New strategy aims to cut number of state's at-risk youths in half

A Connecticut Conference of Municipalities’ commission is proposing a 10-year, 22-point action plan members say will slash the number of at-risk and disconnected youth in the state by 60,000 ― but at a cost.

The 119K Commission on At-Risk and Disconnected Youth, named for the number of Connecticut youths in crisis and comprising mayors, first selectmen and other Connecticut municipal leaders, on Tuesday at the state Legislative Office Building in Hartford unveiled its “Young People First” report, the result of series of youth forums and public meetings that began in March.

Torrington Mayor Elinor Carbone, co-commission chairwoman, said those meetings revealed six systemic gaps preventing youths from succeeding in education and workplace spheres, including a lack of engagement; insufficient educational resources and infrastructure; a lack of workforce opportunities; a fragmented, underfunded patchwork of services; and a dearth of data and accountability.

Carbone said the findings prompted the commission to offer possible “springboard” solutions focusing on preventative, recuperative and early intervention areas.

“It’s critical we get this right,” Carbone said.

CCM defines “disconnected” youths as those aged 14-26 who are not on-track for gainful employment. Of that group, 51,000 are characterized as moderately disconnected, or high school diploma holders who are not working nor in a post-secondary education program. Another 12,000 in that demographic are not employed, do not possess a high school diploma or are incarcerated.

The “at-risk” group, or those 56,000 high school students at risk of not graduating, includes 28,000 kids deemed “off-track” or do not meet state credit attainment requirements.

A multi-pronged strategy

The commission’s strategy revolves around four “pillars”: Coordination, conditions, coalitions and capacity, each with specific, phased “action” proposals.

Those actionable items on the educational side include revising Connecticut’s graduation requirements to eliminate district-to-district inconsistencies; increasing access to technical high schools; reducing school suspensions and expanding alternative learning strategies.

The commission calls for awarding additional funding to school districts and towns that combine services, especially at the administration level.

“For example, every public school district has a superintendent earning more than $150,000 every year and dozens of vendor contracts that would be more economical at scale,” the report states. “On the other hand, small districts do not have enough resources to sustain full-time teams in critical roles, including data, IT and at-risk youth support.”

The report proposes reviewing and revising the state Educational Cost Sharing formula to take into account inflation, students with disabilities and those learners deemed economically disadvantaged.

The commission also supports the adoption of an expanded federal tax credit.

On the employment side, the commission proposes launching a Connecticut Youth Service Corp as a way to offer paid fellowships aimed at connecting youths with careers in “high-need” sectors such as manufacturing.

The report proposes better funding those state non-profit groups that serve severely disconnected young people, while also training outreach workers to address trauma and behavioral health issues.

More funding would be allotted under the plan to support those workforce reintegration programs that provide employment options to currently and formerly incarcerated youths, and provide incentives to those companies willing to employ those young people.

Upfront implementation of all the action items is pegged at $150 million with $410 million in additional annual investments needed in subsequent years. The biggest cost-drivers ― entailing about 80% of the total costs ― are embedded in school policy updates, employment programs, Youth Service Corp creation and up-scaling nonprofit capacity.

“The cost of inaction is high“

The commission identifies three major funding strategies labeled as reinvesting, re-allocation and new or expanded revenue sources.

The reinvestment strategy foresees using the state money saved by reconnecting youths to job and school paths ― and the new tax revenue those youths generate ― to pay back new state bond issuance and investor funding.

The re-allocation strategy calls for phasing out unsuccessful programming and realizing savings through consolidation efforts. That funding could cover the cost of new programming, the report states.

The final strategy would exempt education spending from the state ‘s spending cap ― with the surplus paying for some of the proposed education changes ― and seek out more philanthropic and federal funding sources.

The commission estimates “doing nothing is not a cost-less decision,” but one that costs the state roughly $11,000 in lost tax revenue and increased service spending for every disconnected youth, or about $100 million a year.

“The cost of inaction is high,” said CCM Executive Director and CEO Joe Delong, who added that bill is paid year after year in further youth disconnection, falling graduation rates, more incarcerated young people and increased property taxes.

Delong said, in addition to state policy makers, the report’s recommendations will be shared more locally with those grassroots agencies who could begin implementation of the proposals themselves.

j.penney@theday.com