How public school teachers are evaluated in Connecticut needs an overhaul. On that much, educators on the state panel that determines how teachers are graded agree. But on why and how it should be done, the consensus evaporates.
CT teacher evaluations headed for an overhaul
Posted inEducation, Money
College leaders decry proposed cuts; ‘It’s grim’ says Herbst
At many of the state’s public colleges – which collectively enroll 150,000 students – tuition could rise, course offerings would shrink, class sizes would increase, library hours would be cut and some degrees would no longer be offered, the state’s higher education leaders testified Wednesday.
Posted inMoney
CT lawmakers: Let U.S. say ‘Asiago,’ not just ‘cheese’
WASHINGTON – The entire Connecticut congressional delegation has asked U.S. trade officials to prevent a provision in a new trade pact that would bar state cheese producers from labeling their products “Asiago” or “Feta.”
Posted inNews
Merrill to Schaghticokes: Our goof doesn’t get you a casino
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill formally notified the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation on Wednesday that her office’s mistaken acceptance of a business filing last month does not confer any right to develop a casino in Connecticut.
Posted inMoney
Labor, advocacy groups call for tax hikes instead of budget cuts
A top Connecticut labor leader blasted Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposed budget as continuing “to protect the very, very wealthy,” offering a counterpoint to the governor’s call for deep spending cuts and state workforce reductions, and to the broader aversion among many legislators to the idea of raising taxes for a second consecutive year.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
State budget do-over: The conversion of Dannel Malloy
In the waning hours of the 2015 legislative session, as the exhausted members of the General Assembly debated the budget during an all-night session, Democratic leadership pulled their rank-and-file members out one by one to promise, cajole, and threaten them into voting for the budget. Now, half a year later, we can see why so many Democratic legislators were reluctant to join their leadership in voting for the budget. All of the warnings came true – people and businesses are leaving the state at a faster pace than ever, revenues continue to lag behind expectations, and the state budget remains out of balance.
Posted inNews
Connecticut slowly embraces a new approach to zoning
Instead of focusing on what a building is used for, as traditional zoning does, the new approach, called “form-based zoning,” concentrates on what a building looks like and how it relates to the street and the neighborhood. The aim is a more diverse, attractive and walkable streetscape.
Posted inHealth
Expert: Transparency, savvy patients, competition key in tackling health care prices
Zack Cooper recently co-authored a high-profile paper linking higher hospital prices to market power. He advocates for strong antitrust enforcement when it comes to health care consolidation. But when his father was very sick, Cooper told state policymakers, he wanted him to go to a large medical center that treated a high volume of patients with the same condition. “There’s this tension,” he said.
Posted inNews
Obama budget would cut Black Hawks, F-35s, boost Pell grants, Head Start
WASHINGTON — President Obama’s 2017 proposed budget, released Tuesday, would sharply cut funding for Connecticut -made Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters and trim the number of F-35s the Pentagon would buy, while boosting spending on certain domestic priorities.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy finds even polite questions have no easy answers
A harder test comes Thursday night in Stamford when Gov. Dannel P. Malloy faces an unfiltered audience at the first of his town hall meetings. But even in a small invitation-only event Tuesday, he heard concerns about the depth of his spending cuts.
Posted inTransportation
Duff reintroduces legislation to allow direct sale of electric cars
After the Senate failed to consider House-backed legislation last session, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, has introduced a bill to allow electric car manufacturers to sell vehicles directly to consumers in Connecticut. The bill has been opposed by car dealers in the state.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Business leaders push to intensify control of state spending
Connecticut’s business leaders had high praise Tuesday for the deep spending cuts and absence of tax hikes in Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s new budget. But they also warned that without an even harder, bipartisan push to control spending, businesses will remain reluctant to grow — or to support the tolls and gasoline tax hikes recommended to finance transportation improvements.
Posted inPolitics
Malloy: Speed DMV lines by shedding ‘collection agency’ role
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wants to help the beleaguered Department of Motor Vehicles by getting the agency out of the municipal debt collection business and by expanding transactions that can be done at private businesses like AAA offices.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Malloy, Obama visit mosques, and you’re invited to do the same
Just last November, hundreds of our esteemed compatriots including Gov.Dannel Malloy, U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, and Mayor Kevin Scarpati of Meriden visited our Baitul Aman “House of Peace” Mosque in Meriden. Together we demonstrated how through solidarity and by supporting peace-loving communities and their rightful freedoms we can build bridges and establish fruitful connections. You are invited to do the same.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
GE aftermath: Have the governor and Dems learned their lesson?
Missing from Gov. Dannel Malloy’s budget address on this year’s opening day of the legislative session was any mention of GE’s departure from the state. Of course, a leader must focus on the future and direct attention away from the negative. But why ignore reality? The only thing I can say for his speech is that at least pointing out the few companies that are investing in our state was more convincing than again spouting the “need for transportation and a high-tech atmosphere” as the reason for GE’s relocation.