The top of a four-page handout distributed by Ryan Fazio’s campaign staffers shortly before the Republican state senator and gubernatorial candidate took the podium to discuss his vision for education in Connecticut highlighted the basis of his plan for education in Connecticut:

“ZIP CODE SHOULD NOT DETERMINE A STUDENT’S DESTINY IN CONNECTICUT.”

Speaking outside Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, Fazio wasted little time before launching into criticism of Gov. Ned Lamont’s record. 

“The only way that you can think the status quo is acceptable — that having the second largest Black-white achievement gap in the country is acceptable — is if you subscribe to the soft bigotry of low expectations,” Fazio said.

He then offered two examples of what he called Connecticut’s “success stories”: Capital Prep in Bridgeport (a magnet school) and the Stamford Charter School for Excellence. Both are overwhelmingly nonwhite, neither a traditional neighborhood public school.

“This administration and this state government, rather than saying ‘Thank you’ and ‘How can we expand your success stories statewide,’ have stood in their way and made it more difficult for them to expand seats,” Fazio said, as Capital Prep Head of Schools Steve Perry watched silently from the sidelines.

Under his plan, Fazio said, the state government would move in the opposite direction. No more lotteries and waitlists: Fazio wants all students to get into the school they want, full stop.

“There are hundreds or thousands of students waiting, hoping, praying with their families just to win a lottery to get into a great charter or magnet school,” Fazio said.

Such a change could have profound implications for municipal school districts, given that in Connecticut, a portion of state funding follows students to whatever choice program they enroll in. It’s already a source of tension, particularly in Hartford, where district leaders blame choice programs for drawing badly needed dollars away from city schools.

It was perhaps the biggest policy difference Fazio drew between himself and his opponent. In other respects, his platform was not very different from Lamont’s. He wants schools to embrace the science of reading and ensure every child can read by third grade; Lamont’s administration has also pushed the science of reading for K-3 and only this week announced more funding for literacy interventions in that age range. Fazio wants a bell-to-bell ban on cellphones in schools; so does Lamont.

The difference is that Lamont has been in charge for eight years. Fazio hammered that note on a few occasions, characterizing Lamont’s tenure as one in which education is worse than when the governor started.

Fazio said he also wants to tie state aid to inflation, an idea both Democratic and Republican legislators pursued during the recent legislative session. Lamont drew criticism from educators for not including such an adjustment in his proposed budget at the start of the year, though he ultimately signed a boost of about $180 million into law. Whether school funding will continue to rise with inflation going forward remains unresolved.

The problem is money. By some estimates, Connecticut public schools have lost as much as $800 million after years of missed inflationary adjustments. That’s not an easy gap to close, especially in a state with strict budget caps. Lamont’s solution so far has been to convene a bipartisan commission; its 23 members will examine potential reforms to Connecticut’s funding system and release a final list of recommendations by Jan. 15.

Fazio said he’s open to using some of the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission, depending on what they are. He also didn’t have specifics for how he would make the numbers pencil out.

“It could be tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, which I think is acceptable after seven years of the governor flat-funding” the state’s main education grant, Fazio said. “But there’s not a precise price tag.”

He added that some of his proposed reforms would save money, including mandating relief for schools and streamlining the bureaucracy around state funding. 

One thing Fazio didn’t mention: The day before the press conference, ICE agents appeared in Danbury and reportedly arrested parents dropping their kids off at the bus for school. When asked for comment, the senator demurred. 

“Listen, I think we want orderliness and safety and rule of law. I don’t know exactly what happened, so I’ll wait until I hear the facts to truly understand what it did and comment accordingly,” Fazio said.

In their response to Fazio’s press conference, Rep. Jennifer Leeper, D-Fairfield, was not so circumspect.

“It is an intentionally cruel move on the first day of school, when children are supposed to be celebrating,” Leeper said.

She expressed fears that the Trump administration’s aggressive policies would have a lasting impact.

“How in the world are they ever going to trust the government to engage with them, to educate their child, when they don’t even feel safe?” Leeper asked.

Rep. Marcus Brown, D-Bridgeport, said he believes Fazio’s plan will only hurt families in his city.

“I’m extremely offended that in front of our public school high school in the east end of Bridgeport, Sen. Fazio stood here and advocated for charter schools for almost 30 minutes. That’s not what Bridgeport families deserve,” Marcus said.