Schools The Issue In East Rock Race

Sections

Neighborhoods

Features

NHI Newsletter

Legal Notices

Some Favorite Sites

Government/ Community Links

by Melissa Bailey | Sep 6, 2010 8:37 am

(25) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author

Posted to: Politics, Schools, East Rock, Campaign 2010

Melissa Bailey Photo One wants to see East Rock Global Magnet School become the next Hooker. The other, a Hooker parent leader, wants to cut fat from the Board of Ed budget.

Matt Smith and Jane Edelstein laid out those aspirations as they announced their candidacies in a political race heating up in East Rock’s Ward 9.

Smith and Edelstein are both seeking the Democratic nomination for Ward 9’s seat on the Board of Aldermen. The two hope to replace outgoing Alderman Roland Lemar, who won the Democratic primary for state representative in the 96th General Assembly District. Lemar has no opponents; he is expected to be elected Nov. 2 to replace retiring State Rep. Cam Staples.

Lemar, who still has 16 months left in his aldermanic term, is set to start work as a state lawmaker on Jan 1.

In an interview this week, Lemar said he plans to step down from the Board of Aldermen in “mid to late September,” in time for a special election for his seat to take place coinciding with the Nov. 2 general election for statewide offices.

As Lemar moves on to higher office, Edelstein and Smith, two East Rockers who worked on his state rep campaign, have emerged as two contenders looking to fill his shoes. They are both seeking the Democratic endorsement, which will be decided by 50 members of the Democratic Party Ward 9 committee, which plans to schedule a mini-nominating convention by the end of this month.

In interviews this week, the candidates shared views on a range of questions facing the board. Both said they aim to follow in Lemar’s legacy. Both cited education as their top priority for the neighborhood. Both bring a different set of experiences to the race.

Smith, a 36-year-old freelance graphic designer, is a lifelong East Rocker. He grew up with his five brothers and three sisters on Pearl Street in the so-called SoHu neighborhood. He attended St. Stanislaus’s Catholic school, East Rock Global Magnet School, Wilbur Cross and Yale.

Smith got his start in politics early this year, when he headed up a friend’s campaign for Ward 8 co-chair, when he failed to unseat the two incumbents there. He’s also been involved in his block watch and in organizing the first ever Orange Street Festival this year. If elected, he’d be the only openly gay alderman on the board.

Edelstein, who’s 48, lives on Lawrence Street with her husband and daughters. She has lived in East Rock for the past 21 years. As her three daughters moved up through the Worthington Hooker School, she has taken on leadership roles in the school’s PTA over the past five years. Her 25-year career in government includes working for former U.S. Rep. Bruce Morrison and for former Speaker of the state House Irv Stolberg, and serving three years as clerk of the public health committee at the state Capitol. From 1990 to 2000, she worked for the city Board of Aldermen’s legislative services wing, drafting new laws and helping aldermen with constituent services.

Their choice of interview spot revealed differing neighborhood allegiances. Smith sipped coffee at Café Romeo, which supported the Orange Street Festival; Edelstein drank a bottle of Poland Spring outside Nica’s Market, where she often picks up food for her family.

Here’s what they had to say:

“Top-Heavy” Schools?

Smith, who graduated from East Rock Global Magnet School, said he’s glad to see the gloomy concrete bunker being torn down and rebuilt in a way that fits in better with the neighborhood. As New Haven launches a citywide effort to improve its schools, Smith said it’s a good time to boost the quality the magnet school.

“There’s an opportunity to build up from the ground up a school that’s as good as Hooker,” Smith said. In East Rock, he noted, there’s an unfortunate concept that parents have to choose between Hooker or private school, Hooker or moving out of town. The East Rock school, which sits in Ward 9, is a neighborhood school, meaning it accepts students from a geographic district around the school.

“We need to give East Rockers a choice, so it’s not ‘Hooker or Bust,’” Smith said.

As a parent leader at Hooker, Edelstein has been heavily involved in her daughters’ school. She supported the city’s quest to move the school to the new Whitney Avenue site—an issue that divided the neighborhood—but she hasn’t always followed suit with administration directives.

This budget season, when the Board of Education enlisted parents to lobby against cuts to its budget, Edelstein said she received several emails and letters inviting her to attend a budget hearing on behalf of the Board of Ed. She declined.

“I didn’t necessarily think that continuing funding to the Board of Education is producing results,” she said.

