Bridgeport: $3.4 Million in return for your democratic rights: Illegal, Racist or Both

Jun 17

jonpeltoBridgeport, Education Reform, Malloy, Stefan Pryor , , 24 Comments

The State of Connecticut’s Education Funding Formula (ECS) is underfunded by at least $800 million.

This means that many towns must raise their local property taxes higher than they should or that schools go without the funds they need to maintain adequate services.

Last week Governor Malloy proposed and the Democrats in the Legislature adopted a new law that read; “The Commissioner of Education may, upon approval by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, provide a loan of up to three million five hundred thousand dollars to the city of Bridgeport for the purposes of inclusion in the budgeted appropriation of education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, to cover education expenditures incurred during such fiscal year. As a condition of making such loan under this section, the commissioner (1) shall require the selection of a superintendent of schools or chief financial officer of the Bridgeport school district from a pool of up to three candidates approved by the commissioner…”

Bridgeport, you get a loan of $3.4 million in return for letting Stefan Pryor, Malloy’s education commissioner pick you superintendent.

Imagine the legislator from Weston or Woodbridge, Avon or Stonington, calling their local leaders and saying, I’ve got good news and bad.  The state will loan us $3.4 million but we must let them pick the person who runs our schools.

Never.  Never in a million years would the state demand or the local citizens in those communities, accept the state over-reaching its authority and telling one of those communities that they should have raised taxes more but since they didn’t, the state will give them a short term loan in return for picking their leaders.

But Malloy and the Legislature did it to the people of Bridgeport.

Why?  Because they are poor? Because the vast majority of their students are Black and Latino? Because they are inherently more corrupt and can’t govern themselves?  (Last time I looked nearly every Connecticut State and local official who has been hauled off to prison over the past thirty years was White.)

Perhaps just as shocking is that a reasonable case can be made that the State’s action is illegal because it is unconstitutional.

Article 10 of the Connecticut Constitutions deals with the issue of “HOME RULE.”

The article reads;

SEC. 1. The general assembly shall by general law delegate such legislative authority as from time to time it deems appropriate to towns, cities and boroughs relative to the powers, organization, and form of government of such political subdivisions. The general assembly shall from time to time by general law determine the maximum terms of office of the various town, city and borough elective offices. After July 1, 1969, the general assembly shall enact no special legislation relative to the powers, organization, terms of elective offices or form of government of any single town, city or borough, except as to (a) borrowing power, (b) validating acts, and (c) formation, consolidation or dissolution of any town, city or borough, unless in the delegation of legislative authority by general law the general assembly shall have failed to prescribe the powers necessary to effect the purpose of such special legislation.

It would, of course, be up to the Connecticut Supreme Court to interpret the meaning of Article 10, Section 1 of the State Constitution but (1) the state has clearly delegated to the towns the authority to choose a superintendent and (2) we are dealing with a situation that is occurring after July 1, 1969.

While the $3.4 million, in return for giving up their rights to select their superintendent of schools, deals with the “borrowing powers” of the community there is no way the framers of the State Constitution intended the state to be able to use changes in the a community’s “borrowing powers” to reach issues as fundamental as their right to self-governance.

Bridgeport is facing a deficit of $3.4 million.  Malloy and the Democrats in the Legislature have said we’ll lend you the money if you’ll allow Stefan Pryor to pick your superintendent.

Considering that the situation would have been handled very differently in one of Connecticut’s many wealthy towns, and the action itself may not be legal, the question is;

Is the State of Connecticut’s action illegal, racist or both.

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  • Castles Burning

    This sounds like one of those standardized test questions, but I am going to hold my breath and guess BOTH!!

  • Linda174

    Or they are the REAL reformers of the CT (sarcastic snicker):

    How you know they are the real “reformers”:

    They attended Ivy league schools and they are smarter than the rest of us,

    They never taught a day in their lives or they taught for 2-3 years and then became educational consultants and experts in reform.

    They make at least 8 times the average teacher’s salary.

    Because of their wealth and connections they can raise money easily and quickly to infiltrate the media and spread their faux messages.

    They are doing it for the children because they can’t wait any longer and this is the civil rights movement of our time.

