Chaleski will ‘keep fighting’ for Danbury charter school

By Scott Benjamin

DANBURY – State Rep. Rachel Chaleski says that “Connecticut is one of the toughest states to start a charter school.”

In an interview with Patch.com, Chaleski (R-138) of Danbury underscored that “the conversation on charter schools outside Connecticut is very different.”

Jessika Harkey of CT Mirror has reported that :no charter school has opened since 2015 after legislation changed the way the schools are approved – adding a larger role for legislators.”

However, every major city in the state has a charter school, except Danbury – Connecticut’s seventh largest city. Some observers might consider the conversation in Danbury as being divisive.

The state approved a charter school five years ago for the city’s downtown, but it remains unfunded.

Julia Perkins of The News-Times of Danbury reported in October 2022 that the proposed “charter school . . . would eventually serve 770 sixth through 12th grade students. The school would initially open to 110 sixth graders and then add a sixth grade class each year.”

Danbury Mayor Dean Esposito told Julia Perkins of The News-Times in 2021 that his support for the charter school was “a huge factor” in his narrow victory over Democratic challenger Roberto Alves.

However, prominent Democrats in Danbury remain opposed to state funding for the charter school.

Alves, a former Danbury City Council member who is again the Democratic mayoral nominee this year, recently told Patch.com that, “He’s [Esposito] done a great job of advocating for that school. He is wasting his time.”

State Rep. Bob Godfrey (D-110) of Danbury said that he will remain opposed to providing the proposed $12 million in funding and he believes the other Democrats in the Danbury legislative delegation will do the same.

State Rep. Fraley Santos (D-109) of Danbury has told CT Mirror that while canvassing his district last year not one voter told him they wanted to establish a charter school in the Hat City.

Jessika Harkey of CT Mirror reported that near the end of this spring’s regular session of the General Assembly, Chaleski submitted a surprise amendment to provide state funding for the school, since it had not been included in the proposed budget from the Appropriations Committee, which she serves on. It failed 33-20.

Godfrey said in a phone interview with Patch.com that none of the Democrats from the Danbury delegation lobbied Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Greenwich) and the prime budget negotiators to exclude the charter school from the package that was completed shortly before the regular session concluded in June and then signed into law for the fiscal year that started on July 1.

Republican former Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said during a 2013 talk at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) in Danbury that he had visited two charter schools, both of which were getting “amazing results.”

He said that the schools had a longer academic day, classes were sometimes held on Saturday and the principal not only taught a class but maintained a classroom.

Chaleski remarked that, “It is a totally different atmosphere.”

Godfrey declared, “I don’t like it when something is not accountable to elected officials.”

“If the whole Danbury Board of Education was going to have oversight of the charter school, then we could start to have a discussion,” he explained. “The current proposed oversight isn’t enough.”

Esposito recently told Patch.com that there would be adequate oversight.

Chaleski agreed. “It is the state’s goal to hold them to a heightened accountability [in return] for more autonomy,” she commented. “They are constantly under review by the state Board of Education.”

She added that there would be a local board overseeing the school, which would have a seat reserved for a member of the Danbury Board of Education.

Some observers might question why the Democrats in the Danbury legislative delegation are opposed to the proposed charter school when Henry Abbott Tech in Danbury has been in operation for generations, is state-funded and doesn’t report directly to the Danbury Board of Education.

Godfrey declared that the proposed charter school “is a waste of taxpayers dollars and an attack against the teachers’ union.”

Chaleski countered, “I would argue that our students and families who have been advocating for this educational option for several years are worth the investment. Danbury is an economic engine for the state of Connecticut, pouring tax dollars into the state budget and into the charter school budget line, but getting nothing from that line item in return.”

"Danbury is the only large city in the state without a charter school.” she commented. “How is that fair or equitable? Danbury taxpayers pay for charters in Bridgeport, Hartford, Manchester, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Norwich, Stamford, Waterbury, and Winsted,. Those 11,000 students (of which, 94% are students of color and 62% are students from low-income households) are at charter schools and the thousands on waiting lists are a worthy investment. Teachers at a charter school can unionize if they wish.”

Boughton said during his 2013 talk at WCSU that he had taught social studies at Danbury High School for 14 years and was still a member of the Connecticut Education Association (CEA), the teachers union. “However,” he said, “whenever anybody tries to break the mold, the CEA has to step in and say, ‘We can’t have this,’ ”

Esposito recently told Patch.com that he will continue to seek the funding for the charter school during next year’s session of the General Assembly.