While Smith stopped short of calling for cuts to administrators, Edelstein gave a stronger stance. More money could be spent on classrooms rather than administrators, she said: “I really feel that they may be a little top-heavy.”

The Board of Aldermen doesn’t have direct control over line-item funding in the schools budget: They just vote on the total budget amount. Edelstein said she would have voted as Lemar did, denying a $3 million increase in funding last budget season.

“They need to make do with what they have,” Edelstein said.

Smith said he would have voted the same way. Both called for more transparency in the schools budget.

Smith said he doesn’t like the fact that aldermen can vote only up or down on the schools budget, not on individual line items.

“Voters want transparency,” he said. He declined to say if he’d use the power of subpoena, or host education committee hearings as past aldermen have, to tease out more information and policy answers from school officials.

Custodians

Both said they, like Lemar, would oppose privatizing custodial services to save money in the school board. The mayor has said the move could save $7 million annually. Unions say the move would lead to lower wages—the winning private bidder proposed $12.50 per hour instead of $17—for some of the lowest-paid workers in the city.

Smith said “the idea that we cut the lowest-wage workers leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

Edelstein said the janitors at Hooker “have been a real part of the community,” and she worries “there might not be that level of commitment from an outside contractor.”

“I think people with the biggest salaries are the people that need to be looked at,” Edelstein said, not the lowest-paid ones. She declined to specify an administrative position she would cut, but said the school board needs to show how each administrator directly impacts the classroom.

“There’s no transparency, there’s no accountability,” Edelstein charged. “These are our tax dollars that they’re spending!”

Property Taxes

With an impending deficit at the state, next year’s budget is expected to be even tougher than last year’s, when bands of outraged taxpayers fought the mayor’s spending plan. That will leave aldermen in a tricky spot: They need to respond to their constituents, who say they can’t afford a tax hike, but they also need to balance a budget with diminishing revenue.

Edelstein said she’s seen her property tax bill triple in the past 13 years. She has seen off-season For Sale signs that indicate taxes may be driving people out of the neighborhood.

“New Haven residents just can’t endure any more taxes,” she said.

Smith agreed. Neither would commit to holding taxes flat next year, and neither candidate offered specific cuts. Edelstein said she’d “look at more creative ways of doing things,” such as pension reorganization.

Both said reform needs to come at the state Capitol, with state property tax reform.

Smith said he’d “pressure Roland” to push for a progressive income tax at the state Capitol.

Edelstein said she’s a “big supporter of doing away with the property tax,” and relying more on state income tax.

Charter Reform

During her days at City Hall, Edelstein was let go in a round of layoffs in 1991. She stayed on as a part-time clerk, staffing the charter review committee, which is assembled every decade to think about major changes to the city’s charter. She said she’d like to work on the issue again.

This year, the mayor suggested two topics for consideration: shrinking the Board of Aldermen and expanding term limits from two to four years for the mayor, city clerk and aldermen. The mayor’s proposed commission was derailed by the full board, but may be revived at a later date.

Both Ward 9 candidates said they are undecided about term limits. Both supported keeping the board at 30 people, because it allows constituents more access to aldermen.

Bill O’Brien

Would the Ward 9ers join a chorus of aldermen calling for the resignation of Tax Assessor Bill O’Brien, in the wake of tax screwups and claims of poor customer service?

Both candidates said they don’t know enough to take a stance.

Monetization

Both frowned on the mayor’s move to revive a plan to sell off future parking meter revenue in return for up-front cash to fill a budget hole.

“I think we’re selling our future,” Edelstein said. “My gut reaction is, no—I don’t think it’s a good idea. We’re giving up potential future revenue that we might need. I don’t see the short-term gain.”

Smith called the proposal “a very short-sighted, quick solution that is just going to be horrendous 10 years from now.”

DeStefano

Both candidates sought to identify themselves as neither fully supportive of, nor totally against Mayor John DeStefano.

Asked if they thought DeStefano has done a good job in New Haven in his 17 years in office, both gave a similar response, taking a bigger-picture view.

“I think the mayor has done a great job with New Haven over the years,” Edelstein said. Much of the vision he laid out when elected in 1993—including reviving a blighted downtown—“came to fruition,” she said. However, she said she believes strongly in checks and balances of executive power.

Smith agreed on both points: “In the ‘90s, [DeStefano] did an amazing job to push New Haven forward,” he said.

“I don’t agree with him on everything,” he added,” but “he’s done a good job.”

