Morris praises Malloy proposal for reforming education system

State Rep. Bruce Morris (D-Norwalk) on Wednesday gave an A-plus to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposal for reforming education in Connecticut from early childhood through college and giving an additional $50 million in Educational Cost Sharing (ECS) funding to schools.

Under Malloy's proposal, Norwalk would receive an additional $577,476, or 5.72 percent, in ECS funding, increasing Norwalk's total education grant to $10,672,607 for 2012-13.

"That's really good news," Morris said. "The additional money for Norwalk is certainly welcomed and needed at this time."

"While the total funding proposed for Norwalk is not sufficient to meet all our needs, it is certainly appreciated and my hope is that Norwalk's leaders can match the state's 5.72 percent increase," Morris said.

In his State of the State address Wednesday at the State Capitol, Malloy outlined his vision for Connecticut that maintains recent efforts to stabilize the state's finances and continues to pursue the job creation policies that have begun to spur economic growth. Malloy also announced the final part of his education reform agenda -- an overhaul of the state's tenure system so that it rewards quality teachers, not just those who have been in the profession the longest.

Malloy's proposal addresses many areas in need of reform, including: increasing the access to and quality of early childhood education slots; allocating new funding and implementing new approaches that will improve low performing schools; expanding slots for public schools of choice including charter schools; removing red tape and other barriers that stand in the way of local school districts; repositioning our vo-tech schools to promote job readiness and job linkages; and improving teacher preparation so professionals have the skills they need to excel when they enter the classroom.

"In these difficult economic times, it is critical that we invest in early childhood education and school districts that are the most challenged," Morris said.

"We need to guarantee the success of our students. The governor's plan to overhaul the teacher preparation program is critical to that success," he said.

"The issue of teacher tenure also must be resolved. In his proposal, the governor provides a delicate balance to addressing teacher tenure reform while respecting the many good things teachers do in the classroom. The issue is not about bashing teachers but rewarding great teaching and supporting those who need help and fail to meet standards," Morris said.