Education

Connecticut's excellent quality of life is largely due to our excellent education system. Our residents are highly educated. We are sixth in the nation for the percentage of our population with a bachelor's degree or more. Connecticut state government has made public education a top priority over the years. The right to a public education is a fundamental right under our State Constitution. Connecticut public school teachers are the highest paid in the nation, and Connecticut state and local governments spend more on public education per capita than all but eight states.

Overall, the return on this investment has been strong. Connecticut has the highest ACT average composite score in the country, the State has the ninth highest high school graduation rate in the nation, and we have one of the lowest student-teacher ratios of any state in the U.S. There are clear disparities between performance of our students in urban versus suburban communities that must be addressed, but there is much for us to be proud of.

But we have challenges to preserve this system. Clearly, Connecticut is investing a substantial amount of money in public education. But we must be sure we are getting more education when we spend more dollars. We must pursue policies that emphasize the prudent and efficient use of those funds and maintain accountability of our public schools to parents and families. We must also pursue ways to control the cost of public education. State government must remain a strong partner with local communities in funding public education. In recent years the cost of education has outpaced state financial support. We must develop new and better ways to control costs and to prevent higher property taxes. The State must work to improve its financial partnership with towns and cities in Connecticut. The State must also honor its commitment to public school teachers and fully fund the State's teachers' retirement fund.

A strong public education system in Connecticut is essential to our quality of life, economic strength, and the well being of our democracy. We must pursue an education policy that ensures adequate financial support, the prudent use of those funds, controls on the growth of the cost of public education, and accountability of our public school system to parents and families. As your State Senator, I will pursue policies that are fiscally prudent and which will ensure that our public schools remain among the best in the nation.

More to come during the campaign.

1. State Rankings 2006: A Statistical View of the 50 States, p.150 (Morgan Quitno Press 2006).

2. Constitution of the State of Connecticut, Article Eighth, Section 1.

3. State Rankings 2006, pp. 121, 133.

4. State Rankings 2006, pp. 131, 128, 120.