The State Board of Education met yesterday and has decided to convene a new committee to examine Connecticut’s method of funding education. The committee will look at money for local public schools as well as for magnets and charters. The board chose not to adopt a “money follows the child” proposed funding model for charter…
DetailsGovernor M. Jodi Rell talked much about the economy and job creation in her annual State of the State today, but offered few specifics. Public education, a critical element in putting the state’s economy on a strong footing, got short shrift. For the second year in a row, the governor proposed eliminating a highly visible,…
DetailsThe full State Board of Education (SBE) will get a report on Wednesday, February 3, from its Legislation and Bylaws committee regarding a proposal for a “money follows the child” funding model for charter schools that would siphon money from traditional public schools. It is one of two competing proposals considered in recent months by…
DetailsI teach because there’s no better feeling than watching a kid be confused and you say something — and there’s a spark of recognition. There’s no better feeling in the world, hands down, than watching a kid get it, and love it. -Pamela Santerre, Woodstock Listen to what your colleagues have to say, and then…
DetailsYesterday was the deadline for states to apply for the first round of Race to the Top (RTTT) education funding from the federal government. CEA’s Director of Policy and Professional Practice joined Connecticut’s Commissioner of Education and an education reporter on the WNPR show Where We Live. Mary Loftus Levine and Commissioner Mark McQuillan spoke…
DetailsApproximately 120 districts have signed on to Connecticut’s Race to the Top (RTTT) Application, which the state must submit to the federal government by this Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Education will review applications and awards will be made sometime this spring. If Connecticut is not accepted in the first phase of the process…
DetailsState Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan has announced that upwards of 50 school districts have signed on to the Connecticut State Department of Education’s (SDE) proposed education reform plan for funding under the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) grant. At a news conference held on the morning of January 11, the official deadline for the…
DetailsProposals to overhaul charter school law could negatively impact local schools In its race to meet a looming deadline to apply for a competitive federal grant, the State Board of Education adopted a series of legislative proposals to overhaul how Connecticut’s charter schools are funded – proposals that are neither realistic nor reasonable and that…
DetailsCEA continues to be concerned about the U.S. Senate’s proposed health care reform legislation and its tax on middle class health benefits. Today CEA and six other Connecticut unions placed a full page ad in several of the state’s major papers to draw the public’s attention to this important issue. (Click here or on the…
DetailsCEA delivered hundreds of petitions signed by more than 10,000 teachers to members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation today. The petitions urge lawmakers to oppose a proposed excise tax on health care benefits. The U.S. Senate’s version of proposed health care reform legislation includes an excise tax on so-called “Cadillac” health care plans, such as the…
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