On March 7, 2021, the Republican-American published a letter to the editor from ConnCAN Parent Fellow LaToya Ireland regarding education funding and Senate Bill 948 An Act Addressing Education Funding And Racial Equity In Connecticut.

In the 2021 legislative session, Connecticut policymakers must address disparities in education funding. Too many generations of Waterbury students, many of whom are Black and brown, have suffered as a result of this specific form of systemic racism.

Our students deserve to be educated based on what they need in order to be successful in and outside of the classroom. Black and brown families, and families living in poverty who endured chronic underfunding of our schools, now bear a disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The past year has shown us that Connecticut’s way of funding public education is broken.

Students and teachers were asked to adjust to remote learning, using technologies and resources they didn’t have. How can we expect our children to succeed and reach their fullest potential when a racial funding gap deprives them of the resources to get there?

Districts with majority Black and brown student populations spend $2,300 less per student than districts that have majority-white student populations. The result is a $639 million funding gap. That is wrong.

Students and families in Waterbury and all over Connecticut deserve a better system. Change can begin by passing Senate Bill 948 – An Act Addressing Education Funding And Racial Equity In Connecticut.

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