposal that would have slashed education funds for students in her district. Legislators gathered at the Capitol to close a current-year deficit of roughly $1.35 billion. The original proposal from majority Democrats would have reduced special education money for Somers ($28,356) and Stafford ($37,044.) The clock will soon expire on local budgets and such cuts would have proved devastating so late in the fiscal year, said Bacchiochi, a Somers resident serving her fourth term in the legislature.

“The communities in my district have a hard enough time covering school costs,” she said. “Cutting on that money would have crushed local budgets and, even worse, hurt students.”

Bacchiochi was a loud voice for her district during bipartisan discussions that had Republicans and Democrats restore that essential education funding in a $1.2 billion mitigation plan Gov. M. Jodi Rell later approved.

What’s more, that final plan carried a bit of good news for seniors struggling in this sour economy. A prescription drug coverage change is expected to save 30,000 seniors an average of $1,200 a year in medication costs. These seniors will be eligible for enhanced prescription coverage through the federal Medicare Part D program.

But there’s more work to be done. Analysts have said Connecticut over the next few years faces multi-billion dollar deficits. Bipartisanship, Bacchiochi said, is paramount to finding shortfall solutions.

“The goodwill that drove the latest mitigation plan was a great start in dealing with larger financial problems on the horizon,” said Bacchiochi, referring to a forecasted $8 billion deficit over the next budget cycle.

“Putting aside the business as usual politics is the only way we can beat this crisis,” she said.