Open Letter to Dr. Cardona, our national conference, and Governor on regionalization + immunization

This weekly segment by Democrats for Education Reform CT looks at the top education stories Democrats are watching, providing bite-sized analysis and links to recent articles. On the roster this week: our open letter to Commissioner Cardona, updates on our national conference, the Governor making headlines on regionalization and immunizations, and ongoing education mentions on the presidential trail.

Open Letter to Commissioner Cardona

Today, Amy released an open letter to the new Commissioner of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona, calling on the state, and the department under his leadership, to address persistent public education inequities. The letter emphasizes the need for solutions in the form of resource equity, shared services that direct more education dollars to the classroom, and greater diversity in the educator workforce. Read it here.

• Open letter to Commissioner Cardona (Amy Dowell, DFER CT)

• Press Statement about open letter (DFER CT)

Philos 2019: National Gathering of Education Leaders

We’re just two weeks away from Philos, an annual convening that engages policymakers, education advocates, and thought leaders in discussions about how to improve American public education--hosted by our 501(c)(3) affiliate, Education Reform Now. The event, held in Washington, D.C. this year, will feature Former US Attorney General The Honorable Eric Holder and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo. Previously, Philos has also included prominent national leaders, such as former Secretaries of Education Arne Duncan and John King, former CT Governor Dannel P. Malloy, CO Governor Jared Polis, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, US Senators Chris Murphy, Michael Bennett, Chris Koons and Maggie Hassan, and more. For more information, please contact Amy: amy@dfer.org

• Recap of Philos 2018 in Boulder, CO (VIDEO)

ICYMI Over the Weekend: Lamont on Regionalization and School Immunizations

Last week, at an education forum, Governor Lamont signaled a shift away from state-led regionalization efforts in 2020--indicating that local communities should take the lead on efforts to share back-office expenses. But over the holiday weekend, Hugh Bailey, editorial page editor of the CT Post and New Haven Register, explained why the Governor must take the lead if regionalization is ever to be accomplished in CT.

• Governor Lamont signals shift away from state-led regionalization efforts (CT Post)

• Editorial: Why Governor must lead on regionalization efforts in CT (New Haven Register)

Also last week, the CT Commissioner of Public Health announced an intention not to release updated school-level immunization data. But Governor Lamont overruled her decision, in favor of transparency. Over the weekend, the Hartford Courant editorialized on the need for the legislature to engage in a conversation about the growing rate of religious exemptions to school immunization requirements, and whether these exemptions should be repealed.

• Governor Lamont overrules public health commissioner (CTNewsJunkie)

• Editorial: Legislature must engage in conversation about religious exemptions (Hartford Courant)

Education Mentions On the Presidential Trail This Week

• Kamala Harris’ plan to increase funding for the Department of Education's vocational rehabilitation system--which gives grants to states to help people with disabilities prepare for, secure, and retain employment (CNN)

• Joe Biden's idea to reduce college loan repayment to 5% of disposable income for financially struggling students (Forbes)