Posted inCT Viewpoints

Let’s tax Connecticut’s segregation

Connecticut is one of the most racially segregated states in the country, both geographically and economically. Unlike most states, property taxes fund almost all our local costs – particularly our schools. That means that towns with greater poverty must raise their taxes to extraordinary rates to cover basic services, and that vast educational inequities, even in neighboring towns, go unaddressed.

Posted inCT Viewpoints

Pandemic highlights need for a renewed statewide focus on food sufficiency

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity had a grip on Connecticut. In 2018, the DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey found that 13 percent of Connecticut adults had not had enough money to buy food at some point within the last year. Adults living in households with children were even more likely to report not having enough money for food.

Posted inCT Viewpoints

Connecticut’s most vulnerable students left behind yet again

When COVID-19 closed Connecticut schools, students in affluent and predominantly white districts transitioned effectively to e-learning within days, while students in low-income, immigrant, and predominantly Black and brown districts missed weeks of educational instruction. Racism and white supremacy –manifesting in racially segregated schools in our state– have created this system of glaring inequity.