2006 Redux

Paul Wessel, one of two co-chairs of the Ward 9 Democratic Committee, said Edelstein and Smith are the only two candidates who have approached him expressing interest in the Ward 9 seat.

Wessel said he plans to hold a nominating convention by the end of the month.

The convention would be a replay of September 2006, when two East Rock Democrats vied for their party’s support to fill a vacancy left open by Elizabeth Addonizio, who had stepped down from the Ward 9 seat. At that meeting at the East Rock Global Magnet School, Lemar and developer Alex Marathas presented their case to fellow Democrats, who took a vote by ballot. The committee picked Lemar, who went on to be elected later that year with no opponents. Marathas threw his support behind his erstwhile opponent.

Lemar said he is stepping down this year because it’s not possible to do both jobs—alderman and state rep—at once. He said he chose to step down in September—rather than after he’s officially elected as state rep—so that the election for his successor can be timed to coincide with the general election that’s already planned for Nov. 2. That will save the city money and give his successor time to get ready for the city budget season, he said.

Lemar said he’s not taking sides in the Smith-Edelstein, he said. He called both of them strong candidates.

The convention to elect his successor will be co-chaired by Wessel and Diane Casella, who happens to be Smith’s sister.

Edelstein and Smith got to know each other while working on Lemar’s state representative campaign. They described themselves as “friends” and said they would support whoever wins the party’s endorsement at the convention.

The winner of that contest would likely be the next alderman, unless another candidate petitions to get on the ballot.

“I like Jane. We both have stuff to bring to the table,” Smith said. If either nominee faces an opponent, he said, “we will knock on doors for each other.”

Comments

posted by: Threefifths on September 6, 2010 9:19am

DeStefano

Both candidates sought to identify themselves as neither fully supportive of, nor totally against Mayor John DeStefano.

Asked if they thought DeStefano has done a good job in New Haven in his 17 years in office, both gave a similar response, taking a bigger-picture view.

Smith agreed on both points: “In the ‘90s, [DeStefano] did an amazing job to push New Haven forward,” he said.

“I don’t agree with him on everything,” he added,” but “he’s done a good job.”

More puppets for King john.

posted by: sjbj on September 6, 2010 10:40am

hey, Threefifths, why don’t YOU run for something. Always easier to write than DO.

posted by: cedarhillresident on September 6, 2010 12:12pm

hmmm need more answers from these candidates…Yes they will not represent my ward but they do vote on issues that effect the city as a whole. some of the views on the issues stated above seemed to be on the fence. You don’t know if you support the mayor?? hmmm

With that said I have worked with Matt on budget issues in the city he has been involved and a proactive citizen on the property tax issue, that can be a plus for him. He has been one of the citizens that have fought for the city home owners.

posted by: Threefifths on September 6, 2010 5:08pm

posted by: sjbj on September 6, 2010 11:40am

hey, Threefifths, why don’t YOU run for something. Always easier to write than

Run for what. To be manipulated into participating in an unfair process to begin with.As long as you have the crooked two party system only you will get nothing in return.

P.S.How come you don’t run?

posted by: William Kurtz on September 7, 2010 7:04am

If you’re going to make the question “do you support the mayor” into some kind of litmus test for a candidate, you’re likely to be sorely disappointed in the results because a simplistic yes/no answer completely fails to acknowledge the complexity of the role a government executive has to play.

Can any of Mayor DeStefano’s most strident critics really say that in his 17 years in office, he has never made a good decision, never launched a solid policy, and never made a productive decision that has pushed New Haven forward?

posted by: Cedarhillresident on September 7, 2010 8:12am

You are right WK in fact at one time I supported John with pride. He has done alot for this city in the past. But with that said, that does not make him a good Mayor now. “I may have worn spandex pants in my life time, but it does not mean I can wear them now” Just because something worked well in days past does not mean that they still work.
In the past few terms has his choices been the right ones for the city? Alderman have to vote on alot of this. The question is relevant. John’s way of running the city in this day and age…has alot to do with it. A supported top heavy government with duplicate high paid positions to me needs to be review. Spending tax payers money on programs that are not properly reviewed is a waste of resources. Spend heavy department that are getting away with it is just wrong. Positions in town hall that that are not needed in today’s financial atmosphere should be eliminated. City hall staffers allowed to continue working for this city…after committing crimes against its citizens, well I take issue with that.
Was he a good mayor at one time yes.
Is he a good mayor now….do you believe he is?
Should that be a relevant question in an aldermadic race? hmmm this person will be voting on these issues in chambers so I believe it does have alot to do with the race

