Source: Kevin Maloney, CCM

For Immediate Release
Kevin Maloney (203) 710-3486

Key municipal and education advocates call on State to end prohibition against using American Rescue Plan funding as a match to help fix CT schools’ aging HVAC systems    

The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM), the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS), and the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) today (Tuesday, October 25) urged Governor Lamont’s administration and the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to reconsider the prohibition of municipalities using local American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds as a match for the newly created grant program to install, replace, or upgrade heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) systems. 

In addition, as this is a complex issue, we are encouraging DAS to extend the timeframe for municipalities to submit these grant applications to allow for more thorough and well detailed applications.  

We realize and appreciate the efforts that have been made by the legislature and the administration in working with local officials to improve air quality within our schools.  Our partners at DAS in particular have been working well with municipalities and school boards to execute this new program.  Improving air quality and ventilation remains as essential for school improvements as new roofs, windows and enhancements to school security.  As important as each of these improvements are, they are each unique in the way they should be administered. 

Local match needed

We recognize current state law which prohibits federal funds – like ARPA – to be used as the local match for the school construction grant process.  In addition, we understand the ease in applying the same conditions and standards for the new HVAC grant.  However, we do not believe that it was the legislative intent for the HVAC grant to impose the same requirements and conditions as the school construction program.  If it was intended, then the legislation would have been specifically written in that manner or at least incorporated within the school construction section of the state statutes.  While the DAS Office of School Construction Grants and Review (OSCGR) is the most appropriate department to administer this grant, it necessitates different requirements and conditions.

The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) administers several state and federal grants which each have their own unique set of requirements.  One such grant has been the school security grants, which we believe is most analogues to the new HVAC grant.  Those school security grants were administered outside of the school construction program and did not have the same burdensome requirements as stipulated for the HVAC grant. 

Shifting the tax burden

As we know, the property tax is regressive.  Shifting the matching funds onto property tax payers would only burden families that have struggled through the pandemic and are now combating high inflation.  The imposition and restriction of municipalities to use ARPA funds will have a significant burden at the municipal level and risks several of these projects not being completed and runs contrary to the efforts made when Congress passed ARPA.

Delay application

Furthermore, improving HVAC systems in schools is complex.  It should not be further hampered through an accelerated timeframe for municipalities and school boards to submit these grant applications. Such complexity associated with HVAC enhancements require the appropriate amount of time to determine engineering conditions and costs.  While we understand the constraints imposed by the legislature regarding the completion of this grant, we are urging DAS and the legislature to take proactive action to extend the deadline for grant submissions.  This will allow greater flexibility for municipalities to adequately and appropriately execute these grants to meet the needs of students and teachers throughout the state.

State and local collaboration

As we all know, improving the air quality in our schools is a problem that must be solved through state and local collaboration.  We are hopeful that the legislature, administration and DAS will (1) reconsider its prohibition on using local ARPA funds as matching funds, as well (2) provide for a greater time period to ensure these grants can be properly executed.  Our students, teachers and taxpayers deserve a program that is implemented in an effective manner to improve the air quality in our schools.   

The three leaders of the coalition are all available to further discuss this issue:
Joe DeLong, CCM Executive Director and CEO -- 203-747-0268
Frances Rabinowitz, CAPSS Executive Director -- 860-236-8640
Patrice McCarthy, CABE Executive Director and General Counsel -- 860-712-7665