Capital Preparatory Charter School’s long-planned expansion into Middletown has landed in court. The Hartford-based charter operator is suing to overturn a state ruling that it says blocks a fair, transparent process for deciding which approved schools receive funding.
This case could reshape how charter schools are financed across Connecticut, from Bridgeport to New Haven. It might also clarify who really holds the power over which schools open—the State Board of Education or the General Assembly.
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Capital Prep Challenges State Over Charter School Funding Power
The lawsuit centers on who decides which charter schools get the state dollars they need to open. Capital Preparatory Charter School argues that once the legislature allocates money for charter education, the Connecticut State Board of Education should decide which approved schools are funded.
In October, the Board took a different position. It ruled that it is not responsible for choosing which charter schools receive state funding.
Capital Prep says this stance has stalled an already-approved school in Middletown. Leaders believe it’s muddied the rules for charter operators statewide, including those looking at new campuses in Hartford, New Britain, and Waterbury.
A School Approved, But Still Unfunded
The conflict goes back to March 2023. That’s when the State Board of Education gave Capital Prep the green light to open a new charter school in Middletown.
This approval came despite Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker recommending more time for public comment. It was a big win for the school, which also operates in Bridgeport and has long argued that families in central Connecticut need more options.
After the board’s vote, no state funding followed. Without funding, a charter can’t open—no matter how strong its application is.
Capital Prep’s leaders say this disconnect between approval and funding is why they’ve turned to the courts.
Lawsuit Accuses State of “Backroom” Funding Decisions
At a recent press conference in Middletown, school leaders laid out their case and frustrations. They say repeated attempts to resolve the impasse with lawmakers, the State Board, and Governor Ned Lamont went nowhere.
Families in Middletown and nearby communities like Meriden and Cheshire remain in limbo. Planning committee co-chair Michele Clay didn’t hold back in her criticism.
She said the lawsuit aims to “pull back the curtain” on what she called a nontransparent, “backroom” process that decides which charter schools get funded and which do not.
Governor’s Office Calls Claims Baseless
Gov. Lamont’s office quickly pushed back. In a statement, his administration rejected the idea that the Board of Education had acted unlawfully or improperly.
Officials called Capital Prep’s claims “baseless.” They said the school was mischaracterizing how the charter funding process actually works at the Capitol in Hartford.
The governor’s team says the system follows state law and respects the legislature’s power of the purse. They argue the dispute is less about transparency and more about Capital Prep disagreeing with the outcome.
Legislators Pulled Into the Fight
The lawsuit and public campaign have pulled several lawmakers into the spotlight. Supporters of Capital Prep’s Middletown school accuse key legislators of undermining the effort behind the scenes, even after the State Board’s approval.
Among those singled out by supporters are:
Do Lawmakers Have the Power to Target a School?
Capital Prep founder Steve Perry disputes the idea that any individual lawmaker can strip a single school out of the state budget. He argues that no one legislator has that kind of authority.
Perry believes the process should be driven by the merits of a school’s application—not political maneuvering in Hartford or New Haven. This debate highlights a central tension in Connecticut’s charter landscape.
Who gets to decide which communities, from Middletown to Stamford and Norwalk, gain new public school options? And on what basis?
A 2015 Law at the Center of the Dispute
The legal fight turns in large part on a law passed in 2015. That statute requires the Connecticut General Assembly to approve funding for specific charter schools, not just charter spending in general.
It was enacted amid a broader debate over charter oversight and accountability in cities like New Haven and Waterbury. Capital Prep says that law has, in practice, overridden merit-based decisions by the State Board of Education.
The school points out that its Middletown application earned the highest score of any charter proposal that year. Yet it still sits unfunded and unopened.
What the Lawsuit Seeks to Change
The suit asks the courts to clarify that while the legislature sets the overall budget, the Board of Education should decide which approved charter schools actually get funding.
If Capital Prep wins, the Board could regain real power from the legislature. That shift might ripple through future charter proposals in places like Hartford, Middletown, Bridgeport, and honestly, anywhere else in Connecticut.
For now, families in Middletown are just waiting. The result of this legal fight could reshape how Connecticut juggles politics, policy, and parents’ say in public education.
Here is the source article for this story: Capital Prep sues over CT charter school funding process
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