Wait, What? » Education Reform

State must take serious look at school funding (according to Wendy Lecker)

jonpelto — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 16:22:44 +0000

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Tags: ECS Formula Education Reform Malloy State Budget Wendy Lecker

It is time for a real, serious and honest look at Connecticut’s school funding crisis, not the cop-out version that has been recently proposed as part of Connecticut’s budget plan. Fellow pro-public education blogger and commentator, Wendy Lecker, has another “MUST READ” column this week in the Stamford Advocate, CT Post and the other newspapers [...]

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“Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

jonpelto — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 13:08:24 +0000

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Education Reform

Tags: Education Reform Education Reform Martin Luther King Jr

“Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” - Martin Luther King, Jr. The debate in America today is not between those who want to keep our education system as it is and those who want to change it. The “education reformers” are fond of saying that those of us who oppose their initiatives are [...]

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What is Paul Vallas doing to Bridgeport’s Special Education Students?

jonpelto — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:26:18 +0000

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Tags: Bridgeport Budget cuts Education Reform Mayor Bill Finch Paul Vallas

When Bridgeport’s City Council approved this year’s $511.1 million city budget, it included a core school budget of $215.8 million. That is the same amount that was budgeted last year. Last year’s school budget was balanced, in part, from a series of budget cuts proposed by Paul Vallas, Bridgeport’s $229,000, part-time, interim superintendent of schools, [...]

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Don’t overlook the Asterisk when looking at Connecticut’s “big investment” in Education.

jonpelto — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:27:48 +0000

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Tags: Budget c Education Reform Malloy State Budget

On a national television show the other day, Governor Malloy called his “education reform” bill a massive investment of new funds for Connecticut’s schools. Meanwhile, towns across Connecticut are laying off teachers and other key school personnel. While additional funds are desperately needed and undoubtedly appreciated, the hyperbole surrounding the new “education reform” law’s “financial [...]

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Memo to Connecticut Democrats (ONLY); All others should skip this post

jonpelto — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:07:03 +0000

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Tags: Democrats Education Reform Malloy State Politics

[Now that it is just us Democrats here; let’s take a moment to talk politics]. There were seven new Democratic Governors elected in the United States in 2010. Today, when it comes to measuring each governor’s support from members of their own party; One new Democratic governor’s job performance rating among Democrats is +80 percent [...]

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NEWS FLASH: Today we see the ultimate example of Governor Malloy’s approach to making public policy.

jonpelto — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:13:57 +0000

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Tags: Adamowski Education Reform Malloy

Earlier today, CTNewsjunkie posted an article entitled “Sausage Making Isn’t Pretty, But It Will Get Done” in which it was reported that “Gov. Dannel P. Malloy remained confident Thursday that once the legislature’s Education Committee finishes making revisions to his 163-page education bill ’we will have a very robust educational reform package to act on’.” In the [...]

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“…only thing you have to do is show up for four years.” – Dan Malloy

jonpelto — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:03:37 +0000

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Tags: Education Reform Malloy State Politics Teacher Tenure

No he wasn’t talking about being Governor; he was talking about being a Connecticut public school teacher… Reading it for the 10th time and it still makes me cringe. In his State of the State speech on February 8, 2012 Governor Dan Malloy began his discussion about the issue of teacher tenure by saying “In [...]

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Where the State’s new money for local education is going under Governor Malloy’s Education Reform Plan

jonpelto — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:41:50 +0000

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Tags: Achievement First Education Reform Malloy State Budget

Achievement First Charter Schools get $2,600 more per student while the 222,000 students in the 30 poorest towns get an increase of $150 per student. School District Number of Students* Increase in Funds* Increase per student* Achievement First – The Charter School Company 2,440 (approx) $6.2 million plus $2,600 Waterbury 17,656 $4.4 million $249 Hartford [...]

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Jepsen/Malloy Continue to Squander the Opportunity of a Lifetime;

jonpelto — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:12:01 +0000

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Tags: Early Childhood Education Education Reform Jepsen Malloy

Sometimes you’re just left shaking your head; wondering what on earth has happened to our “Leaders.” A few months ago, Attorney General George Jepsen, with the direct approval of Governor Dannel Malloy, filed a legal motion in an attempt ensure that Early Childhood Education was not included in the definition of what the Connecticut Supreme [...]

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Charter Schools to the Rescue! Really?

jonpelto — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:58:44 +0000

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Tags: Charter Schools Education Reform Stefan Pryor

CTMirror has posted a commentary piece I wrote that follows up a news story the had written. Connecticut’s new Education Commissioner, Stefan Pryor, is an unapologetic fan of charter schools. As reported in the CTMirror, Pryor recently toured the Amistad Academy, the New Haven-based charter school that he helped create when he worked in New Haven. [...]

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