Congressman Jim Himes Participates In Education Forum

With $6 billion being distributed nationwide through federally funded Race to the Top education grants, Ridgefielders at a forum on education Wednesday with Rep. Jim Himes wanted to know why Connecticut didn't receive any money.

Himes, D-CT4,  described the grants -- which were part of President Obama's economic stimulus bill -- as, "The single largest investment that Washington has ever made in public education," but "enormously controversial."

In an effort to get in on the second phase of the grant distributions, which amounted to $1.35 billion of the original $6 billion, the state's General Assembly passed three pieces of legislation that Himes said were positive steps forward regarding data collection methodology and more accountability for schools.

But summarizing the outcome, Himes said Connecticut did not receive any grant money because the state didn't deserve it.

"Many other states were in front of us in terms of progressive and visionary thinking around how to reform troubled schools in particular," he said. But, "I think you can make an argument that we did take a step forward (through legislation); (and) the good news is, it did affect statutory and other changes around the United States."

Though opinions in Congress were divided, Himes said he was a supporter, believing that, "when you are approaching a depression, you stimulate. When you see signs of recovery, you pull back a little bit and be careful, particularly given the fiscal challenges that we have."

The forum, which was part of Himes current "17 Towns in 17 Days" tour, was moderated by former Board of Education member Kathie McGerald at the Ridgefield Community Center.

Included in the audience of about 40 town officials were First Selectman Rudy Marconi,  schools superintendent Deb Low, principals, and members of school boards and the PTA.

Low noted Ridgefield gets almost no federal funding from Title I, which is aimed at supporting disadvantaged families. She also said she was not a big fan of "Race to the Top" funding, and said that often, "non-educators try to prescribe narrow quick fixes, and I think there was a little bit of that in Race to the Top."

Himes said the country needs to "look at what really works," while admitting it's still unknown how to identify best practices in schools, accomplish education reform, or fund innovative programs.

Other questions to Himes regarded state mandates, including a stipulation in the nation's health care bill that caps flexible spending accounts at $2,500, forcing families to turn to the school district to pay for services for students that exceed that amount.

Board of Education member Lyn Merrill asked about two other state mandates she thought needed to be changed.

The first was the starting age for school, which, Merrill said, results in Connecticut having the latest school starting age in the nation, January 1. All other states, she said, have moved to July 1, August 1, August 15 or September 1.

Merrill said it's difficult to compare test scores in an environment that allows four-year-olds into kindergarten, which mostly affects schools in lower income areas where parents cannot afford to hold their child back for an extra year.

"Connecticut is stuck," she said. "Test scores will continually have that handicap."

The other mandate Merrill pointed to makes Connecticut the only state besides New Jersey  to have a "bizarre burden of proof placed on the (school) districts" for special education lawsuits. Everywhere else, she said, the burden of proof is placed on the plaintiff, saving school districts millions of dollars in legal fees and lost time for teachers who have to participate in preparing briefs, pulling  them out of classrooms.

Merrill provided data of special education costs spent on lawsuits in certain towns, and said there is a "hostile reaction from the (legislature's) education committee" regarding this issue. "Every district in the state feels this way."

Himes seemed unaware of the effect of these mandates and said he would discuss them with his constituents.