My best friend from high school and I were both accepted to Ivy League schools. We declined. We both received substantial scholarships, so it wasn’t the money. But we felt more comfortable attending schools close to our rural Pennsylvania homes with both family and friends nearby. But more important, we did not feel that attending an Ivy League school would make any difference in our lives. And we were right. Both us did fine in our respective careers. But 45 years later, America has changed and getting into an elite school has become an obsession for America’s wealthy and upper middle class.

This month, I joined my fellow Connecticut residents testifying in support of the state’s proposed medical aid-in-dying legislation now being considered by the General Assembly. The bill would allow terminally ill people with a prognosis of six months or less to live, the option to take medication to die peacefully in their sleep. My message to the committee was simple. This issue is about giving peoplethe ability to make decisions about how they will face the final days. Across the country, states are passing similar laws.

As part of his transition plan Gov. Ned Lamont, the Education Committee and the Planning & Development Committee have drafted numerous bills regarding regionalization of our schools.  Although language has been updated to the Governor’s Bill 874 to remove the words “redistricting” and “consolidation” to “sharing” and “collaboration” the bill still imposes deadlines for data collection of all of our districts and does not specify whether the decisions of this Commission on Shared School Services will be subject to a vote by the legislature or will be written into law with no input from those who it will directly affect. All of this is a particular threat to those of us with children in special education.