State spending on retired teachers’ pensions is set to surge $282.7 million next fiscal year – a 28 percent increase the state is obligated to fund and is likely to worsen budget deficit projections for 2016-17 by $47 million.
November 1, 2016
Posted inHealth, Money
Hospitals ask feds to declare CT Medicaid rates, hospital tax illegal
Citing a host of job and program cuts and funding levels that threaten hospital viability and patients’ access to care, Connecticut hospitals have asked the federal government to declare that the state is violating federal law by paying inadequate rates for treating Medicaid patients and imposing a $556 million tax on the industry.
Posted inUncategorized
Record number of active voters registered for election next week
The total is about 25,000 more active voters than were registered before the 2012 election between President Obama and Mitt Romney.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Lembo says state finances are $42 million in deficit
State finances are $42 million in deficit this fiscal year, Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo wrote Tuesday, a modest shortfall that splits the difference between competing budget projections from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and nonpartisan legislative analysts.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
CT can do better for minority teacher candidates than Relay GSE
Without question, Connecticut needs more teachers who see themselves in their students (and vice versa), who have roots in the communities where they teach, and who are well positioned to instruct in ways that are academically challenging and culturally, linguistically, and community responsive. The pipeline into the profession for teachers of color is too often obstructed and unwelcoming, and change is imperative. … But the Relay Graduate School of Education is no panacea for our pipeline problems, and instead represents the tip of an approaching iceberg that threatens the education of the state’s most under-served students and sells short the very teachers to whom we owe the best preparation, support, working conditions, and compensation available.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Choose candidates who have economic growth as top priority
If you’re satisfied with the state of the economy in Connecticut, then vote for the status quo.
If you think we can do better, and bring greater investment, economic growth, and job creation to our state, here’s how we can make it happen.
We can start by electing state House and Senate candidates on November 8 who will make economic growth their top priority.
Posted inPolitics
Esty, Cope differ sharply, and sometimes agree, in a civil race
WASHINGTON — Overshadowed like other congressional races in Connecticut by the loud and vitriolic presidential race, the matchup between Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Esty and GOP challenger Clay Cope has been a civil contest between party moderates.
Posted inEducation, Justice
DCF pivots to a new strategy to keep juveniles out of jail
The new strategy aims to keep youths – unless they are deemed a risk to the public – out of juvenile jail and in a less-restrictive group home or with their families, with appropriate support services.