School Readiness & Zero Emissions Buses at BOE
- Theresa Cramer
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
At the January 13, 2026, Board of Education (BOE) meeting, Stafford’s Superintendent of Schools Scott Sugarman, touched on a few items that could potentially be big news for Stafford. Let’s dive in.
Expanding school readiness
Connecticut General Statutes Section 10-16p established the School Readiness Grant program, which is administered by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood. In layman’s terms, it's essentially funding for pre-K slots. Stafford Public Schools currently receives funding for 40 pre-K school-readiness seats. However, Sugarman explained at the BOE meeting that the district has applied to double the number of its readiness slots. This would, in turn, double the revenue.
According to the state’s Office of Early Childhood, this is how those seats are funded:
Full-day/full-year
Provided access to services for 10 hours a day for 48 weeks a year
Reimbursed at $10,500 per child per year
School-day/school-year
Provided access to services for 6 hours a day for 180 days
Reimbursed at $6,000 per child per year
Part-day/part-year
Provided access to services for at least 2.5 hours a day for 180 days
Reimbursed at $4,500 per child per year
Extended-day
Provided children full-time access to a program for 10 hours a day for 48 weeks a year by extending the hours of services available for children enrolled in a part-time program not funded by School Readiness
Reimbursed at $2,772 per child per year
Zero emissions transportation
Public Act 22-25 requires school transportation vehicles to transition to 100% electric on two different timelines. Environmental Justice (EJ) Zones must make the change by 2024, while others must do so by 2024. Stafford does not own its school buses, but Sugarman expressed concerns about increased costs and infrastructure requirements.
In Connecticut, EJ communities are defined by the Connecticut General Statutes as:
a distressed municipality, as designated by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development; OR
defined census block groups where 30% of the population is living below 200% of the federal poverty level
Stafford is back on the distressed municipality list and is therefore likely to be subject to the earlier transition deadline for electric buses. Sugarman also noted that given Stafford’s terrain, the switch the electric buses could prove problematic in other ways. With all of this in mind, Sugarman said he reached out to M&J Transportation and Senator Jeff Gordon to discuss participating in a potential pilot program. Stafford, he said, is a good representation of rural school districts in the state.
