Dive Brief:
- The mostly white, wealthy suburb of Fairfield, CT, graduates 94% of its students, while neighboring Bridgeport, a poor and populous city, graduates just 63%, providing an image of inequality Judge Thomas Moukawsher condemned in a recent ruling about the state’s education system.
- The New York Times reports Fairfield has a bus fleet, its parents raise thousands of dollars each year to cover the cost of field trips and classroom materials and it doesn’t have trouble keeping good teachers, while Bridgeport can’t afford buses, few of its parents have money to contribute to the school and hiring qualified teachers is a constant battle.
- Moukawsher criticized advancement standards in the state, saying the neediest students get diplomas but don’t have the skills to back them up, and he called for a new funding formula — one that at least redistributes funding if it doesn’t add more to the overall pot, as well as a solution to the teacher shortage issue in the poorest districts, which he said the state must take responsibility for.
Dive Insight:
Moukawsher’s ruling has sent ripples throughout the education community across the country. He called for a near-complete overhaul of Connecticut’s education system and demanded a plan in six months. While many lawsuits have reached state courts over the inferior educational opportunities for students in high-poverty neighborhoods, the rulings have generally been limited to commentary about spending formulas. Connecticut is expected to come up with a new formula, but it must also revamp its teacher and administrator evaluation systems, create new standards for advancement in each grade and develop a graduation test that seniors must pass before getting their diplomas.
All eyes will be on Connecticut as the state government moves forward with its plans. Suburban legislators will be fighting to maintain funding levels and positive teaching and learning conditions in their schools. A deadlock on a plan is not out of the question. Washington state, after all, continues to rack up $100,000 fines each day it is held in contempt of court for failing to approve a new funding formula for its schools.