Governor Ned Lamont talks a good game about the investments he’s made to public education, but critics argue he’s misrepresenting the reality of failing to keep pace with inflation which ultimately short changes school districts particularly in urban and rural areas.
Bridgeport’s nine-member state legislative delegation is rallying support of a bill addressing education cost sharing to modernize the amount of dough Bridgeport, and other communities, receives from the state.
This would require loosening the state’s fiscal guardrails swimming billions deep in surpluses that the governor largely wants to protect.
Another dynamic is in play here with the state intervening in Bridgeport’s financially afflicted school district. The Connecticut State Board of Education, with the backing of Lamont, has authorized Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker broad authority to examine what’s gone wrong and initiate reforms including several training sessions for a largely dysfunctional local school board.
Some city school board members push back on that notion arguing the state has historically failed to deliver the tools and finances to build quality education.
School board member Rob Traber is one of the voices urging support for the bill to boost state financial assistance.
This would change our Bridgeport Public Schools District and every distressed school district in CT! mostly urban, but also rural) So please, call or write your State Senator and State Representative and ask them to support SB 1511, which will upgrade the Education Cost Sharing Formula for the first time in too many years! BEND THE GUARDRAILS! CT has over $5 Billion in its Surplus, maybe close to $6 Billion when this year’s taxes come in!
Excerpt from the bill:
AN ACT CONCERNING DISCONNECTED YOUTH.
To (1) increase the foundation amount for equalization aid grants and add weight for students eligible for free or reduced price meals, multilingual learners and students requiring special education, (2) add the Department of Correction and Court Support Services to P20 WIN and require data collection and sharing concerning disconnected youth, (3) require establishment of a youth success oversight board within a regional council of governments, (4) require the establishment of a program to provide school-based telehealth mental health services, and (5) require the distribution of youth employment funds to regional workforce development boards based on the percentage of disadvantaged youth in such region