posted by: ASL on September 7, 2010 8:53am

William Kurtz is quite right. Voters in this City are too smart for the anti-Mayor/pro-Mayor shtick. We have opinions on issues, not people. So long as the “opposition” frames its platform as “anti-Mayor” rather than “pro-”, um “pro-”, well, pro-ANYTHING, it will continue to lose elections, no matter how many Bill O’Brien scandals come out. I’m glad that the candidates in this race are not falling for the idea, perpetrated by NHCAN, the New Haven Independent (I love you guys but on this notion you are often times dead wrong), and the Mayor himself, that you’re either with the Mayor or you’re against him. Voters don’t buy it. Neither should the members of the BOA.

posted by: Cedarhillresident on September 7, 2010 9:38am

just speaking my mind
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5M_Ttstbgs&feature=related

in awhh candidate that don’t state a position in several questions, glad I am not voting in that ward…. I would want answers to the question before voting. That is all I am saying

posted by: sjbj on September 7, 2010 9:42am

posted by: Threefifths on September 6, 2010 6:08pm

To be manipulated….P.S.How come you don’t run?

So, please tell us, what is your solution? To throw your hands up and write comments? That sure is useful.
And I don’t need to run…I think either of these candidates would do a fine job. At least they are willing to do something and contribute as best they can.

posted by: Bruce on September 7, 2010 10:08am

I don’t understand why the city should choose to pay $17/hr for a service that someone is willing to do for $12.50/hr. This is poor management of our money. Nobody’s job is guaranteed for life, and city employees should not feel entitled to above-market wages.

Don’t get me wrong, I have spent my time marching and getting arrested for the right to organize. I also spent some time cleaning office buildings and I can tell you I didn’t get anywhere near $17 or even $12.50. I don’t think the city should set up some special class of privileged employees with wages and benefits that are out of scale with market rates.

posted by: angelo on September 7, 2010 11:52am

Three-fifths is against John DeStefano, the Democrats, the Republicans, an appointed school board, and cheese. There is no compromise on any of these subjects. If you are willing to compromise on any of the above, do not expect support from Three-Fifths. As for what Three-Fifths would do as opposed to his dislikes, he will be glad to share youtube clips of people we should come to New Haven to solve our problems.

posted by: Threefifths on September 7, 2010 12:12pm

posted by: sjbj on September 7, 2010 10:42am
posted by: Threefifths on September 6, 2010 6:08pm

To be manipulated….P.S.How come you don’t run?

You must not read my post.I have said on this site and Radio station WPKN that the solution is to get rid of the two party system and put in place a system of proportional represention alon with term limtis.If you don’t understand what proportional represention is,Here is waht it is.

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/polit/damy/BeginnningReading/howprwor.htm

So when are you going to help get this in motion?

posted by: anon on September 7, 2010 12:49pm

You are correct, Bruce. The average government worker now makes far more than a worker in the private sector.

It’s time to cut salaries and benefits across the board, so that families who don’t have cushy government jobs can actually afford to live here. We should also increase parking rates for city employees and give them free bus passes instead of ridiculously expensive parking spots.

As a side benefit, some of the savings should be used to encourage city employees to actually live in the city. Yale does this and many of their employees, at all levels, live within the city. It is a shame that most of our tax money goes to pay for salaries and benefits of suburbanites (including 90% of the city’s police force), a condition that ultimately puts our city even deeper into poverty. We have plenty of abandoned homes in New Haven that city employees would fix up if they had incentives to do so.

posted by: Threefifths on September 7, 2010 4:22pm

posted by: Bruce on September 7, 2010 11:08am

I get sick and tried of people who cry about people who work in civil service jobs. Do you know the history of civil service .

The History of the Civil Service Exam
By Susan Berg.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5021651_history-civil-service-exam.html

You talk about how you had to do a job Cleaning office buildings didn’t get anywhere near $17 or even $12.50. Wy did you not fight to get better wages?Or better yet take the civil service test.It was your choice to work for private sector,So stop blaming those who Had the smarts to get a civil service job.

posted by: anon on September 7, 2010 1:49pm

You are correct, Bruce. The average government worker now makes far more than a worker in the private sector.

