The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) has “significant concerns” regarding the Hartford Public School (HPS) system’s ability to deliver special education services to students following a review that found widespread staffing shortages, limited education and special education supports, high out-of-district special education placements, and limited influence over Open Choice special education costs.

The review conducted by New Solutions K12 resulted in the CSDE “intensifying our support and targeted monitoring activities within the district,” CSDE Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker wrote in a June 26 letter to State Senators Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, and Eric Berthel, R-Watertown. 

The two senators had previously raised concerns about HPS’s minimum 50 grading policy and Alicia Ortiz, a Hartford school graduate who revealed she was unable to read and has since filed a lawsuit against the Hartford Board of Education, and is seeking a $3 million settlement.

Russell-Tucker said the CSDE had “conducted a comprehensive review of Alicia Ortiz’s education records,” and that, although they could not share that data due to privacy laws, “we can share that the review raised concerns that aligned with a larger systemic evaluation of HPS’s special education programming and service delivery.”

That systemic review found that as of February of 2025, the Hartford school district had 47.5 special education teacher vacancies, 2.5 school psychologist vacancies, 8.5 social worker vacancies, and 12.6 speech language pathologist vacancies. The review also found limited special education support, “which puts additional strain on the short-staffed team of special educators,” and results in expensive out of district special education placements that eat into HPS’s already struggling budget. 

According to figures presented in the New Solutions K12 review, for the 2023-2024 school year, HPS expended $157 million on special education services, with the largest single line item being $86.7 million for out of district special education tuition. That year, HPS’s budget was $429 million, after the BOE had to mitigate a $24 million deficit driven, in part, by special education transportation costs, according to the operating budget. The district has faced continuing budget challenges, requiring additional support and cuts.

The review, however, did find that Hartford had been able to save roughly $20 million by reducing the out-of-district placements, but noted the district could likely have saved more if it had the necessary special education staffing levels. The report warns, however, that while additional money would help, there are more systemic challenges that have created “a perfect storm,” in the special education system that need to be addressed.

“Current ineffective general education tier 1, 2, and 3 interventions has led to a surge in special education referrals and increased identification of students as having a disability,” the report says. “This is then exacerbated by the district’s prior decision to greatly reduce support services like special education pull-out programs and traditional special education resource rooms, combined with the growing national trend of rising special education programs. Together, this has placed an immense burden on an already overstretched and understaffed special education workforce.”

The report found that 21 percent of HPS students were “identified as students with disabilities,” compared to a 17 percent average for the state, but also found that an overreliance on special education for students having difficulty with general, grade-level content isn’t necessarily helpful.

“Many staff seem to believe that if students can’t master grade level core content, then special education and special educators are the appropriate response to help,” the report states. “While this is driven by a sense of wanting to help, it is not actually helpful.” The report goes on to criticize HPS’s reduction in the use of resource rooms for students with an individual education plan (IEP) as part of “a commitment to inclusion.”

“While inclusion is a best practice, it was not a best practice to also scale back intervention. Extra time intervention need not reduce inclusion, and it does increase achievement,” the report states. “In the last year or two, the district has begun to address this opportunity. Historically there has been a great deal of latitude around tier 1 curriculum and teaching practices in the district, which has not helped all kids achieve at high levels. In an effort to address this the district has been rolling out and support the use of a common rigorous core curriculum.”

The study identified six key “opportunities” for the district to improve its special education system, including filling the special education teacher vacancies, accelerating efforts to implement strong core curriculum, and having a dedicated team to manage Open Choice students who are identified as special needs at nearly twice the rate of students who remain in HPS, and lastly create a dedicated team to oversee implementation of these changes.

Special education costs were at the forefront of the 2025 legislative session as lawmakers sought to address the surging costs for districts across the state that have reached a “crisis point,” according to one lawmaker. In January of 2025, a special task force authorized by the General Assembly to study the state’s special education services released a report that found schools statewide faced special education staffing shortages, and that special education costs were becoming prohibitive, with not enough state support.

Gov. Ned Lamont vetoed a bill that would have increased special education grants by $40 million in March, citing budgetary concerns. The General Assembly then voted to pass HB 5001, which increased funding for special education by $30 million and implemented a number of reforms meant to ease the cost burden on municipalities, particularly for out-of-district placements. The governor signed the bill into law.

The New Solutions K12 report noted that HPS has already begun some work to address these issues, including increasing teacher salaries in the latest round of contract negotiations to be more competitive with surrounding suburbs, bonuses for long-time teachers, and partnering with universities that focus on special education to address the shortage of special education staff, along with strengthening core curriculum and reducing out-of-district placements.

Additionally, according to Russell-Tucker, the state’s education department “has assumed an enhanced role in overseeing HPS’ implementation of New Solutions K12’s recommendations, ensuring accountability at every stage and sustaining a close watch on measurable progress.”

“This level of engagement reflects the urgency and seriousness of the identified issues and our commitment to ensuring that all Hartford students receive the services and support to which they are entitled,” Russell-Tucker wrote.

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