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“More than 10,000 of the children attending one of the struggling schools throughout the state live in Bridgeport – that’s a quarter of the students statewide,” said Claudia Phillips, a parent from Bridgeport. “We need our legislators to act. Don’t stand in the way.”
Senate Bill 1096 would impose a two-year moratorium on approving any new charter schools in the state. Such a ban would deny thousands of children the opportunity to receive the world-class education they deserve, said the Coalition For Every Child, which helped to organize the rally Thursday at the charter school.
“Deserving children and their parents are under attack by those that would deny them the opportunity to attend a quality public school,” said Bruce Ravage, executive director of Park City Prep. “Denying children to right to any public school opportunity is unethical and unacceptable to anyone who cares about the plight of under-represented and under-served families.”
There already are more than 3,600 students on wait lists for charter schools in the state, and 40,000 students statewide who currently attend schools where the majority of students don’t read, write or do math on their grade level, and are in need of excellent schools, the coalition said.
Nearly 19 percent of the struggling schools in the state are in Bridgeport and 10,758 children in the city attend underperforming schools, the group said.
“The number of Bridgeport students stuck in struggling schools is an epidemic,” said Viviana Mora, another parent from Bridgeport. “Bridgeport kids need more opportunity, not less. Legislators need to vote 'No' on SB1096.”
SB 1096 would shut out new students, curtail charter growth and effectively rob parents of their ability to send their child to the high-performing school of their choice, the coalition said.
“Most kids in Bridgeport are in schools that will never meet their needs,” said Kara Neidhardt, state director for Families for Excellent Schools. “If a moratorium passes, we are literally closing the door on their hopes for a better future.”
The Coalition For Every Child is a movement of parents, students, educators, community members, faith leaders, advocates and organizations dedicated to ensuring that every Connecticut student has a quality education. For more information, visit www.foreverychild.org.
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