If Chaleski didn’t get it accomplished in 2023, how will she get it done in 2024?

“[I will] keep working with my colleagues and working with leadership on both side of the aisle,” she said.

Chaleski said she is pleased that Danbury voters approved $164 million last yar for the Career Academy at the former site of Cartus, a relocation company. It is scheduled to open in roughly two years and will educate a combined 1,400 high school and middle school students.

Esposito has said that 90 local businesses will be affiliated with the school.

Danbury Board of Education member Michelle Coelho, a Republican, said in a phone interview with Patch.com, that the city “ is growing in leaps and bounds in enrollment, where most other places in Connecticut have declining enrollments. We need more space for the students."

Remarked Chaleski, “Danbury has not received its fair share of the education funding [from the state government] for decades.”

However, Godfrey told Patch.com in June that the local legislative delegation annexed an additional $10 million in the current budget cycle for the Danbury public schools when compared to the previous budget cycle. He said the municipal officials have not approved enough money in the schools over the recent years.

Ballotpedia has reported that Chaleski captured the legislative seat last November by 26 votes over two-term Democrat Ken Gucker of Danbury. The district includes parts of Danbury, Ridgefield and New Fairfield.

Since being created in its present form in 1992, the Republicans have held the seat for about 26 of the last 31 years.

The seat has been held by Boughton, who later served as mayor for 19 years. Republicans Mark Nielsen and David Cappiello of Danbury both served in the district before ascending to the state Senate and being nominated for a U.S. House seat. Danbury Town Clerk Jan Giegler, a Republican, held the seat for 14 years.

Coelho said she admired the work ethic that Chaleski demonstrated while chairing the Danbury Board of Education.

“Rachel attended every committee meeting. She took minutes,” she recalled.

On another topic, CT News Junkie opinion writer Barth Keck, who teaches English at Haddam-Killingworth High School, recently stated that a survey by the Connecticut Education Association indicated that “74 percent” of the state’s teachers are “more likely to leave the profession early. . . Almost all teachers surveyed (98 percent) named ‘stress and burnout’ as their most pressing issue.’ “

Said Chaleski, who serves on the Education Committee, “I think that is an issue everywhere, not just a Connecticut issue.”

Chaleski said that during the recent session of the General Assembly there was discussion regarding increasing salaries. In 1986, the state approved the landmark Education Enhancement Act, which boosted salaries and increased education standards.

She also said there has been talk of trying to attract more adjunct college instructors into the public high schools. Connecticut has had an Alternate Route to Teacher Certification program since 1988 in which candidates with bachelor’s degrees can get a provisional teacher certification after 10 weeks of instruction.

In 2010 Democratic former President Barack Obama endorsed a 197-day academic year, saying that the United States is about a month behind the other developed countries in its hours of academic instruction.

Chaleski said the General Assembly discussed but did not take action during the 2023 session steps to increase instructional time, such as requiring fewer fire drills.

She said that she is pleased that Danbury High School and other high schools in recent years have adopted the block scheduling format in which there are longer periods of instruction and the classes met on alternating days

Among other things, it has reduced the amount of time in the hallway between class periods and it has benefitted the schools in delivering science labs, which often require more than an hour to complete, and in physical education where there had been scant time for instruction in the previous format because of the time needed to change into uniforms at the beginning and the end of the period.

On a separate issue, Chaleski said that she supported the “addition” of financial literacy to the public high school curriculum that was approved this spring.

She noted that, “Danbury High School already includes this as a graduation requirement, as do many other districts across Connecticut. This requirement provides foundational information that many of our students do not come to school with. If they have some financial literacy knowledge already, reinforcement of that information is always welcome.”

Chaleski added that she supports “the flexibility” from the course may be placed within the Humanities requirement.”

One recent study indicated that only one out of every six high school students nationally received instruction in personal finance.

Keck of CT News Junkie has endorsed making media literacy a required course, since, among other things, there is considerable misinformation on the Internet.

Said Chaleski, “A 2017 bill passed by the General Assembly did launch a study about media literacy, which resulted in a report a few years later with an action plan. Since that time, there have been rapid advances in AI [artificial intelligence] and how it’s being used. The report of the working group didn’t specify curriculum that could be implemented. The General Assembly shouldn’t mandate a new graduation requirement, without providing some framework from the Department of Education as a starting point for school districts.”

