House leader ‘outraged’ by proposal to close 2 vo-tech schools

Posted inEducation, Money

House leader ‘outraged’ by proposal to close 2 vo-tech schools

Avatar photo by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

Updated at 2:57 p.m.
Calling it “short-sighted and irresponsible” to close at least two of the state’s vocational-technical high schools if state funding is cut, the majority leader of the state House of Representatives is calling on the governor’s office to reject a proposal made by his State Board of Education. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said the proposal is very preliminary and challenged legislators to find alternatives.

Posted inCT Viewpoints

The expectations gap dividing Connecticut’s schools

by Nicholas Fischer

he gap dividing Connecticut’s schools is much more than wealth. I would argue that it is also a gap of expectations. A major problem driving what Judge Thomas Moukawsher so aptly called the Connecticut’s “ irrational” education and financing systems is the lack of expectations for all of its students. A student can still get a high school diploma and not be able to read and write. This is because all that a Connecticut student has to do is to pass the requisite number of courses prescribed by the district and the state. However, as has been made clear over time, passing a course does not require meeting any specific literacy standard.

Posted inCT Viewpoints

Hillary’s choice for Education Secretary could be ‘anti-public’

by Joseph A. Ricciotti

A recent survey of educators across the nation reveals that, when elected, Hillary Clinton may follow in the footsteps of President Obama concerning her choice of Secretary of Education in the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. Obama’s choices of Arne Duncan followed by John King were the most anti-public education appointments in the history of the Democratic party. Now it appears, based on the recent survey, that Clinton may continue the anti-public education tradition during her administration with yet another education secretary who will espouse the downward spiral of public education that has occurred for the past eight years.

Posted inHealth, Politics

CT is Exhibit A in antitrust fight against Anthem-Cigna merger

Avatar photo by Ana Radelat

WASHINGTON — In its court battle to block the merger of Anthem and Cigna, the U.S. Justice Department plans to use Connecticut’s market as a prime example of why increased consolidation in the health insurance field would hurt consumers. “It was clear to us… that if Connecticut had not decided to participate in the lawsuit, (the state) would have been a focal point of the case anyhow,” said Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen, who has joined the DOJ lawsuit.

Posted inEducation

State watchdog: Infant’s neglect suggests systemic failure at DCF

Avatar photo by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

Doctors determined that an infant placed by the Department of Children and Families with relatives had been malnourished for months, had weeks-old breaks in bones in both arms, a brain bleed and numerous other injuries. A state watchdog report released Tuesday called the case an “utter collapse of all safeguards,” while DCF says it was an outlier.

Posted inCT Viewpoints

The business lobby, fact and fiction about the Connecticut economy

by Carlos Moreno

There’s a stark disconnect between fact and fiction when it comes to our economy in Connecticut, and the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Connecticut’s largest business lobby, is pushing Republicans to play up the fiction for political gain this November. Should they succeed, Connecticut’s workers — working poor to middle-income families — will be the first to lose.

Posted inJustice, Politics

Murphy, stumping in Ohio for Clinton, Strickland, presses gun control

Avatar photo by Ana Radelat

WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy is testing the political effectiveness of his push for stricter gun laws in Ohio, a battleground for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and a state that could help decide control of the Senate. In an odd pairing, Murphy is trying to help elect Ted Strickland, a Democrat who was once one of the fiercest defenders of Second Amendment rights on Capitol Hill.

Posted inNews

RBS pays CT a record $120M to settle mortgage underwriting case

Avatar photo by Keith M. Phaneuf

One of the nation’s largest underwriters of mortgage-backed securities, Stamford-based RBS Securities Inc., has agreed to pay Connecticut $120 million — the single-largest settlement in state history — to resolve an investigation into its underwriting. While the deal could offer a boost to current state finances, it was unclear whether that boost would match the settlement amount.

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