The Connecticut state government contributes approximately $4.5 billion to education in any given year. About half of the money, around $2 billion dollars, is allocated to public school districts using the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) Formula. (The other half is allocated to supporting students with special needs.) This formula determines how much each district will receive. This lesson explores how the ECS Formula is used and what factors are considered in the formula. 

In this lesson, participants engage in a scenario where they analyze school district data as well as the state averages of those data to determine what amount of money their assigned districts should get from the state government without knowing the actual ECS Formula. After the activity, the ECS Formula is shared with the students, they work through what the districts should get as a result of the formula, and then engage in a discussion about fairness considering the components of the ECS Formula and district needs. **Disclaimer: this lesson was created in 2021/2022 and the ECS Formula is subject to change**