February 10, 2012
REP. GENGA PRAISES MALLOY PROPOSAL
FOR REFORMING EDUCATION SYSTEM
Increase In Education Funding For East Hartford Proposed
State Rep. Henry Genga (D-East Hartford), a retired teacher, gave an A plus to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposal for reforming education in Connecticut from early childhood through college and giving an additional $50 million in Educational Cost Sharing (ECS) funding to schools.
Under Malloy’s proposal, East Hartford would receive an additional $1,714,744, a 4.1 percent increase, in ECS funding, increasing East Hartford’s total education grant to $43,425,561 for 2012-13.
“This is great news for East Hartford,” said Genga, a member of the legislature’s Education Committee. “The additional money for East Hartford is certainly welcomed and needed at this time.”
“While the total funding proposed for East Hartford is not sufficient to meet all of our needs, it is certainly appreciated,” Genga said.
In his State of the State address Wednesday at the State Capitol, Malloy outlined his vision for Connecticut that maintains recent efforts to stabilize the state’s finances and continues to pursue the job creation policies that have begun to spur economic growth. Malloy also announced the final part of his education reform agenda – an overhaul of the state’s tenure system so that it rewards quality teachers, not just those who have been in the profession the longest.
Malloy’s proposal addresses many areas in need of reform, including: increasing the access to and quality of early childhood education slots; allocating new funding and implementing new approaches that will improve low performing schools; expanding slots for public schools of choice including charter schools; removing red tape and other barriers that stand in the way of local school districts; repositioning our vo-tech schools to promote job readiness and job linkages; and improving teacher preparation so professionals have the skills they need to excel when they enter the classroom.
“In these difficult economic times, it is critical that we invest in early childhood education and school districts that are the most challenged,” Genga said.
“We need to guarantee the success of our students. The governor’s plan to overhaul the teacher preparation program is critical to that success,” he said.
Information on the governor’s tenure reform package is attached.