{news} Press on Parent Conference

[Jean de Smet]

The Norwich Bulletin reporter, Ray Hackett, neglected to mention our
presence at all.  Perhaps he's saving it for a large article?  Ha, ha.

 

Jean

 

-----Original Message-----
From: ctgp-news-bounces at ml.greens.org
[mailto:ctgp-news-bounces at ml.greens.org] On Behalf Of Green Party-CT
Sent: Sunday, October 01, 2006 12:08 PM
To: NG GREENS; VOTETHORNTONyahoo; CentralGP; ElectionsCTGP;
newhavengreens at yahoogroups.com; ctgp-news at ml.greens.org
Subject: {news} Thornton For Governor-Middletown Press " Parents
HearConcerns Debated"

 


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. 



 

 
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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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