How about those Politicians’ retirement funds that cost more to the taxpayer then civil service workers retirement pensions.

http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30631.pdf

No on says a demand thing about that. Private sector.How about the golden parachutes.

http://www.economist.com/node/16685706?story_id=16685706&fsrc=rss

Did you know that this is pass on to the taxpayer.

posted by: angelo on September 7, 2010 12:52pm
Three-fifths is against John DeStefano, the Democrats, the Republicans, an appointed school board, and cheese. There is no compromise on any of these subjects. If you are willing to compromise on any of the above, do not expect support from Three-Fifths. As for what Three-Fifths would do as opposed to his dislikes, he will be glad to share youtube clips of people we should come to New Haven to solve our problems.

Why should we have a appointed school board.Most people I know in new haven want a elected school board.King john,I bet you that most people want to get rid of King John.All you have to do is put on your glass and read what other people post about King john and you will get your answer.Democrats and Republicans,Most people I run into agree with me that both parties need to be give the boot.
As far as cheese.Enjoy this youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7B8a5eEQgU

posted by: abg on September 8, 2010 12:33am

“Their choice of interview spot revealed differing neighborhood allegiances. Smith sipped coffee at Café Romeo, which supported the Orange Street Festival; Edelstein drank a bottle of Poland Spring outside Nica’s Market, where she often picks up food for her family.” Some people will portray this as yet another proxy war between the mayor and the unions, when in fact it’s a proxy war between competing East Rock gourmet eateries. Food fight!

posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS on September 8, 2010 10:31am

Glad they’re foused on education. But here’s a suggestion to both candidates: Learn about the artifical constraints with which the state and local politicians have shackled us, and which prevent our city from having an entire system of world-class K-12 schools.

In terms of relative impact to Ward 9 voters and taxpayers, the issue of rapid district-wide school reform dwarfs the two fairly narrow concerns that each candidate mentioned.

The first candidate who can understand and communicate about how the school system works for adults who live in the suburbs but not for kids who live in the city - and proposes no-nonsense tax-saving, education-boosting solutions will win the race.

posted by: streever on September 8, 2010 11:29am

Either way, we’ll have a dedicated East Rocker! This is another win-win election in East Rock.

posted by: Webblog1 on September 8, 2010 12:08pm

TO: FIX THE SCHOOLS

Please elaborate in more detail what you mean by the following statement:

“The first candidate who can understand and communicate about how the school system works for adults who live in the suburbs but not for kids who live in the city”

It sounds as if you have factual knowledge that magnet schools are for suburbanites and city kids are shorted or receive no/little consideration or benefit. If true, to whom does the fault for this imbalance belong?

posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS on September 8, 2010 3:53pm

Webblog1

By “adults who live in the suburbs” I meant the significant number of adults who are paid by NHPS and yet reside in the suburbs. Many of these teachers and administrators would never send their own children or grandchildren to New Haven schools. And yet these same folks are the chief reason that many of the under-performing schools aren’t rapidly improving.

How do they stand in the way of rapid school improvement?

These are the adults who refuse to take any responsibility for education outcomes of their students. They blame CT.’s achievement gap on under-educated poor parents and say “You can’t overcome poverty” all the while trying to ignore the well-documented record of parochial and charter schools that deliver a far higher percentage of disadvantaged children to the doorstep of college.

These are adults who know that the most important factor in the education of a child is the quality of a teacher and yet they collectively resist any effort to allow school leaders to differentiate good teachers from bad ones.

These adults continue to watch as hundreds of parents and children manage against all odds to win a place at a charter school via lottery but they still insist that taxpayers pay them for the students that have long since left.

These are adults who would rather that you don’t know the difference between a certified teacher and a qualified educator.

These are adults who are quietly breathing a sigh of relief that Ct. just lost out on $175 million in federal funding because it would have meant that they would have had to change their ways for the sake of children.

So just imagine the benefit to the citizens in Ward 9 if our small city educated everyone at high levels and where 90% of kids actually graduated from 12th grade with 12th grade skills and knowledge. We would be experiencing an unprecedented economic boom.

The frustrating part is that we know how to do it but the adults are blocking the schoolhouse door.

posted by: Webblog1 on September 8, 2010 6:22pm

Fix:

Okay.. got it..so NHPS administrators who live in the “burbs” are the first line culprits who stand in the door step to deny city kids a first line K-12 education.

You say….
“Learn about the artificial constraints with which the state and local politicians have shackled us, and which prevent our city from having an entire system of world-class K-12 schools”.

