Foster To State: Do The Right Thing For Schools

In her latest news release Democratic mayoral candidate Mary-Jane Foster urges the state to bring in a special master, as it has authorized for the town of Windham, to oversee city schools. Many community activists are unhappy that the state, at the request of local education leaders and Mayor Bill Finch, has blowtorched the Bridgeport Board of Education (undoing an election) in favor of a new controlling board. From Foster:

Foster: Special Master to Fix Schools Protects Voters’ Rights and Triggers Funding “It’s Not Too Late To Do the Right Thing”

Bridgeport businesswoman and social action advocate Mary-Jane Foster, who is running for mayor, today issued letters to the Bridgeport delegation and the leadership of the Connecticut General Assembly calling for the creation a Special Master to oversee education reform in Bridgeport. Such action would not only trigger funding that could help alleviate some of the local education budget woes but also would allow the State to avoid subverting the will of the electorate by not overturning the elected Board of Education.

“It is not too late to reverse course and do the right thing by our children, their parents, and our taxpayers,” stated Foster. “The reconstitution of the Bridgeport Board of Education is the first case of its kind in Connecticut, triggered by an untested law that was passed just last year. Besides ousting three vocal members of the Board who had the audacity to ask probing questions and pursue straightforward answers, we have yet to hear anyone explain what the benefit will be and what the end goal is.

The people of this city deserve answers. They deserve a transparent process. They deserve better, period. For those who say, ‘It doesn’t matter how we got here, just so long as reform is enacted,’ I disagree.”

Public response to Foster’s radio ad featuring Mayor Finch’s insulting testimony before the State Board of Education has been overwhelming. Throughout his testimony Mayor Finch remarks that Bridgeporters do not vote, characterizes Bridgeporters as having criminal backgrounds and not being citizens, and he states “I don’t see it as a great loss for a few years to lose the electoral process … democracy doesn’t work … it doesn’t work in all cases.” The ad may be heard on WICC, STAR99, and WDJZ.

The text of Foster’s letter follows:

July 19, 2011

The Honorable Donald E. Williams, Jr.
President Pro Tempore
Room 3300
Legislative Office Building
Hartford, CT 06106-1591

The Honorable Christopher Donovan
Speaker of the House
Room 4100
Legislative Office Building
Hartford, CT 06106-1591

Dear Speaker Donovan and President Pro Tempore Williams:

I am writing to ask that you call a special session to establish a Special Master to oversee the Bridgeport school system. In addition, Bridgeport needs a one-time funding allocation to its school budget, to prevent massive layoffs of teachers and paraprofessionals that are likely to occur without intervention from the State of Connecticut.

I oppose the process undertaken by our mayor, superintendent, and the six-person majority of the Board of Education to relinquish their responsibilities to the children of Bridgeport and abdicate their elected positions. This situation can and should be corrected. I sent a letter to Commissioner of Education George Coleman on July 9, in which I requested that he stop the process and utilize Public Act 10-11, section 21, subsection (d, 1), which would compel the State to go to the General Assembly and obtain legislation providing Bridgeport a Special Master and allocating desperately needed funds. I am now urging that the leadership of the General Assembly, assisted by our Bridgeport delegation, take these responsible actions.

Recently the City of Windham received a Special Master and two million dollars from the State to take over the Windham school district, which serves 3,675 school children. If we use the same dollars to student ratio, a proportional formula for Bridgeport, which serves 22,000 school children it, would result in Bridgeport receiving approximately 12 million dollars.

I respectfully request that immediate action be taken due to the lack of fairness and irreparable harm to our electoral process. Elected officials have a constitutional right to serve out their term unless there are set recall provisions. To essentially overturn elections subverts our democratic process and calls into question the constitutionality of the relevant sections of Public Act 10-111.

I ask you to review this matter with your attorneys and seek a declarative ruling from the Attorney General to review the constitutionality of taking over the Board of Education, cutting the elected term of the members short and disenfranchising the voters.

At a minimum, there are three areas to review.

1.The State Board of Education did not follow the procedures outlined in the statute requiring that the local Board of Education members receive educational training prior to any reconstitution by the State.

2.The statute may violate Connecticut’s Home Rule, article 10 of the Connecticut Constitution, which prevents the legislature from making any laws that effect the terms of office for elected officials.

3. In terms of federal violations of our Constitution, I would ask that you review the rights of elective representatives to finish their terms and the Board of Education members’ right of free speech. The overwhelming majority of the 4 hours of testimony illustrate that the purpose of the takeover was not the legitimate purpose of the statute, but rather a retaliation for the oppositional opinions of the minority of the Board, otherwise known as the legislative process.

I recognize that the State is in the midst of an economic crisis and severe financial difficulties. However, the treatment of the education of our children should be fair and equal. There are many cities that are failing based on the No Child Left Behind test scores and those boards are not being reconstituted. Further, cities such as Windham received a Special Master and additional funds. A reorganization without additional funds would have little or minimum impact on test scores.

On behalf of the children of Bridgeport, I’m asking you to prioritize their future and treat them equally. The General Assembly should emulate the Windham model and appoint a Special Master, thereby avoiding the arguably unconstitutional subversion of the will of the electorate of Bridgeport. Such action would relieve the State from having to defend both the failure to adhere to the statute’s requirements to educate our Board of Education before acting, as well as a potentially unconstitutional statute.

It is not too late to change course. I urge our Bridgeport delegation and legislative leadership to work together to prevent the implementation of a behind the scenes process, orchestrated by a few to steamroll the many. For the sake of our children, the electorate of Bridgeport, and the Democratic process, please, reconsider this issue and the rights of the people.

Sincerely,

Mary-Jane Foster

cc: all members of the Bridgeport State Delegation

cc: all members of the Connecticut General Assembly