An independent arbitrator has decided to fire the superintendent of Groton, the “first decision of its type” says a law firm that represents several school boards in the state. In a 43-page report released last week, the arbitrator found the superintedent “is a strong, committed administrator, but also he has been an abusive, insensitive supervisor.” […]
K-12
Posted inEducation
State tests and Sandy Hook students
The State Board of Education Wednesday voted to relieve Sandy Hook Elementary School students from taking a battery of state standardized tests over the next several weeks. The General Assembly is expected to vote on the waiver request as early as today, Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor told the state board. An official at the U.S. […]
Posted inEducation
A $22 million breakfast
With Connecticut ranking near the bottom among states in providing breakfast to low-income students, the federal government is offering a $22 million carrot to entice districts to launch breakfast and summer programs. “They are prepared to send us $22 million to make sure our children are fed properly… This is an issue we have to […]
Posted inEducation
Dannel Malloy: from ladies’ shoe salesman to politics
Dannel Malloy entered the workforce at the ripe age of 15 years old, admittedly before he was legally eligible to work. He lied on his application for a retail job, saying he was 16 years old. “I was in school and wanted to have a job,” the governor told a roomful of the state’s youngest […]
Posted inEducation
‘A wink and a nod’ when sending money to towns for education
Top legislators rebuked Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s plans for $74 million that the state currently sends to cities and towns to makeup for lost property tax revenue from exempt, state-owned property. Malloy’s proposal will still send that funding to cities and town, but by way of an education grant. However, municipalities would not need to […]
Posted inEducation, Money
What hurricane and blizzard? Malloy nixes efforts to shorten 180-day school year
The hurricane and blizzard conditions that hit the state in recent weeks are not enough to persuade Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to give districts the ability to shorten their school year. State law requires schools to be open for 180 days each year, and many school districts have already exceeded the snow days built into […]
Posted inEducation
Teacher evaluations: state board gives the nod to providing slower rollout
The State Board of Education Wednesday approved a plan that slows the statewide rollout of new teacher evaluations linked to student performance. Instead of districts’ being required to evaluate every one of its teachers next school year, the plan allows local officials to begin with at least one-third of the teachers in each district being […]
Posted inEducation
A closer look at Connecticut’s higher education salaries
The Malloy administration insists that the $410,000 compensation package it awarded in 2011 to the former president of the state’s college system was competitive. “This was very moderate in comparison” to other public college systems, Mark Ojakian, the governor’s chief of staff, said recently. Robert A. Kennedy resigned as president in October after a series of […]
Posted inEducation
Efforts to desegregate, expand school choice a challenge with looming deficits
The Caro family debates which schools to enter their children in for the state’s school choice lottery. The Caro family debates which schools to enter their children in for the state’s school choice lottery. State education officials are proposing to expand opportunities for Hartford children by sending more of them to suburban schools — but […]
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Higher education chief ‘mistakenly’ ordered 21 executive raises without board approval
The state’s merged public college system backpedaled Tuesday as its top executive announced that 21 raises he “mistakenly” authorized during the past 10 months would be reassessed by its governing board. That includes the $49,000 increase granted recently to Michael P. Meotti, the executive vice president of the Board of Regents for Higher Education. Meotti […]
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DCF failing some foster children educationally, advocates say
After running away from her abusive family, Crystal Griffin spent years attending school at the group homes where the state sent her to live. She knows firsthand the quality of the education foster children get when the state is your parent. “There was nothing hard about it,” said Griffin, who is now 19. “They may say it’s […]
Posted inEducation
Adamowski named special master for New London schools
Windham Special Master Steven Adamowski and New London Superintendent Nicholas Fischer await the education board's vote. Steven Adamowski was named the “special master” for New London Wednesday by the state’s education commissioner. “Steve has exhibited all of the qualities … that we need,” Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor told the State Board of Education Wednesday. “He […]
Posted inEducation
The cost of lobbying education reform: millions
More than $3 million was spent lobbying both sides of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s education reform package during the 2012 legislative session. And at least one good government organization is concerned that not every lobbying group is required by law to report the sources of the money. Active groups this year included teachers’ unions fighting […]
Posted inEducation
Change of plans. Meetings creating teacher evaluations will be public.
After holding numerous meetings behind closed doors to finalize details on how teachers and principals will be graded, the State Department of Education has said the public and the media can attend the sessions from now on. “Something is different at this meeting. At this meeting — in the interest of transparency — the state […]
Posted inEducation
No applause for implementation of education reforms
Only two hours after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed into law a compromise education reform bill to near universal applause, a disagreement erupted at the State Department of Education over how to implement a provision on evaluating teachers. At issue is how much students’ performances on standardized tests will count when grading teachers. The new […]