So who and what type of obstructionist role does the state and local politicians play in this three tier conspiracy..?

And how do you/we FIX the Schools??

posted by: Doyens on September 8, 2010 8:34pm

William Kurtz and ASL are exactly wrong. How strongly one supports the mayor is an issue because the mayor is a campaign issue. How he governs, violates the charter at will, protects shakedown artists and chronic racists like his favorite felon; how he abuses taxpayers who oppose him to his control of the rubber stamping water carrying bucket brigade at the BOA - yes, it is about DeStefano. What every ward in this city needs is an independent, smart, hard working alder - one who questions authority, quizzes the basis of decisions and demands that strict adherence to the charter including its intent be the standard. We need alders who believe in REAL transparency in government and not ones who cook the books in the mayor’s office and rush out to slap another 4% tax on us and tell us to be grateful. So, Cedar Hill has it exactly right - no doubt DeStefano has done some good but he is in the sunset of his usefulness and as he gets more and more desperate for money, he will resort to ever more irrational actions to get it. There has to be a check and balance. Good luck to both of you.

posted by: robn on September 8, 2010 9:23pm

FTS,

If a teacher doesn’t care, a kid is abandoned for a year. If the parents don’t care, the kids are abandoned for life and no amount of teacher enthusiasm in a classroom will correct that neglect.

Stop using teacher smears to shroud your obvious efforts to turn schools into privatized corporate profit centers.

posted by: William Kurtz on September 9, 2010 8:43am

To the extent that my point is a matter of “right vs. wrong” and not a matter of opinion, I’m actually exactly right. “Do you support the mayor” is a simplistic question and one that is so vague as to be essentially meaningless. I was responding originally to this comment from CHR, “You don’t know if you support the mayor?? hmmm”, which is a distortion (probably not a malicious one) of what each of them actually said. Now, if you want to ask them, “will you vote for Mayor DeStefano in the next election?” or, “what is your position on some or another policy idea of the Mayor’s?”—those kinds of questions have utility and might be revealing.

I agree with Mr. Doyens that a system of meaningful checks and balances calls for exactly the kind of legislators he describes, but I don’t think knee-jerk opposition to everything Mayor DeStefano says and does is inherently productive. We have seen time and again in this country where “with us or against us” thinking leads.

posted by: Threefifths on September 9, 2010 9:01am

posted by: robn on September 8, 2010 10:23pm
FTS,

If a teacher doesn’t care, a kid is abandoned for a year. If the parents don’t care, the kids are abandoned for life and no amount of teacher enthusiasm in a classroom will correct that neglect.

Stop using teacher smears to shroud your obvious efforts to turn schools into privatized corporate profit centers.

Now I agree with you on this one about how they are turn the public schools into privatized corporate profit centers.

http://www.racetonowhere.com/

posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS on September 9, 2010 9:19am

Webblog1,

Big questions. Without writing a tome, in general there are three MAJOR power bases that are obstructing good education.

First and foremost are the two teacher unions in our state which today enjoy far too much sway over our education system. They have a huge influence on the state legislature which is where all state education policy is developed. They have and they will continue to threaten to oust any member of the legislature who is not supportive of their agenda. We need a Governor who will stand up to these people.

Second are local Boards of Ed. For decades, local BOEs have used the schools as employment agencies for friends and family. From top administrators to para-professionals, these systems have been based largely on WHO you know and not WHAT you know. This is slowly changing in places like New Haven and Hartford but not rapidly enough. In Bridgeport or Waterbury, sadly there are no signs of change yet.

The third leg of the stool is the higher ed system that produces the vast majority of teachers in our state. Make no mistake that teacher prep is “Big Bucks” - but it also happens to be completely broken and children suffer for it. Here is a simple example of why we need to change how we recruit and train teachers:

http://www.ctmirror.org/story/7654/exam-trips-prospective-teachers-90810

ROBN, There are a lot more parents out there who do care but have difficulty in helping their child. There are a very small number of parents who just don’t care. And if we provided a little help to the parents who are willing to be involved in their child’s education, we could also identify and concentrate our efforts at helping those children who lack all support. The number is just not as large as you write about all the time.

And as a product of public schools, I am big believer in public education. But unlike you, I don’t define public education in terms of the people who provide the services, rather I define public education by who is served.

You might want to rethink using class warfare rhetoric as a justification to ignore the plight of people in poverty.

New Haven Independent

New Haven Independent Login Form