    They start charter schools and/or management companies and they visit for photo ops and media events.

    When they leave the classroom or building, the kids say: “Who was that?”

    When they talk to you about their schools, they merely recite their test score results.

    They know how to juke the stats to give the appearance of an increase when there hasn’t been any gains at all….see earlier Bill M. post on Adamowski tricks.

    They speak to the students as if they are all slow or deaf.

    They institute policies where you earn demerits if your shoes aren’t shined, your shirt is sticking out of your pants and/or you don’t make eye contact 6.5 hours a day with all adults. You are also fined for any violations.

    Let’s keep this list going…any additions?

    • Linda174

      Oops! I forgot one. Their kids go to private schools with libraries,
      Art, music, etc…

      • Bill Morrison

        And, they don’t have to take or pass CAPT!

    • GloriaB

       They call union member fascists on Twitter.

      • Linda174

        Ooh…evidently I need a refresher on the definition.

      • Msavage51

        Fascism ( /ˈfæʃɪzəm/) is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology.[1][2] Fascists seek rejuvenation of their nation based on commitment to an organic national community where its individuals are united together as one people in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood through a totalitarian single-party state that seeks the mass mobilization of a nation through discipline, indoctrination, physical training, and eugenics.

        Unions? Hmmm….don’t think so.

  • R.L.

    The laws that apply to the 99% are the ones that seem to be enforced more.  You know the ones that say teachers can’t strike or that it’s illegal to have peaceful protests…..Wait, that’s not a law!  I guess they figure it should be so they treat it like it is.  The laws that pertain to the 1% that address things like inapropriate lobbying (not that any lobbying is really appropriate), avoiding propper bidding procedures, finding ways around legal hiring procedures, that towns have the right to run themselves, investment gimmicks where the executive gets a multi-million dollar bonus while the working man loses his life savings…….  We don’t really need to enforce those laws.  How would the 1% be able to trickle down on the rest of us if those laws were enforced?

  • Linda174

    Look how Vallas left Philly:

    How to starve a school into destruction. All they want is PUBLIC input for PUBLIC
    Schools, crazy, huh?

    • Castles Burning

       Linda174, you always have wonderful references and I have learned much from you–and others on this blog.  As the ending slogan from “Real News” says: “The future depends upon knowing.”  We have the advantage given to us by this forum (thank you, Jon and all participants) of knowing what Vallas has done before and we need to mobilize like these citizens did in Philly.  I am impressed with all that they did, all whom they mobilized, and the calm of the leaders. 

      • Linda174

        My fear here in CT is that it is being done behind closed doors and in a sneaky fashion. Pryor is quite slick from secretly hiring Leeds Global (with SERC as his slush fund) to write SB 24 and now to the language being added to the special session bills to have power over the choice of Bridgeport’s superintendent.

        The PEAC process (how teachers are to be evaluated) was in place before he came. When he didn’t get all he wanted after SB 24 passed with many revisions, he infiltrated the PEAC workshop committees by planting his chosen “consultants” to watch over them. He said he was staying out of it and he would be an observer. That was a lie; he had these “consultants” in there doing his dirty work, so he could then fake him impartiality. He wants teachers evaluations to be tied to standardized testing more than the agreed upon 22.5% and he will keep working on that come hell or high water. He wanted to reduce the qualifications for teachers and take away the requirement for a master’s degree. An ever revolving door of innocent newbies who will never question the test prep mania are much easier to control. They will also most likely leave within five years and then you can reduce labor costs since very few will advance to the top salary level.

        There is a reason we have a lawyer for a commissioner and one who has started both a charter school and a charter management company rather than an educator. I refer to an educator as someone who has actually taught children, ages 3-18, not someone who sees them from time to time or sits in the back room of a classroom and then leaves to spout about education reform.

        They can slither around and find ways to circumnavigate the process and by the time we find out it is too late. He will leave the top districts alone because he knows he would face too much opposition and there is no need for a “turn-around” plan there. As a matter of fact, he has stated there isn’t a need for as much standardized testing in those districts. We just have to test the poor children of color over and over again until they have been brainwashed into total complacence and all creativity has been beaten out of them.

