Will someone speak up for Latino students? Corporate reform group overlooks the truth in effort to bolster charter schools.
by jonpelto
Will someone speak up for Latino students? Corporate reform group overlooks the truth in effort to bolster charter schools. Rae Ann Knopf, the Executive Director for the Connecticut Council for Education Reform recently took issue with a commentary piece written by Wendy Lecker (recent commentary) that was published in the Stamford Advocate and Connecticut Post [...]
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Governor Malloy’s attraction to the concept of “MAJOR” initiatives
by jonpelto
Faced with a projected $1.2 billion budget deficit for next year and $63 billion in overall state debt and unfunded liabilities – giving Connecticut the largest debt burden per capita in the nation – Governor Malloy recently proposed a $1.5 billion initiative for UConn, a program to augment the existing $2.3 billion 1995-2017 UConn 2000/21st Century UConn program that was designed to rebuild, renew and expand the state’s public research university.
When confronted about moving forward with increased borrowing during this period of fiscal distress, the Governor responded, “Listen, Connecticut is not going to move forward doing the same things that we did unsuccessfully for 22 years,” Malloy said Friday. “This is a big idea.”
The concept of focusing on major initiatives, even in the face of unparalleled fiscal problems, is not new for Connecticut’s governor. As observers have come to recognize,
Even on Budget Day – (or especially on Budget Day) – Lobbyist money helps make the world go round…
by jonpelto
When Connecticut passed its landmark campaign finance reform legislation, the goal was to remove lobbyist and special interest campaign money from the public policy making process.
But of course, where there is a will, there is a way.
Prosperity for Connecticut Political Action Committee, the PAC affiliated with Governor Malloy has raised over $235,000 in the last 18 months and a nice portion of that money comes from lobbyists who represent a range of clients that will be impacted by Malloy’s budget and policy proposals.
When analyzing the policy initiatives it is often useful to see who has worked to guarantee access to the key decision makers.
The following is list of organizations whose lobbyists have – as the saying goes – ponied
Step up and show your support for Seattle Teachers!
by jonpelto
(Cross posted from http://dianeravitch.net/)
Wednesday, Feb. 6th, 2013 is the National Day of Action to support Garfield High School and the other MAP test boycotters who are facing possible 10 Day Suspensions without pay for refusing to force students to take an unfair, counterproductive and bad standardized test.
Information about the Day of Action can be found here: http://scrapthemap.wordpress. com/2013/02/02/national-day- of-action-to-support-seattle- map-test-boycott/
Share the Facebook Day of Action page here by going here: https://www.facebook.com/ events/366568146775772/
Sign the Support the Seattle Teachers Petition here:
Call, email, and write to Seattle Public Schools Superintendent José L. Banda to let him know that you support the boycott:
Superintendent José L. Banda superintendent@seattleschools.org
Office of the SuperintendentMS: 32-150
P.O. Box 34165
Seattle, WA 98124-1165 (206) 252-0180
Read more about this historic boycott in Garfield teacher Jesse Hagopian’s op-ed in the Seattle Times here:http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2020158085_jessehagopianopedxml.html
And various resolutions and letters of support can be found here:http://scrapthemap.wordpress.com/solidarity-statements-2/ andhttp://brianpjones.tumblr.com/post/41098555088/educatorssupportghs andhttp://www.democracynow.org/2013/1/29/seattles_teacher_uprising_high_school_faculty
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