On a separate subject, Chaleski remarked that she is “excited” that the General Assembly approved and Lamont signed a $51.1 billion two-year budget that included a reduction in the middle class income tax rate from five down to 4.5 percent and the lower income tax rate from three down to two percent.

However, she noted that the Republican House caucus had sought even more tax relief.

Chaleski said that the state’s economy has improved but, “I wouldn’t say that I am as optimistic as the governor,” since, among other things, the federal stimulus from the pandemic is about to disappear.

The 2018 study from the state Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Competitiveness indicated that Connecticut's economy had contracted eight percent between 2007 and 2016. In 2017 the General Assembly and Democratic former Gov. Dannel Malloy (DS-Essex) approved fiscal guardrails that included a spending cap and a volatility cap.

Chaleski said the lack of affordable housing also apparently stymies economic growth. The General Assembly established a working group of legislators, municipal, housing and planning officials during the most recent session. That working group recently held its first meeting.

She remarked, “Various publications have come out recently with articles about wages a Connecticut resident would have to earn in order to afford a home. I have heard from various sectors across the state that connect a lack of housing to staff shortages. We should have regulations that allow professionals such as teachers, firefighters and police officers, to be able to live in the municipalities in which they serve. However, a one-size-fits-all approach hasn’t worked to attract sufficient affordable housing and the General Assembly should examine that.”

Chaleski added, “I am proud that Danbury has met and exceeded the state's housing requirements and it is a continued goal to meet demands. The City of Danbury’s 10- year Plan of Conservation and Development has a focus on transit-orient development. This type of housing would allow people to commute via HART [Housatonic Area Regional Transit] or Metro North to their jobs, without the need for a car, which is an additional expense.”.

Which elected officials does Chaleski most admire?

Chaleski said the municipal officials top her list because they “have the most direct impact on our daily lives”

She elaborated, “Mayor Esposito is certainly one of them, as I believe he only wants to do what is right for Danbury and without any other political motivation or ambitions.”

Chaleski also named former candidates Themis Klarides of Madison, the former state House GOP leader who sought the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in 2022; former state Sen. George Logan of Meriden, who was the Republican nominee in the Fifth Congressional District last year; and former state Rep. Harry Arora of Greenwich, the 2022 GOP candidate for state treasurer.”

Chaleski said she hopes that each of them runs again for elected office.

She also cited the current and former members of the state House Republican caucus.

Chaleski, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Concordia in New York state, said her college education has benefitted her as an elected official since she developed “grit and determination” and a “renewed compassion for others.”

During her first seven months as a member of the General Assembly, she said that she has learned that “bills evolve. It is a never-ending negotiation process. Some don’t look anything like they did in the beginning.”

Chaleski added that she has been, “Pleasantly surprised” with the earnest group of people serving in the General Assembly,

“You get outliers, of course, but for the most part they are good people who are willing to work collaboratively,” she explained.. "They are willing to listen and make compromises.”

Resources:

Interview with Rachel Chaleski, Patch.com, on Thursday, August 3, 2023.

E-mail interview with Rachel Chaleski, Patch.com, on Monday, August 7, 2023.

E-mail interview with Rachel Chaleski, Patch.com, on Thursday, August 10, 2023.

Phone interview with Bob Godfrey, Patch.com, on Wednesday, August 9, 2023.

Phone interview with Michelle Coelho, Patch.com, on Wednesday, August 9, 2023.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-rising-demand-for-school-choice-arizona-florida-implementation-esa-1c47ce5f

https://patch.com/connecticut/brookfield/godfrey-predicts-democrats-will-try-do-add-education

https://ctmirror.org/2023/04/2...

https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2023/05/29/op-ed-why-have-legislators-ignored-media-literacy/

https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2022/12/12/op-ed-the-teacher-shortage-is-very-real-and-very-troubling/

https://www.newstimes.com/loca...

https://patch.com/connecticut/brookfield/santos-hopeful-federal-will-help-improve-danbury-roads

https://ctmirror.org/2023/05/0...

https://ctmirror.org/2023/04/2...

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/obama-presses-for-longer-school-years/

Mark Boughton talk at Western Connecticut State University, February 19, 2013.

Rachel Chaleski - Ballotpedia

Schools need more $$$, buildings | Brookfield, CT Patch

State tax overhaul key to plan to revitalize CT (ctmirror.org)