News & Press | School + State Finance Project

Op-Ed: An unprecedented opportunity for CT schoolchildren

Written by State Reps. Jeff Currey and Kathleen McCarty | May 9, 2023 1:27:00 AM

Each day, nearly 70,000 teachers, paraprofessionals and staff walk through the doors of our state’s public schools to educate, support and inspire Connecticut’s nearly 514,000 students. Their work every day is truly life-changing and should be celebrated and recognized.

Recently, our state’s educators and public schools have faced unprecedented challenges ­— from the disruption of the pandemic to staff shortages to record-high student needs — and they have risen to meet each challenge head on and help Connecticut’s children grow and succeed.

And while they are often superheroes for our students and families, our educators are only human and they can only do so much without the proper funding and resources. In order for our educators to have what they need in their classrooms and for our students and public schools to be successful, urgent action must be taken to increase state K-12 education funding and create a more equitable, student-centered school finance system.