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Non-profit

The Capitol Region Education Council

Website:

www.crec.org/
Location:

Hartford, CT
Status:

Non-Profit Regional Educational Service Center
Founded:

1966
Executive Director:

Greg J. Florio

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The Capitol Region Education Council is one of six Regional Educational Service Centers (RESC), non-profit organizations formed under a Connecticut statute that allows local boards of education to establish a RESC as a “public educational authority.” 1 It offers programs and services to 35 school districts focused near the state capital of Hartford, including workshops for educators, educational programs for grades Pre-K through 12 and at post-secondary levels, school construction assistance, and “customized educational programming.” 2

The Capitol Region Education Council receives local, state, federal, and private funding. It has received grants from the Connecticut Health Foundation, the Magnet Schools Assistance Program, the U.S. Department of Education and its Office of Elementary & Secondary Education. 3 4 5 6

According to its 2020 financial report, the Capitol Region Education Council received a total of $361.7 million, approximately $353 million of that came from governmental funding. 7

The Capitol Region Education Council has an affiliated non-profit organization called the Capitol Region Education Council Foundation. The foundation is used to solicit funding to support CREC. 8

Background

Created in 1966, the Capitol Region Education Council is one of six Regional Educational Service Centers (RESCs) formed under a Connecticut statute that allows local boards of education to establish a RESC as a “public educational authority.” 9

CREC programs and services include workshops for educators, educational programs for grades PreK through 12 and at the post-secondary level, school construction, and “customized educational programming” in public school districts. As of November 2021, CREC works in 35 school districts in and with approximately 12,000 students annually in Connecticut, administers 120 educational programs designed for educators and students, and manages more than 40 facilities including 16 magnet schools. 10

The CREC council consists of a representative from the board of education of each of the 35 school districts in which it works. The CREC council then chooses ten people to sit on its board of directors, which meets every month to discuss policies, programs, personnel, and funding. 11

Ideological Programming

Programs offered by the Capitol Region Education Council include ideological instruction. Its “cultural proficiency” program is aligned with critical race theory ideologies and teaches about “implicit bias in education, structural racism within schools.” It also has a program dedicated to “increasing workplace diversity.” Other programs include “eesmarts,” which presents left-of-center viewpoints on environmental and energy issues. 12 13

Funding

The Capitol Region Education Council receives money from local, state, and federal governments in addition to private funding. According to CREC, local school districts become members of CREC with an annual fee of 20 cents per pupil, and funding received by the organization will contribute a proportionate amount to CREC. 14

CREC received a total revenue of just over $320 million in 2018, $316 million of which came from governmental funding. The organization’s total program expenses amounted to $329 million in the same year. According to the financial report, around 34 percent of revenue came from charges for services and approximately 66 percent came from operating and capital grants and contributions. Governmental activities revenue decreased by $16.9 million from 2017 but governmental expenditures increased by $4.9 million. 15

CREC’s total revenue increased to approximately $337 million in 2019, $327.5 of which came from governmental funding. Its total program expenses amounted to $316 million. Approximately 32 percent of its revenue came from charges for services and around 67 percent was from operating and capital grants and contributions. Government activities revenue increased by $11.3 million, and governmental expenditures decreased by $18.3 million. 16

The Capitol Region Education Council had a significant boost in revenue in 2020, receiving $361.7 million, with approximately $353 million from government funding. CREC’s total program expenses amounted to $330 million in 2020. Around 30 percent of CREC’s revenue came from charges for services and approximately 69 percent came from operating and capital grants and contributions. Governmental activities revenue increased by approximately $26.2 million, and governmental expenses increased by $14.6 million. 17

CREC receives grants from multiple sources including government grants and private grants.

The Connecticut Health Foundation provided CREC with a $74,386 grant in 2007 to “implement the health literacy program at two Hartford sites.” 18

The Capitol Region Education Council has received governmental funding including a grant for $3,729,379 from the Magnet Schools Assistance Program, $4.9 million from the U.S. Department of Education in 2018, and $802,275 from the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2019. 19 20 21

Berlin Public Schools in Connecticut also agreed to grant the Capitol Region Education Council $4,950 on November 12, 2020. The grant was for three purchase orders of CREC’s “Equity Training and ‘Anti-Racist Educator Framework.’” 22

Greg Florio, the executive director of the Capitol Region Education Council, had an annual salary of $146,375 in 2020. His salary was 240 percent higher than the average state employee salary and 238 percent higher than the median salary of employees at the Capitol Region Education Council. 23

