WASHINGTON – The Senate plans to vote Wednesday on a resolution sponsored by Sen. Chris Murphy that would block a $1.5 billion sale to Saudi Arabia. It’s a long shot. But Murphy says he’ll win something even if he loses the vote.
Senate to vote on Murphy effort to block Saudi arms sale
Posted inMoney
Sikorsky, Malloy cut tentative deal to produce new helicopter in Connecticut
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Lockheed Martin announced a tentative deal Monday to produce a new generation of Sikorsky heavy-lift helicopters in Connecticut at the cost of $220 million in financial incentives from the state and an agreement with its union workforce. The General Assembly is tentatively scheduled to consider the deal in special session Sept. 28.
Posted inEducation, Justice
State Supreme Court says it will review school funding case
The state Supreme Court will hear an expedited appeal of a lower court’s conclusion that the way the state distributes education aid and oversees local schools is unconstitutional.
Posted inMoney, Politics
House Democrats outline agenda with a pro-business flavor
EAST HARTFORD — Facing an electorate that gave the General Assembly a 24-percent approval rating, the House Democratic Majority unveiled a campaign framework Tuesday that focuses on job creation and fiscal responsibility and downplays labor issues, such as raising the minimum wage and making the tax structure more progressive.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
A clarion call for change for Connecticut’s children
Connecticut has finally taken a major step toward fair funding for all public school kids. Ruling on a case filed by the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding, Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher denounced the current public school funding formula as unconstitutional and mandated the creation of a new system. Connecticut’s public school funding formula has long denied thousands of students the resources they need to thrive, and, as Judge Moukawsher noted, has especially disadvantaged low-income students.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Closing Connecticut’s real achievement gap
There‘s a lot of talk in Connecticut about closing the achievement gap between affluent students who are predominately white and poor students who are predominately black or brown, but there have been no effective actions taken and none are on the horizon.
Instead, Connecticut gave up its own well-founded state standards and adopted the narrow and inadequate Common Core Standards, called them rigorous which they are not, and gave students standardized tests to measure their achievement of those quite limited standards. Then Connecticut waited for the test scores to see if the impoverished would catch up to the affluent. They haven’t and they won’t.
Posted inHealth
Ethics board says Wade’s recusal makes Anthem-Cigna conflict inquiry moot
The state’s ethics board Monday ended its examination of whether Insurance Commissioner Katharine L. Wade has a conflict disqualifying her from reviewing the acquisition of Cigna by Anthem, saying Wade’s voluntary recusal last week makes the question moot.
Posted inPolitics
Feud cost Connecticut’s Independent Party a line in U.S. Senate race
An internal fight will leave the Independent Party without a candidate for U.S. Senate in Connecticut this fall, denying Republican Dan Carter a cross-endorsement in his uphill fight to unseat the Democratic incumbent, Richard Blumenthal.
Posted inEducation, Justice
CCJEF attorneys ask high court to reject AG appeal, for now
The coalition of education reformers who won a suit striking down Connecticut’s school funding formula as unconstitutional on Monday asked the state Supreme Court to deny the attorney general’s request for an expedited appeal of the case.
Posted inMoney
Nation’s income gains strong, but Connecticut’s lag far behind
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Census Bureau’s good news that median income rose significantly in the United States last year wasn’t as cheerful for Connecticut. The state was among a dozen with the smallest rate of household median income growth in the nation, which had a robust increase of 5.2 percent. And not everybody benefited from Connecticut’s modest 1.8 percent income growth.
Posted inMoney
State’s jobless rate falls to 5.6 percent
Connecticut’s unemployment dropped slightly from 5.7 to 5.6 percent in August as the state added 300 jobs, the Department of Labor reported Monday. The new unemployment rate still remained higher in August than the 5.3 percent rate of one year ago.
Posted inPolitics
Merrill says Connecticut ‘motor voter’ system hits fast lane
Connecticut registered more voters through the Department of Motor Vehicles in the past month than it did over three previous calendar years, when federal officials complained its “motor voter” system was so ineffectual as to be in violation of a U.S. civil rights law.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
CCJEF v. Rell appeal more dangerous than status quo
On Sept. 7, there was a moment when interest-convergence was happening right in front of us. As Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher read his ruling on CCJEF v. Rell, advocates like myself started to believe that remedies for inequality were being granted permission to stand up and be recognized. To my consternation an appeal was filed. I believe this appeal, filed by Connecticut Attorney General Jepsen, represents an unqualified dismissal of potential remedies.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Education reform should be rational, and should work in practice
Despite the best of intentions, in an overly-broad ruling Judge Thomas Moukawsher has prescribed some remedies that I believe would lead us to repeat past mistakes at great cost to many. I respectfully ask the judge and state leaders to seek policies that are not just rational, but ones proven to actually work in practice. Borrowing a phrase from another judge, I argue further that many of his demands are “decided upon an economic theory” which a large part of education research does not entertain.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Don’t let Connecticut’s developmentally disabled be treated like cattle
The recent decision by the Malloy administration to remove services from the most vulnerable citizens in Connecticut is just terrible! The people who are served by the Southbury Training Center participate in day programs which provide them with meaningful activities and in some cases, gainful employment. Day services, as well as mental health services, are often the bright spot in these individuals’ day, but these programs are slated to be cut or eliminated, and all staff will purportedly be laid off by the end of this year.