From News 8 CT
Standing in front of Warren G. Harding High School in Bridgeport, State Sen. Ryan Fazio laid out a four-point education policy plan that aims to expand access to charter and magnet schools across the state.
“I want to be the education governor for this state,” Fazio said, standing alongside his running mate, the entrepreneur Matt Corey.
Fazio’s plan calls for curriculum reforms, which he framed as an effort to raise literacy and mathematics standards. Another plank of his plan calls for enhanced teacher recruitment, and the final point gestures toward long-awaited changes to the state’s complex system of delivering funding to local school districts.
The bulk of Fazio’s half-hour press conference focused on the point of his plan which addresses charter and magnet schools. The Greenwich senator is aiming to eliminate waiting lists for coveted seats at the most in-demand of those institutions.
“There are success stories right before our eyes in Connecticut that have closed the achievement gap entirely,” Fazio said.
A short distance away from where Fazio held his press conference, the Lamont campaign marshaled two surrogates to do the talking on the governor’s behalf.
State Rep. Jenn Leeper of Fairfield, the co-chair of the legislature’s Education Committee, and State Rep. Marcus Brown of Bridgeport took turns responding to their colleague on the other side of the aisle.
Like Fazio’s argument in favor of charter school expansion, Brown’s rebuttal tracked closely with long-held party orthodoxy.
“We need to fix the existing public schools, not look for tiny band-aids that work sometimes,” Brown said.
He took particular issue with Fazio’s choice of venue.
“I’m extremely offended that, in front of our public high school in the East End of Bridgeport, Sen. Fazio stood here and advocated for charter schools for almost 30 minutes,” Brown said.
Sounds like Special Education is a plank from a tree yet to be planted.