{news} Thornton For Governor-Middletown Press " Parents Hear Concerns Debated"

[Green Party-CT]

      10/01/2006    Parents hear concerns debated     By Joseph Wenzel IV , Herald Press Staff 
        MIDDLETOWN - Candidates got the chance Saturday to weigh in the issues that consider the group with the smallest voice: the children. 
Connecticut Parent Power hosted a forum where gubernatorial candidates discussed issues that affect children and families at Middlesex Community College in front of parents from all over Connecticut. 
Democratic candidate John DeStefano, the Republican's lieutenant governor candidate Michael Fedele, and Jean de Smet, representing the Green Party candidate, Cliff Thornton, argued over the issues of health care, Education Cost Sharing Formula and quality early childhood care. 
Connecticut Parent Power is network of parents impacting state policy to put children first. 
Education Cost Sharing, the formula by which the state allocates money to school district, was one of the focuses of the session with candidates being asked how they would handle changes to how state funding works. 
According to a handout from Connecticut Parent Power, on average Education Cost Sharing only covers 39 percent of local school budgets, compared to a national average of state funds covering 50 percent of local school budgets. 
The biggest part of any municipal budget is funding for schools, DeStefano said. If elected in November, DeStefano said he wanted to move away from having property taxes pay for the bulk of the school budget, and establish a millionaire's tax to help fill the funding gap. 
Fedele discussed how Education Cost Sharing Formula is for quality funding to go all around. But, the state has not done a proper job with Education Cost Sharing Formula lately. He said the more the state tinkered with the formula, the further the formula gets from making progress. 
"The state faces challenges," Fedele said, adding that the Education Cost Sharing Formula was one of them.
De Smet also said the state's method of funding education needs to changed to alleviate the property tax burden.
The second question posed to DeStefano was reducing the burden of health care on families. DeStefano said 400,000 people, with 75,000 children, in the state are without health insurance. He proposed universal health care for everyone in the state. 
DeStefano said there are currently $620 million in corporate tax credits exemptions and loopholes. He said he would reform the corporate tax system to close $350 million. DeStefano wanted programs promoting weight control, dieting and exercise. 
Fedele said everyone should have access to health care. He said the state was making investments in community health centers in some of the major cities like New Britain, New Haven and Hartford. He said that the governor plans to work with the HUSKY program, so more children can get health care. 
De Smet said the Green Party was in favor of universal health care, adding that the current system had to be changed.
The final question asked to the candidates was their position on early childhood education. 
DeStefano said he wanted a state program that would allow every 3-year-old or 4-year-old to attend preschool. He said this should be the one of the state's focuses.
"I don't want to be known as a basketball state. I want to be known as a state that sends every kid to kindergarten," DeStefano said. He added this year, there was a surplus of a billion dollars.
"Kids who don't start out learning, will stay behind," DeStefano said. 
Fedele said Rell has made early childhood education a priority, pointing to the $21 million she has invested into programs. 
"Gov. Jodi Rell made our state a model for preschool education," Fedele said. 

                
 
        ');  }  // -->                     ');   }   //-->           To contact Joseph Wenzel IV, call him at (860) 347-3331 ext. 222 or by e-mail at jwenzel at middletownpress.com.
  

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