“The Connecticut General Assembly tonight took an important step toward establishing and implementing stronger frameworks for charter school transparency, accountability and student outcomes. By passing Senate Bill 1096, An Act Concerning Charter Schools, state lawmakers responded to parents and educators who expect more oversight of schools operated by charter management organizations (CMOs) with public dollars.
“Once signed into law, the bill rightly empowers the General Assembly with final consent in the charter approval process, specifically with regards to funding new schools run by CMOs. This will significantly strengthen the legislature’s proper role of budgetary responsibility, particularly when it comes to making choices about how to most effectively allocate educational resources.
“There is still more work to be done to address additional issues with charters raised by our member educators, parents, and elected officials. But passage of this legislation signals the potential for a new era in which all schools in Connecticut abide by the same set of rules. And it marks a real opportunity for CMOs and their backers to restore the public trust they have lost in the wake of the Jumoke/FUSE scandal.”
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AFT Connecticut represents approximately 30,000 professionals across the state, including PreK-12 teachers, paraeducators and education support personnel in 29 local and regional school districts. Follow the union on Twitter at @AFTCT and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aftct.