Affiliated Non-profit

CREC has an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization called the Capitol Region Education Council Foundation. Established in 2005, the foundation is used to solicit private funding to support CREC’s programs and services. It also seeks funding for “innovative and highly progressive educational programming,” The Capitol Region Education Council Foundation is funded by private gifts and contributions from individuals and organizations, and hosts and participates in funding events. 24

The Capitol Region Education Council Foundation received $1,289,613 in total revenue in 2019 and had a total expense amount of $1,091,794, all of which was spent on contributions and grants to CREC. 25

The Capitol Region Education Council Foundation has received grants from various sources including $381,240 from the Hartford Foundation of Public Giving in 2018, $10,000 from the Connecticut Health Foundation in 2020, and $150,000 from the Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation in 2021. 26 27 28

References

  1. “About Us (Capitol Region Education Council).” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www.crec.org/about/index.php.
  2.  “About Us (Capitol Region Education Council).” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www.crec.org/about/index.php.
  3. “Capitol Region Education Council.” Connecticut Health Foundation. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www.cthealth.org/grant/capitol-region-education-council/.
  4. “Capitol Region Education Council.” EDGov. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www2.ed.gov/programs/magnet/2010/capitolregion.pdf.
  5. “CREC Awarded $4.9 Million by U.S. DOE to Lead Partnership for Family Engagement.” Ctserc.org. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://ctserc.org/documents/news/2018-10-01%20Press%20Release%20-%20CREC%20Partnership%20Awarded%20%244.9%20Million%20by%20USDOE.pdf.
  6. “Awards.” U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. December 17, 2019. https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/safe-supportive-schools/project-prevent-grant-program/awards/.
  7. “2019 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report – Crec.org.” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021. http://www.crec.org/docs/10184/19_20_CREC_CAFR.pdf.
  8. “About Us (Capitol Region Education Council).” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www.crec.org/about/index.php.
  9. “About Us (Capitol Region Education Council).” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www.crec.org/about/index.php.
  10. “About Us (Capitol Region Education Council).” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www.crec.org/about/index.php.
  11. “About Us (Capitol Region Education Council).” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www.crec.org/about/index.php.
  12. “Diversity.” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www.crec.org/diversity/.
  13. “Eesmarts – Energy Education.” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www.crec.org/energy/.
  14. “About Us (Capitol Region Education Council).” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www.crec.org/about/index.php.
  15. “Comprehensive Annual Financial Report – Crec.org,” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.crec.org/about/docs/annual/CAFR_18.pdf.
  16. “2018-2019 Comprehensive Financial Report.” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.crec.org/docs/9432/Capitol_Region_Education_Council_Comprehensive_Annual_Financial_ReportFINAL.pdf
  17. “2019-2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report – Crec.org.” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021, http://www.crec.org/docs/10184/19_20_CREC_CAFR.pdf.
  18. “Capitol Region Education Council.” Connecticut Health Foundation. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www.cthealth.org/grant/capitol-region-education-council/.
  19. “Capitol Region Education Council.” EDGov. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www2.ed.gov/programs/magnet/2010/capitolregion.pdf.
  20. “CREC Awarded $4.9 Million by U.S. DOE to Lead Partnership for Family Engagement.” Ctserc.org. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://ctserc.org/documents/news/2018-10-01%20Press%20Release%20-%20CREC%20Partnership%20Awarded%20%244.9%20Million%20by%20USDOE.pdf.
  21. “Awards.” U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. December 17, 2019. https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/safe-supportive-schools/project-prevent-grant-program/awards/.
  22. “Berlin Board of Education Purchase Order.” Parents Defending Education. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Capitol-Region-Education-Council_Berlin-Public-Schools-CT_11_12_2020_4950-in-3-Purchase-Orders-for-Equity-Training-and-Anti-Racist-Educator-Framework-Registrations.pdf.
  23. “Greg Florio J.” GovSalaries. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://govsalaries.com/florio-greg-j-111664321.
  24. “About Us (Capitol Region Education Council).” Capitol Region Education Council. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www.crec.org/about/index.php.
  25. Capitol Region Education Council Foundation, Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990), 2019. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/view_990/204091009/45d49bbaad81f8fcd7eddf9a4f49bb10.
  26. “Capitol Region Education Council Foundation.” Capitol Region Education Council Foundation Cause IQ. Accessed December 8, 2021, https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/capitol-region-education-councilfoundation,204091009/.
  27. “PCLB Foundation Grant Awards – 2021.” PCLB Foundation. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://pclbfoundation.org/grants/category/cat-1-education/year/2021/.
  28. “Capitol Region Education Council Foundation.” Connecticut Health Foundation. October 2, 2020. https://www.cthealth.org/grant/capitol-region-education-council-foundation/.
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The Capitol Region Education Council

111 Charter Oak Avenue
Hartford, CT