On the “go list” of items cleared for action today by the state House of Representatives are things on some folks’ weekend to-do list. Are they further evidence of a “nanny state,” or overdue safety measures that you may have thought were already on the books? Been meaning to install a smoke detector or carbon […]
April 30, 2012
Posted inEducation
Bringing Respect Back to Teaching
Some students in public schools enter the classroom not completely understanding the importance of being there. I can relate. I attended Batchelder Elementary School in Hartford, where I was not challenged academically. Expectations were low, and so was my motivation. Teachers have a huge responsibility; it is a profession that affects the lives of others, […]
Posted inEducation
Who Will Stand for Children on Education Reform?
During Gov. Dannel Malloy’s education reform town hall meeting in New Haven on March 13, one student braved to ask, before a hostile crowd, “Who will speak for me?” Now, almost two months later, we still don’t have an answer to that question. With just over one week remaining in the legislative component of “The […]
Posted inEducation, Health
Fix Remedial Education System
In 100 years of fighting poverty, the Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS) has seen again and again that a good education throughout one’s life is critical to family economic success. CAHS produces research to drive advocacy and draws attention to the “developmental achievement gap,” in which thousands of students now graduate from high school without […]
Posted inNews
House approves same-day voter registration
A bill that would allow election-day voter registration won legislative approval Monday night after a long and partisan House debate. “Once you’ve proven you are who you are, then you can go vote,” Rep. Russell Morin, D-Wethersfield, and co-chairman of the legislature’s elections committee, said summarizing the bill during a five-hour debate. The final vote […]
Posted inNews
Malloy would use state’s credit card payments to cover operating deficit
Despite vowing during the campaign not to use the state’s credit card to cover its operating costs, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced late Monday he would divert more than $220 million dedicated last year to pay off debt to close a growing deficit in the current budget. And a new report showing plunging tax revenues […]
Posted inNews
With GOP 5th CD field, the attacks come post-debate
Torrington — The five Republicans vying for Connecticut’s only open congressional seat closed ranks around tax policy and the viability of the GOP brand in a debate Monday, saving their harshest comments for the post-debate spin. No one offered a criticism of any candidate in the room during the debate, and the only notable controversy […]
Posted inNews
Union tries to rally support for study on state-run retirement savings plan
One of Connecticut’s largest public employee unions is trying to rally support in the waning days of the General Assembly session for a study of whether state government should offer a retirement plan to private citizens. But one of the key lawmakers behind the proposal conceded late last week that the chances of passage this […]
Posted inNews
Looks like an onion skin, but it could be electricity
Sergio Squatrito knows all about food waste. At Carla’s Pasta, his family’s company in South Windsor, in addition to an array of easy-to-prepare pasta and other Italian specialties, the company produces 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of food waste a day. “We’ve tried four different ways of getting rid of our food scraps and all of […]
Posted inEducation
Your child’s school and the use of physical restraints and seclusion…
As legislators consider a bill that would require school officials to report and justify every time they physically restrain a student or place a child in seclusion, the U.S. Department of Education has some interesting data on the prevalence of these practices district-by-district and school-by-school. With 904 incidents in 2009, Waterbury puts more students into […]
Posted inNews
Your Medical Records: New CT Laws Take Away Patient Control & Privacy
If you value your privacy and want to keep control over your medical records, tell your legislators to restore the original RAISED SENATE BILL 368 (Feb. 12) that gave Connecticut residents almost complete control over their electronic medical records. What made Bill 368 so beneficial to residents was the “Opt-in” consent policy in The Health […]