Here is the CTMirror.org’s take on that hoariest of journalistic conventions, the year in review. It’s a mix of the important, the interesting, the surprising and, perhaps, the little-noticed things we shared in 2015 from the world of politics and public policy in Connecticut.
December 2015
Posted inPolitics
Dennis Murphy named acting labor commissioner
Dennis Murphy will begin the New Year as the acting commissioner of the state Department of Labor, succeeding the retiring commissioner, Sharon Palmer, the Malloy administration announced Thursday.
Posted inNews
Bronin names Howard Rifkin as legal counsel
Hartford Mayor-elect Luke Bronin named Howard Rifkin, a top adviser to Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, as his legal counsel Thursday.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
We helped create Puerto Rico’s problems, and should correct them
Puerto Rico is in a severe economic crisis, and Connecticut shares some of the responsibility. After all, we made the island what it is today: a colony. Our state’s congressional leaders must act to correct this long-standing injustice.
Posted inEducation
CT facing at least one funding cut in new federal education law
Funding under the new law is a mixed bag for Connecticut, but one change will cost the state millions of dollars that currently help low-achieving schools hire highly qualified teachers and provide professional development.
Posted inEducation, Health, Money
Auditors: UConn Health paid $192,500 to resigning CEO
UConn Health paid $192,500 to the former John Dempsey Hospital CEO who chose to resign because of a pending reorganization – a waste of resources, state auditors wrote in a report released Wednesday.
Posted inEducation, Energy & Environment, Health, Justice, Money
Malloy releases agency-by-agency breakdown of budget cuts
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration released details late Wednesday on how state agencies will share the new spending reductions ordered by the legislature in a December special session.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Faculty must have a say in determining UConn’s future
The staunch advocates for public higher education and stewards of the state’s future – UConn-AAUP- should have a strong role in influencing university decisions that impact the common and public good.
Unfortunately we have witnessed exclusionary praxis from the UConn administration in recent months – dismissing the role of UConn-AAUP and leaving them out of vital decision-making. If this pattern continues where educators don’t have a voice in student learning conditions, scholarly work, or university direction, then the quality of education at the University of Connecticut will suffer immensely.
Posted inHealth
Five stories that can make 2016 a big year in health care
“I haven’t seen a time in my almost 10 years here in the state where there’s so much happening in health care,” says state Healthcare Advocate Victoria Veltri. Here are five health care stories to watch in 2016.
Posted inEducation
State sets penalties for schools with high exam ‘opt-out’ rates
School districts where more than 10 percent of students miss required statewide exams for a second consecutive year will lose funding and may have their performance ratings downgraded.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
CT Board of Regents should reconsider its spending priorities
The state of Connecticut claims that it has a large deficit and it needs to cut the budget for higher education – mostly through cutting the number of faculty positions at the Connecticut State College and University system. However, one questions its higher education priorities.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Panel struggles to solve state’s property tax woes
The panel studying Connecticut’s taxes off-and-on for two years has wrapped up its work struggling to find consensus on arguably Connecticut’s most onerous levy: the municipal property tax.
Posted inEducation
Feds say too few students took required tests in 148 CT schools
After thousands of Connecticut students failed to take required statewide achievement tests last spring, federal officials want to know what Connecticut education leaders are doing to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
2016 Predictions for transportation in Connecticut
Everybody writes “year in review” stories. But rather than dwell on the past, I’ve got the guts to predict the future! Here’s what will happen in 2016 in the transportation world on issues like Metro North performance, Uber, eminent domain for transportation, state highways and others.
Posted inMoney, Politics
CT has a good savings plan — though its bank balance is modest
Despite having a relatively modest emergency budget reserve right now, Connecticut’s saving strategy is better than those in most states, according to a new study by Pew Charitable Trusts.