Connecticut should require districts to demonstrate how their allocations of the American Rescue Fund address the pivotal issue of equity and lost learning.
Amy Dowell and Nicholas Munyan-Penney
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Every student has the right to a safe and healthy classroom
As the leader of an organization advocating for education equity and excellence, I don’t often find myself speaking out on health issues. However, there’s a debate taking place right now at the State Capitol which, I believe, requires all of us to raise our voices. I’m talking about the brave efforts by some legislative leaders to remove the existing religious exemption from school vaccinations.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Calling on Democrats to lead on education in 2019
This year in Connecticut, voters decisively chose Democrats to lead in Hartford because they recognized that we are the party that will move our state forward. Many races this fall were won on “progressive” values, and “progress” is rooted in change. The new Lamont administration is taking shape and preparing to govern, and the General Assembly is heading back to work in Hartford with strong Democratic majorities in both houses. These Democrats must answer the call of voters when it comes to change for Connecticut’s students. Social safety net priorities like health care, affordable housing, and civil rights have always been at the core of what Democrats stand for and have sought to improve. Opportunity through education must be on this list as well.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Education funding — An opportunity for CT Democrats to lead
Last week, Judge Thomas Moukawsher released a siren call of a decision in Connecticut Coalition for Educational Funding (CCJEF) v. Rell, an 11-year-old case that has been working its way through the Connecticut Superior Courts. The recommendations on how public education in Connecticut should be funded and facilitated were detailed, thoughtful, and comprehensive. Most importantly, the court gave legislators in the General Assembly a clear directive: right the ship on school funding and educational opportunity for all students, in all districts, in the next 180 days. Democrats in the state house have the opportunity today to reclaim the mantle of social justice and fight for our children’s most basic civil rights.