The State Department of Education told the Appropriations Committee on Nov. 5 that statewide accountability scores rose in 2024-25 and that investments in dual-credit programs are improving college and career preparedness. Ajit Gopalakrishnan, appearing with the commissioner, said the departments full accountability release shows progress on indicators from high-school graduation on-track measures to physical fitness, and highlighted thousands of students now enrolled in dual-credit courses.

That overview preceded a detailed briefing on school nutrition. The commissioner said Connecticut continues to draw $391.7 million in federal education entitlement funds and that National School Lunch and School Breakfast reimbursements are being processed. John Frasinelli, division director for health, nutrition and family services, told lawmakers 171 districts participate in the National School Lunch Program and 163 in the School Breakfast Program; he said September claims have been processed and October claims were scheduled for payment in late November or early December.

Why this matters: school meals and related nutrition programs are a regular monthly revenue stream for districts. Committee members pressed for lists and district-level breakdowns of program participation, commodity distributions and the local-farm suppliers the department reimburses under the Local Foods for Schools Incentive Program (LFSIP). Gopalakrishnan said the federal LFSIP award is $1.8 million (federal) through June 2026 and that the legislature provided $1.5 million (state) for 2026 and $3.4 million for 2027 to continue the program when the federal funding expires.

Committee members also pressed the department about Summer EBT and pending federal SNAP changes. Several lawmakers, including Senator Austin and Senator Lesser, asked whether new SNAP work or citizenship requirements in federal proposals could reduce children's access to summer benefits. The department said it is coordinating with the Department of Social Services to confirm whether children would remain eligible if adults lose SNAP eligibility and to clarify how Summer EBT cards are issued and mailed. DPH and SDE officials said they had been told Summer EBT cards were mailed in the childs name and that most had been redeemed, but SDE said it would confirm details with DSS.

The department emphasized the limited flexibility of school meal rules outside of declared public-health emergencies. Frasinelli noted that pandemic-era waivers allowed broader meal distribution options; those waivers are not in effect now and USDA has not authorized similar blanket flexibilities for the current situation.

Lawmakers sought several follow-up items: district-by-district participation lists for lunch and breakfast programs, the distribution of commodity allocations by district, lists of Local Foods for Schools vendors and participating farms, and confirmation from DSS on Summer EBT card mailing procedures and the effect of federal SNAP rule changes on summer benefits.

Provenance: SDE overview and accountability remarks (Commissioner, Ajit Gopalakrishnan) and school-nutrition Q&A (John Frasinelli) were recorded throughout the 00:00:21 to 00:41:00 portion of the transcript. The department committed to providing the requested lists and breakdowns to the committee.

Ending note: Officials said entitlement funds and reimbursements were being accessed without interruption at the time of the briefing, but they warned that Summer EBT logistics and SNAP eligibility changes require close coordination with DSS to avoid gaps in benefit delivery.