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This weekly segment by Democrats for Education Reform CT looks at the top education stories Democrats are watching, providing bite-sized analysis and links to recent articles. This week's stories: Regionalizing Connecticut, a visit from DeVos, and the impact of the LA teacher strike on charters.
Regionalization in the Land of Steady Habits?
In case you missed it, Senate President Martin Looney, as well as Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff and Senator Cathy Osten, proposed two bills related to regionalization last week, creating a flurry of debate. On Monday, the Education Committee’s meeting drew a standing-room only crowd to vote on 30 “concepts” of bills to draft, with regionalization on the list. The idea has a long way to go before it becomes law, but we admire the initiative to begin a hard conversation about where our state is headed and how to serve students and communities of all needs and sizes.
Proposed bills (Senator Looney’s and Senator Duff and Osten’s)
Inviting DeVos for a Visit
A story from back in 2017 has resurfaced, in which Education Secretary Betsy DeVos disparagingly described East Hartford Public Schools as "adult daycare." East Hartford is one of Connecticut’s Alliance Districts, and DeVos’ comments justifiably angered district and state leaders. This year, the Chairman of East Hartford's Board of Education issued an in-person invitation for the Education Secretary to visit the school district. The invitation stands...
A refresher on DeVos’ 2017 statements (TIME and Hartford Courant)
Capping Charters in LA
LA charters are facing a potential cap as part of the deal that ended the LA teacher union's strike. While it’s been said that some Democratic support for charters has waned as the party shifts to the left, DFER President Shavar Jeffries discusses Democratic champions who continue to prioritize charters on the list of important options for families in our public education system.