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www.cabe.org
Vol. 26, No. 3
March, 2022
View from the Capitol
New Settlement in Sheff v. O’Neill
Patrice McCarthy
Deputy Director and General Counsel, CABE
Conrad Vahlsing
Staff Attorney, CABE
More winter fun!
March is Board of Education Member Appreciation Month! The month of March is Connecticut Board of Education Member Appreciation month. This is the perfect opportunity to say “thank you” to the hard-working and dedicated board members in your district. We encourage you to recognize the time and effort they devote to board business during the course of the year. Use #BoardAppreciationMonth and #THANKYOU when thanking your Board members on social media. Be sure to access the Connecticut Board of Education Member Appreciation toolkit facts about Connecticut’s Board of Education members and quotes you can use in recognizing Board members. You can also access customizable materials such as editorials, new releases, suggestions for saluting school board members, and
more in the Members Only section of the CABE website - https://www.cabe. org/page.cfm?p=1459. You may also purchase Thank You Hershey bars, “Out of the public schools grows the greatness of a nation” note pads, and Thank You tumblers (NEW!) at https:// www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=1281&pback=1239. On behalf of all of us at CABE, we thank Connecticut’s Board of Education members for the dedication they show not only to each child in their districts, but also to each child in Connecticut! You are making a difference!
On January 27, a new settlement was reached in Sheff v. O’Neill. The original case and the resultant desegregation requirements imposed upon the state have continued for more than 30 years. The new settlement has the potential to end litigation and court oversight of the matter. In Sheff, the Connecticut Supreme Court held (in 1996, with the initial lawsuit being filed in 1989) that the state has an affirmative obligation to remedy unequal access to, and segregation in, public education in Hartford even in the absence of intentional racial segregation. This new 2022 settlement must first be preliminarily approved by the Superior Court, then sent for approval to the General Assembly, before finally being resent to the Superior Court for a final approval. The Governor’s office issued a press release, also on January 27, stating that Governor Ned Lamont and Attorney General William Tong will indeed seek legislaSee SETTLEMENT page 6
Karen Dubois-Walton Appointed Chair of CT State BOE Patrice McCarthy
Deputy Director and General Counsel, CABE
Governor Ned Lamont announced that he is appointing Dr. Karen DuBois-Walton of New Haven to serve as chairperson of the Connecticut State Board of Education. Dr. DuBois-Walton has served as a member of the board since June 2020. In addition
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Lisa Steimer
Sr. Staff Associate for Professional Development and Communications, CABE
81 Wolcott Hill Road Wethersfield, CT 06109-1242
Connecticut Association of Boards of Education Inc.
The month of March will be filled with committee hearings and committee deadlines in this short legislative session. The Education Committee must act on bills by March 28, and the Appropriations Committee deadline is April 8. It is then a short sprint to the adjournment of the legislative session on May 4. The Governor’s mid-year budget adjustments include $90 million for school indoor air quality improvements, with a requirement for a 50 percent local match. The budget also provides $4.5 million to support increased summer enrichment programming, maintains the state commitment to progress towards implementation of the ECS formula, and $26 million to support implementation of the Sheff settlement agreement. The budget also includes resources to strengthen children’s behavioral health care. These funding issues will be discussed in both the Education and Appropriations Committees. It is likely that most hearings will continue to be held with at least a virtual component. The opportunity to provide testimony both orally and in writing is an important aspect of the process. Let your voice be heard!
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26 Tips to Help Board Chairs Become More Effective
to her service on the board, she is currently the president of the Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (HANH), where she is responsible for administrative, programmatic, and policy direction regarding public housing, housing choice voucher programs, finances, and planning and See DUBOIS-WALTON page 9
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What Do You Do If Your District is Hacked?
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Secretary Cardona’s Vision for American Education
Periodical Postage PAID Hartford, CT