Yankee News
A Scalpel, Not a Sledge Hammer: Studies Show Statewide, Forced Consolidation Bad for Students, Budgets
How can the state reduce education spending (save money on education) while continuing to support high – and improving – educational achievement? The answer likely includes some specific instances of gradual school consolidation and school-service centralization. A long train of experiences in other states, studied again and again by a ...
Democrats Push Back Against Janus; Move to Make Union Membership Cards State Law
Two House Democrats filed a bill to make restrictions in union membership cards state law, potentially opening Connecticut to a legal challenge based on the Supreme Court’s Janus v. AFSCME decision. Proposed Bill 6936 was filed by representatives Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, and Michael D’Agostino, D-Hamden, and is referred to ...
Looney Proposes Forced School Consolidation, Rattling Towns and Some Fellow Democrats
**Update: Senate Democrats have confirmed the figure of 40,000 students was a mistake in the bill. Instead, the regionalization effort would apply to towns with less than 40,000 total population. The article below is amended to reflect that change** Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, proposed a bill which would ...
Fire Fighters Union Borrowed from Charity Fund; Spent Dues on Travel, Beauty Pageant
Officials in the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut used dues money to fund the Miss Connecticut Scholarship Organization, pay for trips for UPFFA President Peter Carozza and his fiancé, and borrowed money from its own charity to pay the union credit card, according to witness testimony given in ...