State of Connecticut secondary Archives: on Education
August Wolf:
Support home-school, charter schools, & parochial schools
We start by getting rid of Common Core and the over reliance on standardized tests. Education should be determined at the local level, where taxpayers and parents can monitor what's happening.
Second, we need policies at every level of state and local government to support the right of parents to choose the best learning environment for their children.
That means supporting and affirming parents' right to home-school or send their children to charter schools, parochial schools, or any other school. The federal Department of Education takes local tax dollars from Connecticut and spends
them on bureaucrats and regulations in Washington. There's just no need for that agency at the federal level. It should be turned into a think-tank to provide best practices for local education."
Source: 2016 Connecticut Senate campaign website Wolf2016.com.com
Apr 1, 2016
Bob Stefanowski:
Give parents the choice to find a school that works for them
We need to make our schools centers of excellence, that serve the whole community and empower students and their parents to achieve their highest potential. If local schools are failing local students, we need to give parents the choice to find a
school that works for them.We need to focus on workforce development--employers are asking for it. While for some kids a four-year college degree is the right path, for others it's not.
We need to add resources to local trade schools and give kids the skill they need to succeed. That's the only way to make sure that Connecticut and our residents compete for the jobs of the future in a healthy, local economy.
Our schools need reform to teach certain basics to create a job training pipeline.
Source: 2022 Connecticut BobForGovernor.com campaign website
Apr 21, 2022
Catherine Templeton:
School money & school control should be local
Education is local, but the state and federal government both hold a lot of the money. Let's get it to the kids. We need to make K-12 decisions in our school districts, not in Washington or Columbia.
Let the teachers teach and let the principals lead. It makes sense, right? Let them do what they do best and support them every way we can.
Source: 2018 Connecticut Governor website CatherineTempleton.com
Aug 17, 2017
Dan Carter:
Bottom-up decisions on schools, not top-down politicians
Every American should demand and expect equal opportunity to a great education. Too often politicians like Senator Blumenthal become plagued by the agendas of special interest groups and rather than search for new solutions, rely on the same-old
approach that frankly has failed.Decisions about our children's education should not be made top-down, by politicians like Senator Blumenthal in Washington D.C. These decisions should be made locally and from the bottom-up, by parents and teachers
Source: 2016 Connecticut Senate campaign website CarterForSenate.com
Aug 31, 2016
Dan Malloy:
Had learning disability when there were no support programs
Growing up, I had learning disabilities that might have left me on the fringes. Back then, there were not programs to identify and support children with disabilities.
But luckily for me, there was the inspiring dedication and skill of the school teachers who touched my life, and there was the sheer willpower of a mother of 8 children.
Source: 2011 Connecticut State of the State Address
Jan 5, 2011
Dan Malloy:
$22M for new charter schools over three years
Several Wall Street billionaires who have invested heavily in the expansion of charter schools contributed more than $200,000 to Democrats in the 2013-14 election cycle, helping Gov. Dannel P. Malloy secure re-election. The campaign contributors earned
their fortunes as hedge fund managers and private equity investors before earning reputations as "education philanthropists." They have helped bankroll charter school movements throughout the country, spending to influence elections and to support
advocacy movements.Malloy opened this year's legislative session with a budget proposal that included $4.6 million in funding to open two new privately-managed charter schools, and an additional $17 million for new charter school seats in
the next two years. Funding for local school districts would have remained flat.
The charter school funding became a sticking point in budget negotiations this year after a legislative committee voted down the governor's proposal.
Source: Hartford Courant coverage of 2016 Connecticut Senate race
May 29, 2015
Leora Levy:
Always defend Parental Rights and Freedom of Choice
Leora will always defend Parental Rights and Freedom of Choice for wearing masks and vaccinations.
Leora is cemented in her belief that the parent knows what is best for their child, not the government. At a time when parental rights are under attack from the radical left, Leora will be the clear and relentless fighter for the voice of parents.
Source: 2022 Connecticut Senate campaign website LeoraForCT.com
Aug 11, 2022
Leora Levy:
Claimed COVID funds used to teach critical race theory
Levy charged that Connecticut has channeled $1.1 billion in federal COVID-relief funding to teach so-called critical race theory in public schools.
When pressed on the issue by reporters after the debate, she said she would have to provide the data later.
Source: CT Insider on 2022 Connecticut Senate race
Jul 26, 2022
Mark Lauretti:
Get the government out of the classroom
Government can't solve a city's education underperformance issues. We need to get the government out of the classroom and let the teachers do their job. As a former school teacher myself, I've seen what it takes to ensure every student has the
opportunity to thrive. From qualified teachers and access to the right academic, arts and vocation programs -- it's critical that we fill the gaps to provide access to the programs that will help each student succeed.
