By CHRIS POWELL A 23-member committee appointed by Governor Lamont and legislative leaders will convene next week to start devising what the governor wants to be “a top-to-bottom overhaul of how the state funds its public schools.” Democrats howl at enforcement of 20-year-old deportation order ‘Investing’ euphemizes spending; and two more empty gestures Falling studentContinue reading “School finance study committee is rigged in favor of educators”
Tag Archives: Gov. Ned Lamont
‘Investing’ euphemizes spending; and two more empty gestures
By CHRIS POWELL Politics and government long have been full of euphemisms — words that camouflage or sanitize what is being done — and the euphemism that was in greatest use as the recent session of the General Assembly ended was “invest.” The governor and legislators declared proudly that they had “invested” more in this,Continue reading “‘Investing’ euphemizes spending; and two more empty gestures”
Falling student population means higher teacher pay
By CHRIS POWELL What does it mean that, as the Connecticut Mirror reported last week, Connecticut’s birth rate is the ninth lowest in the country and that the state’s public school student population has fallen steadily since 2006, from 578,000 to 498,000, down nearly 14% in 20 years? Counterintuitively, it means bigger paydays for teachersContinue reading “Falling student population means higher teacher pay”
Can Fazio expunge Stewart and Elliott widen his range?
By CHRIS POWELL Connecticut Republicans caught a huge break last week as former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, the leader for the party’s nomination for governor, withdrew just hours ahead of their state nominating convention, having realized that negotiating a plea bargain for the financial fraud in which she had just been exposed would interfereContinue reading “Can Fazio expunge Stewart and Elliott widen his range?”
Audit shows college system is even worse than its chancellors
By CHRIS POWELL As it turns out, the recent mysterious but seemingly forced resignation of the chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, O. John Maduko, on top of the forced relocation of his predecessor, Terrence Cheng, to a year’s vacation at full pay (nearly $500,000), aren’t the only things wrong with theContinue reading “Audit shows college system is even worse than its chancellors”
A great candidate in theory but a disaster in practice
By CHRIS POWELL In theory Erin Stewart was a great idea for the Republican nomination for governor: not just a woman but a Republican who was elected six times consecutively as mayor of a heavily Democratic city, New Britain. She must have had something going for her. Connecticut’s age of majority is muddled by politicallyContinue reading “A great candidate in theory but a disaster in practice”
‘Affordability’ in Connecticut this year will be just for government employees
By CHRIS POWELL A brief chronology from the last four months may explain Connecticut’s political economy better than any so-called political scientist could. Child’s suicide should prompt a review that goes beyond DCF Property tax isn’t broken; our political backbone is Party balloon litter is bad but ‘nip’ bottle litter is profit In February, with theContinue reading “‘Affordability’ in Connecticut this year will be just for government employees”
One scandal after another with dodgy college regents
By CHRIS POWELL Now that the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system has lost a second straight highly paid chief executive — the “chancellor” — because of misconduct of some kind, maybe Governor Lamont should find some agency other than the system’s Board of Regents to appoint the next one. Legislators are worrying most aboutContinue reading “One scandal after another with dodgy college regents”
Lamont, Tong, and Elicker escape immigration queries
By CHRIS POWELL Connecticut’s laws forbidding state and municipal police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities may not be unconstitutional, as is alleged by the lawsuit brought last week against state officials by the Trump administration, but the objective of those laws is exactly what the suit alleges: to turn Connecticut into a “sanctuary state.”Continue reading “Lamont, Tong, and Elicker escape immigration queries”
Better education is impossible but maybe not fairer taxation
By CHRIS POWELL No issue in Connecticut generates more comment with less effect than public education, and now Governor Lamont is doubling down. He is arranging the appointment of the Governor’s Blue-Ribbon Commission on K-12 Education Funding and Accountability, which, in the hope of making education funding fairer and more effective, will study state government’sContinue reading “Better education is impossible but maybe not fairer taxation”
Chris Powell column 