Some of his proposals come with a price tag, such as fully funding public schools, but Republican mayoral candidate Enrique Torres shares his vision for fixing the school system. Check out his attached video presentation.
From the Torres campaign:
As the father of a Central High School teacher, Torres hears many alarming stories. He is painfully aware of Bridgeport’s school children’s plight.
Invoking Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, due to Bridgeport’s lack of jobs, high crime, and crumbling neighborhoods, Bridgeport’s school children find it difficult to focus on school work. There is a clear need to reinvigorate neighborhoods economically in order to improve the lives of Bridgeport’s school children.
Here are five solutions that Mr. Torres, if elected Mayor, would implement to help fix Bridgeport’s failing school system:
1. Fully fund Bridgeport’s public schools: While he believes that charter schools are helping many students to achieve at a higher level, Torres is committed to fully funding Bridgeport’s failing public schools.
2. Advocate for higher teacher pay: Torres said that teachers are lured away by towns that pay more than Bridgeport. He would lobby the school board to increase teacher pay and keep talented teachers in the city.
3. Ensure that no child goes hungry: Stating that hungry children cannot properly learn, Torres revealed that the school food budget includes $4,250,000 spent on food and nearly $10,000,000 spent serving the food. He feels this is unconscionable and that the allocation should in fact be reversed to provide better food to our school children.
4. Fight for High School student work/study programs: this provides real-life experience in the private sector, says Torres. To fund this initiative, he will partner with the private sector.
5. Tirelessly lobby the BOE for trade skills training programs in the high schools: Torres understands that college is not for everyone. He has proposed the implementation of in-school technical training in Bridgeport’s High schools. He believes this will go a long way toward ensuring kids have marketable skills.
Okay, so I listened. I think the Republicans are going to hate this. Though the video is commendable, where is this money coming from? All these proposals cost money. These do not seem like Republican ideals. Good luck though. I think Mary-Jane Foster remains the best choice to keep Bridgeport moving forward. There are more Democrats for Torres signs than Ganim signs in the North End. I think Ganim hopes Torres and Foster will keep their visibility below the radar. Think again.
Thank you, Steve. Truly either Torres or Foster is the choice. Torres already has the base to build on. Make us some Dems for Torres pins.
This Republican does not hate it.
Steve,
You have said more than once on OIB you pay no attention to money, it is not your interest and I have challenged that notion. Today, you ask: “Where is all the money going to come from?” Very interesting question, isn’t it? I have covered the City money beat for more than five years and can tell you “education priorities” insofar as student progress have not been a joint effort of the City and BOE and City money has flowed but grudgingly. Other “priorities” of the sitting mayor took precedent and we have been able to see how confusion, poor budgeting, no oversight by CC and lack of comprehensive info to the public keeps people in the dark. There are millions available, once we begin looking, all of us. Ready to look at money now? Time will tell.
Steve, Rick is not concerned if his ideas are considered “Republican,” his ideas are rooted in sound “conservative” economic principles. He is disgusted by hypocritical R’s who run on the promise of efficient, conservative government, but govern by cronyism and corporate favoritism. Rick is the only candidate who is obsessed with creating a streamlined, efficient government that will allow a fertile environment for the neediest citizens to have a stake in their own successes. Rick believes every human being has inherent dignity, and cyclical poverty and dependence has undermined their dignity and self-respect. But Rick will govern as a pragmatist and understands the apathetic indifference of those stuck in generational poverty will be overcome one step at a time. Each individual must contribute to their own success for self-respect and self-esteem to develop, and Rick will help create the environment that will make that possible. Creating the right environment so his constituents may be involved in their own successes is an investment that will dramatically alter the entire community–a worthy investment.
That’s where you are wrong, the voters know Rick Torres is a Republican and the voters Rick needs to expand his base will never vote Republican.
Speaking for yourself, of course. I can’t imagine any reasonable person using you for a mouthpiece.
Hey, don’t hate the player, hate the game.
If you’re going to play stickball you should know the local rules.
Not enough votes will go to Torres. He is an intelligent, thoughtful man with a high degree of knowledge about this City and the way it works. He needs 11K votes to win. It is just not reality to think this will happen. It will not happen. What will happen is “Mayor Joseph Ganim the Encore.”
If that is true, then all the Democrats on the ticket can all take a bow for throwing the race to Joe.
Jennifer, I do agree with Fayerweather friend, though Rick was very brilliant with the Democrats for Torres strategies that have been replacing Ganim signs. The Foster campaign is waking up from being heavily sedated and incapable of going after Ganim as Torres did, which needless to say has concerned her supporters and donors. Now with only two weeks to go, Mary-Jane Foster may realize she now needs to talk to 10,000 voters because people must see and hear her, when they do they love her. Ganim is still playing like she doesn’t exist, which has worked brilliantly up until today. He may put up 2000 signs next week to show this huge momentum, but the truth, Ganim has reached his zenith. Foster may have started this race as a distant third but as of this moment, it is her race to lose. She is getting more support every day and people need to realize she is still a strong Democrat running as an independent. Having Finch as her supporter is huge. Remember how Gore distanced himself from Clinton? He lost the election. Foster will have to work until the last minute with feet on the ground. I’d suggest a sweatshirt and Air Jordans and I am most serious! Foster is going to win and I am proud to be a supporter. I am very proud of Mayor Finch and his support!
Vote row G.
You realize she IS the reason Finch lost, and she will be the reason if God forbid, Joe wins. However, we are taking quite a few of your Finch-Foster sure votes. Our shirts are on their backs and they are proudly walking with and for us.
Jennifer, Finch lost because he put trust in the wrong people while the rest of us worked incessantly. The comedy of errors cost him the election, now he and his supporters are behind Fosters minus a few who fear Mario and Ganim, which is as pathetic as you can get. I do not blame Foster for the Finch loss. I thought Joe ran a great campaign. Some people just do not know how to model a successful recipe. Now the wind is at Foster’s back. If she loses she will know why. I expect Foster to win! I expect Joe to stick to his game plan on Foster being invisible and I expect Torres and Foster to share some Republican votes. There is going to be an incredible amount of energy educating voters about row G.
Of the six candidates only Torres has a well-thought-out plan to improve the quality of education (and the lives of the city’s school children) to ensure all of them realize the potential to be productive members of society. Everyone else just wants to throw money at the problem. Without oversight, the money will be squandered. The labor costs of providing meals to students is astronomical, many MANY times greater than the food cost.
Our children are our greatest asset; giving them the best possible learning and living environments is an investment in the future.
Finch begged Rick to be a Republican. He found as Rick did, if you want a real chance of winning you need to run with a party label. If Finch ran as a Republican, would that change his personal or political views? We need to vote for the only person who can bring real change to Bridgeport and if you are honest you have to agree only Torres can bring real change.