Today, the Connecticut School Finance Project is proud to officially launch a new, interactive website (www.ctstatefinance.org) that provides an in-depth, yet approachable, look into many of the fiscal challenges that Connecticut faces, such as long-term pension and debt obligations, shrinking revenues, and declining bond ratings.
Designed to serve as a nonpartisan, comprehensive resource for state and local policymakers, community leaders, and all Connecticut citizens looking for transparent, accessible, and approachable information about the State’s budget and finances, CTStateFinance.org is part of Connecticut’s Finances, a new initiative of the Connecticut School Finance Project that examines Connecticut’s fiscal and economic health.
While traveling across the state over the past two and a half years speaking about school finance and meeting with thousands of Connecticut residents, we have increasingly heard more and more calls for greater, more accessible information about Connecticut’s financial state and fiscal challenges. We developed CTStateFinance.org as a way to help answer these calls, and provide a one-stop shop for data and information about the State’s finances.
Along with providing the most comprehensive view available of Connecticut’s fiscal health and challenges, CTStateFinance.org includes interactive data visualizations (not viewable on mobile devices) that allow users to explore numerous areas of the State’s finances, including Connecticut’s:
- General Fund revenue and expenditures over time;
- Surpluses and deficits through the years;
- Annual budgeted vs. actual revenue;
- Spending by category;
- Growing fixed costs;
- Funding for the State Employees Retirement System (SERS) and Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS); and
- Bonding and debt service payments.
The interactive visualizations will be continually updated as new data and information is released, and the latest relevant reports and publications will regularly be added to the site’s comprehensive Resource Library.
We hope you, and other visitors to the site, find CTStateFinance.org useful and informative, and take time to explore the site’s many features. As always, we welcome any feedback or questions you may have about the new site, and encourage you to contact us at info@ctschoolfinance.org.