Legislators Call For Settlement In School Funding Lawsuit

Bridgeport legislators are calling on Governor-elect Dan Malloy to negotiate a settlement in an education lawsuit that challenges the way the state funds public schools. 

The Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding,  a group of municipalities, parents and teachers, sued the state in 2005. They say that under Connecticut’s constitution, the state must provide children with an equitable and adequate education. They say that means students have a right to a certain level of education.

Earlier this year, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in their favor and sent the case to trial in a lower court. But State Representative Chris Caruso says the lawsuit won’t be heard until 2014, and the legal wrangling could take years. "We have already lost generations of kids in our public school systems that have come out to continue the cycle of poverty, so there’s a great need to turn this around now. That’s why we call on Governor-elect Malloy to immediately sit down and begin the negotiations"

He says Bridgeport is especially hard hit by disparities in education funding. "Let me give you an example.  There’s one guidance counselor for 900 students. Lack of appropriate books for the students. Lack of even paper to write their assignments on. In some cases the school buildings are over 100 years old. And the list goes on and on."

And Caruso has a reason to be hopeful that the Governor-elect will listen to his concerns.  When Dan Malloy was the mayor of Stamford, he helped to create CCJEF, and the city is a plaintiff in the case.

For WNPR, I'm Diane Orson.