Source: 2018 Connecticut Governor website MarkLauretti.com
Aug 17, 2017
Matthew Corey:
Wants vouchers for school choice, empower states
Give parents the choice to enroll their children in the public schools, charter schools, or private schools they feel could help their child's future. Provide a tax credit for families who home school their children. Eliminate the Federal Department of
Education and return power to the states and local government. Send block grants back to the states. Let teachers and parents have more input in the education process of their children. The civil rights battle of today is in the cities.
Source: 2018 Connecticut Senate campaign website CoreyForSenate.com
Dec 12, 2017
Peter Lumaj:
Expand charter schools and the voucher program
Our educational system can lead the world if we:- Drastically reduce or eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.
-
Expand charter schools and the voucher program.
- Have a merit pay system for teachers.
- Support private education.
Source: Connecticut 2012 Senate campaign website Lumaj2012.com
Jul 4, 2012
Tom Foley:
Local control instead of Common Core mandates
Foley was critical of statewide Common Core assessments on schools, whether they are doing well or not. He said we have some of the best public schools in the country."I don't know why the governor would be interfering with those schools who are doing
well under local control and mandating things like Common Core assessments," he said. "I adhere to the principal 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it," Foley said. "Let's go fix the schools that aren't working and let's leave alone those that are."
He accused Malloy of not engaging teachers and administrators when the process of teacher evaluations was changed and Common Core standards were starting to be put into effect.
"I'm a good listener. I like to incorporate everybody's views.
I like to make sure that solutions incorporate the suggestions and hopefully gain the cooperation of those people who are going to be relied on to put them into effect," he said.
Source: New Haven Register on 2014 Connecticut gubernatorial race
Jun 16, 2014
Tom Foley:
In-district public school choice, money follows the child
On education, Foley would concentrate on policy changes that would impact schools with bad academic outcomes, while leaving successful schools alone. He said mandating the Common Core Standards and a standard teacher evaluation system is a mistake;
Foley would institute an A-F grading system to measure how the schools are doing.For those schools that aren't doing well, you need to have "in-district public school choice, money follows the child."
Foley said parents would make the decision on where to send their kids and he would revise the state grant per child by equating it with the child's needs.
"It shouldn't be a flat number, which is what happens today,"
Foley said. "That grant should be variable depending on the needs of the child," with less money for capable, independent students with a lot of enrichment at home and more for special needs children, he said.
Source: New Haven Register on 2014 Connecticut gubernatorial race
Jun 29, 2014
Tom Foley:
Charters are part of the solution, but not whole solution
Asked about the criticism of charter schools that they underserve bilingual students and those with with special needs, Foley dimissed this. "The criticism of charter schools is that they are nonunion," Foley said. "That's the big political problem and i
Source: New Haven Register on 2014 Connecticut gubernatorial race
Jun 29, 2014
Tom Foley:
Ran on platform of school choice
On the campaign trail last fall, Gov. Dan Malloy was relatively quiet on the issue of charter school expansion, while Republican challenger candidate Tom Foley ran on a platform of increased school choice. But a review by The Courant of spending records
shows that charter school donors still chose to support Malloy. The campaign contributions last cycle came from groups such as the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN), Achievement First, Families for Excellent Schools and others that have
spent nearly $800,000 lobbying the legislature this year.After the legislature's budget-writing appropriations committee rejected the proposal to open two new schools, charter school advocates responded with a full-fledged lobbying effort that
included a rally at the Capitol the following week. The groups spent more than $100,000 busing out-of-state parents into Hartford, erecting Jumbotron screens on the Capitol lawn and purchasing Subway sandwiches for volunteers. Malloy gave a speech.
Source: Hartford Courant coverage of 2016 Connecticut Senate race
May 29, 2015
Ann-Marie Adams:
Lack of minority teachers led to achievement gap
Adams identified issues within the education and health sectors as key matters to be dealt with in Connecticut, known as the 'Nutmeg State'. She cited "a paucity of minority teachers in public schools" as reason for what she
dubbed the achievement gap in the state, as well as disparities in the health sector. "Since I've covered education for more than a decade, I'm very in tune with what needs to be done to fix our education system in Connecticut."
Source: Ann-Marie Adams WaPo OpEd 2018 Connecticut Senate race
Nov 12, 2012
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023