        I try not to be too cyncial (haha), but who thinks Hartford or Bridgeport, no matter what they do, will ever top Darien, Weston or Greenwich when it comes to test scores?

        Pryor created many new positions at the SDE that never existed before and most of them are old connections and Yale colleagues making close to and over $100,000 each. Very few have ever taught children anything.

        I don’t trust him; I have heard he can be quite charming when he needs to be. I have heard from SDE employees he is not very visible except for the close associates he hired. All is kept quite secret….I suppose so we don’t predict his next ploy.

        I agree with you and the Philly pastor – “The future depends on knowing”.  How do we get the word past this blog?

        Thank you to Jon Pelto.

      • Castles Burning

         The QUESTION indeed is “How do we get the word past this blog” and can it be done in time to prevent the Bridgeport BOE from extending Vallas’ contract and the mayor from making the BOE an appointed body.  Both of these “events” are fast approaching.

        And deep gratitude to Jon Pelto who demonstrates–as do you–that tenaciousness is at least one of the qualities needed to get the job done.  Facts and intelligence and a sense of morality and justice for all are other qualities.

        Let’s brainstorm ideas for how to get the word out. Let’s see if we can have a kind of rally here. That seems like a promising start and may snowball (dare I hope?)

        (Thanks also for the rally video)

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Tommy-Burns/712565941 Tommy Burns

        If they renew his contract–(which would be illegal as the BOE has no power as confirmed by the courts) then the new board can boot him out–of course at a cost as we would have to go thru the courts again–i dont know why but we might have to–
        Then as a taxpayer of Bridgeport I would  have a lawsuit against everyone on the fake BOE, Malloy, Finch, Pryor the SBE and anyone else involved–and I would seek criminal charges as well as they went against a court order–Malloy follows Rowland –how fitting—and the other simpletons wouldnt fair too well in jail–methinks–Tom

      • Msavage51

        Yes–rally! It WILL snowball. And it will draw the attention of the media as well.

      • Magister

        I thought it would be impossible to remove Vallas because of the expense of buying out his contract.

      • Castles Burning

         His contract ends in December but the current “illegal” BOE is moving fast to extend it–June 25th–so that it would be hard/expensive to have him depart.

      • Querculus

        You’d have to have something on these guys that would really stick, CB.  All this “the contract is invalid” stuff is useless since the money is so big that there would have to be a Ramos/ Salcedo buyout.  Nothing is going to get parents and voters fired up unless there is a real scandal for them to hang their hats on.  And even then… this is Bridgeport…. few seem to care, even within the city.

      • guest

        SERC also funds Adamowski.

      • Querculus

        CT is an easy place to do things behind closed doors.  I don’t know what it is about the place.

  • Linda174

    I have to post this again. I don’t know if many had a chance to watch this. We need a Matt Farmer to speak at a rally in Bridgeport, Hartford, Windham, etc..

    This is great – points out all the hypocrisy of the reformers and where their kids go to school.

    I don’t think this test mania is happening at Sidwell Friends in D.C. or the University of Chicago Lab School.

  • TMS

    Jon,

    This may be a stupid question, but why would any contract issued and signed by the “illegal” Bridgeport BOE be binding? The state supreme court issued its verdict a while back. What has been the delay in holding another election to establish a “legal” Bridgeport BOE? I’m not a lawyer, but I would think that since the court ruling, the illegal board shouldn’t even be meeting on official school business.

    • jonpelto

      Excellent question. My guess is they left the illegal board on place till and election for the vacant board could be help and the city of bridgeport dragged their feet getting it put together.

      Sent from my BlackBerry please excuss typos

      • sharewhut

         I’m sure any deal signed will cost Bridgeport big even if voided by courts (courtS because it’ll be tied up in appeals and lawsuits long enough to be celebrated in time for the class of 2022 graduation).
        Vallas will sue because he negotiated in ‘good faith’ with what he understood to be the lawful reps of city.
        Then again, he’s/they’re probably writing a clause into the contract providing big compensation in case this happens that Finkch will say is cheaper to pay than fight.

  • Querculus

    Both!