NEWINGTON - Newington Board of Education veteran Josh Shulman is officially in the race for the 27th Assembly District.

       The Democratic Town Committee gave Shulman-an attorney in Manchester-its unanimous endorsement at its On Fire Grill-hosted convention last Tuesday night.

       Shulman will challenge State Representative Gary Byron, the Republican incumbent finishing up his first term in Hartford.

       â€�"I think he’s going to be a great candidate,” said Committee Chair John Kelly of Shulman. â€�"He understands the issues, and he’s been a real advocate for our schools, and our children.”

       Schools-and how to fund them-is among a plethora of issues that Shulman has expressed intent to focus on.

       In his nomination acceptance statement, he voiced concern regarding everything from rising tuition costs and college debt, to the property tax-centric local education funding model.

       â€�"Communities like Newington are going to be hurt if we have to overly on property taxes for our education,” Shulman said.

       As of 2012, Connecticut was the state most reliant on property taxes for the funding of K-12 public education, according to a Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) report that cited U.S. Census data.

       That year, the Education Cost Sharing, (ECS) grant was underfunded-statewide-by over $700 million, according to the CCM report.

       Since then, a coalition of educators and administrators has sued the state, citing the 1977 Horton v. Meskill ruling that deemed it unconstitutional for municipal property taxes to bear the brunt of public education costs, according to coverage in the Connecticut Mirror.

       While the problem is a complicated one that will take time to resolve, the state can start by increasing its share of the load, Shulman has said.

       He is also looking to address rising college tuition rates-particularly for public universities such as UCONN.

       UCONN approved annual costs hikes of between $700 and $950 for in-state students-then paying about $10,500 annually-in 2015.

       For out-of-state students, the cost escalates from a $950 increase in the first year, to a $1200 bump their senior year. Prior to the increases, out-of-state students paid around $36,000 per year to attend the University.

       Tuition and debt impact the real estate market and economy because college graduates are delaying the purchase of homes, Shulman said.

       â€�"I know this because these are my friends,” he said. â€�"What can we do to bring more talented youth in [to Newington]?”

       Shulman said that he has wanted to run for State Representative since he was a 12-year old helping former 27th District seat holder Sandy Nafis during one of her campaigns.

       Nafis, who attended the convention and spoke in favor of the nomination, was happy to pass the torch.

       â€�"The types of things you need to know in Hartford, he’ll be able to hit the ground running with,” Nafis said.

       Supporters have pointed to his experience with local school budgets over his 5 years as a member of the Board of Education, during which the district saw the opening of two middle school STEM academies and the implementation of a 1-to-1 technology program.