Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Money
  • Election 2020
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Money
    Election 2020
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Hartford crowd warms to Malloy’s education plan

  • by Robert A. Frahm
  • April 24, 2012
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Hartford — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s sweeping proposal to reshape Connecticut’s public schools has run into plenty of hostile opposition, but the governor found a friendly audience Monday for his pitch to salvage the plan.

Malloy got a warm reception from parents, community leaders and others in Hartford, a city all too familiar with the alarming achievement gap that finds many low-income and minority children lagging behind white or more affluent classmates.

Several members of the audience asked the governor how they could help support his proposals.

“We are here this evening because our community is in crisis … Our children are hurting,” said state Rep. Douglas McCrory, D-Hartford, a supporter of the governor’s reform plan, much of which is designed to turn around the state’s lowest-performing school districts.

Those districts, in particular, “are in an advanced state of failure,” Malloy told about 100 people at Faith Congregational Church, the oldest black church in Hartford, the latest stop on a tour of towns and cities across Connecticut to build support for his proposals.

Malloy’s original plan called for more rigorous evaluations of teachers and principals, financial aid for struggling schools, an expansion of preschool slots, more support for charter schools and broad authority for the state education commissioner to intervene in low-performing schools.

In his remarks Monday, the governor cited dismal academic performance and dropout rates of 40 percent or more in the state’s largest cities as evidence of the urgency for reform. In Hartford, for example, barely 10 percent of high school sophomores met the state goal in reading on a statewide test last year, he said.

Legislative committees, however, have rewritten the original legislation, reducing the amount of funding proposed for low-performing districts, for example, and removing provisions that would have linked teacher evaluations to decisions on pay and tenure.

Some of the strongest opposition to Malloy’s reforms has come from teacher unions, many of whose members have expressed concern, in particular, about the proposal to link evaluations to pay and tenure.

The governor remains in talks with lawmakers and is seeking to restore some of the bill’s key elements, but he repeated his warning that he will not support a reform bill that has been substantially watered down.  “If it passed in its present form … I would veto it,” he said.

Malloy expressed disappointment that his original proposals did not receive broader support from lawmakers, including some who represent the state’s lowest-performing districts. “We are not speaking with one voice — those of us who care about turning this situation around. I think that is discouraging, disheartening and destructive,” he said.

Leo Canty, an official with the American Federation of Teachers-Connecticut, attended Monday’s forum and said he is hopeful a compromise can be reached. “The governor definitely has strong opinions, and we have some, too,” he said. “This is a very fluid and dynamic moment. We’ll know in the next couple of days whether there is some kind of agreement.”

The governor’s remarks struck a chord in a city that for years has been home to some of the state’s most troubled schools.

Benjamin Foster, chairman of the education committee of the State Conference of NAACP Branches, said the organization has not taken a formal stance on the legislation but added, “We are encouraged by the commitment of the governor to bring about change.”

The Rev. Stephen W. Camp, senior pastor at Faith Congregational Church, said public education is failing too many children. He said the reforms should preserve teacher bargaining rights, include an appropriate role for parents, provide a fair evaluation system for educators, support a preschool system “that offers every child a fighting chance,” and distribute funds equitably.

“My city’s children deserve the same outcome as the child from every suburban town, and it should be the priority of the state,” Camp said.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert A. Frahm

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Without dissent, Senate confirms Justice Andrew McDonald
by Mark Pazniokas

The state Senate acted quickly Friday to confirm Andrew J. McDonald to a second term on the Supreme Court.

Funding to fix CT’s roads and bridges is drying up, and officials don’t have a solution
by Keith M. Phaneuf and Kasturi Pananjady

Connecticut's transportation building program is on a financial diet after a five-year ramp-up after lawmakers rejected tolls.

Evidence not clear that Trump incited Capitol destruction
by Alan Calandro

Defending President Donald Trump is not popular and I have no interest in writing this other than adherence to truth. Recognizing the truth (if we can find it, which is not always possible of course) should make us be able to come together around that and move on with a common understanding.

Securing our nuclear legacy: An open letter to President-elect Joe Biden
by Erik Assadourian

Dear President-elect Biden: As you noted in a tweet shortly after protestors stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, “Today is a reminder, a painful one, that democracy is fragile.” Indeed it is. And so are nation-states.

COVID deaths and infections in CT nursing homes decline as more residents are vaccinated
by Dave Altimari

There were 85 deaths in nursing homes and 312 residents infected during the week ending Jan. 12.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Evidence not clear that Trump incited Capitol destruction
by Alan Calandro

Defending President Donald Trump is not popular and I have no interest in writing this other than adherence to truth. Recognizing the truth (if we can find it, which is not always possible of course) should make us be able to come together around that and move on with a common understanding.

Opinion Securing our nuclear legacy: An open letter to President-elect Joe Biden
by Erik Assadourian

Dear President-elect Biden: As you noted in a tweet shortly after protestors stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, “Today is a reminder, a painful one, that democracy is fragile.” Indeed it is. And so are nation-states.

Opinion Last votes of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others
by Gary A. Franks

Finally, the election season is over. The historic elections we saw in this cycle were intriguing. The runoff elections for the U.S. Senate in Georgia put a cap on the campaign season. For many people this could be described as a COVID-19 election. I would argue that this was an election influenced by a pandemic but determined by the killing of unarmed Black people with no adequate justice for the Black community.

Opinion Not just environmental problem; Killingly plant is a great target
by Joel Gordes

In 1990, I was one of five legislators to introduce the first climate change legislation that became PA 90-219, An Act Considering Climate Change, the most popular bill of that session. Back then I considered climate change a national security issue… and I still do.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO