Letter To The Editor: We Need More Teachers in Hartford

Press release from Marc and Nancy Halpert:

November 1 2020

We Need More Teachers in Hartford

Connecticut has a broken education system, and we need someone who has seen the system from the inside to be able to fix it. There are serious problems in Connecticut surrounding the widening achievement gap between low- and high-income families.

Carla Volpe, the Democratic candidate for Fairfield and Trumbull’s 134th district, is a teacher in Connecticut, and she’s seen firsthand the problems plaguing the system. We need teachers in Hartford to solve this crisis, and she’s the teacher for the job.

The education crisis in Connecticut is deepening. In a 2018 lawsuit, parents, teachers, and school boards alleged that state lawmakers have a responsibility to not only fix the problem, but also to guarantee equal learning for all students regardless of socioeconomic status. Connecticut has one of the worst achievement gaps in the country, with lower-income school districts in Bridgeport and Hartford having only a quarter of the students reading at grade level, with half of the students significantly behind. This is an issue that is not to be taken lightly. It involves the future of the state and the country.

We need more teachers in Hartford crafting education policy because the politicians of the past so clearly failed us. If we are going to be able to guarantee equality in the education system in this state regardless of socioeconomic status, we need someone to fight based on what works, instead of what looks good on a campaign flyer. We need someone who will be able to use their background in education in order to fix the issues in our flawed system.

Carla Volpe is that person and we know that she will fight for what is right, and she will fight for equality in education.

Marc and Nancy Halpert
Fairfield, CT

This press release was produced by Marc and Nancy Halpert. The views expressed here are the author’s own.