See How Connecticut Ranked in the Best and Worst Community College Systems

Connecticut has once again earned a leading spot in a state-by-state list of the best and worst community college systems, according to an August report by the website WalletHub, which ranked the state third in the nation.

The website placed Connecticut behind only Maryland and New Mexico, marking the third consecutive year the state has placed in the top three community college systems nationally.

WalletHub financial writer Adam McCann noted that five of Connecticut’s schools were among the top 55 community colleges in the country and highlighted the state’s efforts to provide free community college to many residents.

The website ranked Enfield’s CT State Community College Asnuntuck as the top community college in the state.

“It offers services to help graduates find jobs, receives a lot of funding from state taxes, and offers sizable grants and scholarships,” McCann wrote of Asnuntuck.

In a press release, CT State President John Maduko said the ranking reflected CT State’s commitment to delivering high quality and affordable education that prioritizes positioning students for successful careers.

“As families across the state grapple with rising costs, our community college offers a valuable alternative, enabling students to achieve their academic goals without sacrificing quality or future opportunities,” Maduko said. “We remain dedicated to supporting our students and their aspirations, helping them maximize their educational investment.”

The WalletHub report looked at 653 institutions and considered 18 metrics including career outcomes, education outcomes, and costs.

Posted by Hugh McQuaid

New Law Protects Connecticut Students By Holding Drivers Responsible

A new Connecticut law was helping to protect children on school buses as they returned to classrooms this back-to-school season by allowing cities and towns to fine drivers up to $250 for illegally passing stopped school buses.

This law was introduced by Sen. Herron Keyon Gaston, D-Bridgeport, during the 2024 legislative session and was signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont. It followed a report from the city of Bridgeport that found 10,000 drivers passed a school bus illegally over a six-month period.

“I want to do all that I can to make sure our kids are safe,” said Gaston, Senate chair of the legislature’s Public Safety Committee. “We cannot afford to lose our precious young ones. We need to increase safety personnel in areas where there is high traffic flow, and in areas where school buses most frequent. We must continue to explore best practices around increasing public safety and make the necessary investments to protect young people throughout the state of Connecticut.”
The revenue collected by the fines will go back to the towns and cities to increase education measures and public safety.
For many children, the school bus is their primary mode of transportation. From getting onto the bus at the bus stop to getting off the bus after school. Following safety guidelines can help ensure that every ride is safe.

Last week, AAA warned drivers to be focused and patient as school buses return to the roads during the morning and afternoon commute. Back-to-school transportation affects not only school districts, students and parents, but also other drivers on the roads.

According to Connecticut law, drivers are required to stop their vehicles at least 10 feet away from a school bus that has its flashing red lights activated, unless otherwise directed by an officer. Drivers must remain stopped until the lights stop flashing and the stop-arm is retracted.

Posted by Michelle Rappaport

National Television Show Highlights Connecticut Republican for Blocking Hospice Study

Connecticut received some brief national attention last month when Emmy award-winning television host John Oliver lampooned a Republican state senator’s efforts to obstruct a study of prohibiting private equity firms from owning hospice facilities.

The state legislature got a mention late in a half-hour segment on hospice fraud during an Aug. 18 episode of Oliver’s HBO show “Last Week Tonight.”

After detailing examples of scams designed to wrongfully enroll patients to hospice programs for profit, the host referenced a 2023 bill by state Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, who proposed to study banning private equity ownership of hospice care.

“So what can we do?” Oliver said of hospice-related fraud. “Some states are trying to fix things, though those plans can often run into opposition. In Connecticut, a bill that would have merely required a study about banning private equity ownership of hospices stalled out last year after opposition from Republicans like this man.”

The show then cut to CT-N footage of state Sen. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, speaking on the floor of the Connecticut Senate.

“The suggestion that somehow the profit motive is somehow adversely impacts the quality of a business is a very dangerous thing to do in America,” Sampson said in the clip. “If people didn’t invent things, if people didn’t come up with new cures, then they would not exist. And if you don’t have a reason to create those things then you won’t.”

In the video, Sampson paused as his eyes darted around the Senate chamber. Oliver’s live audience could be heard laughing.

“This is America,” Sampson continued, waving his finger. “This is a free-market country. This is a capitalist country, this is not a socialist country and it will not be if I can help it.”

The clip ended there as the television host shifted to discussion of another one of Sampson’s positions — his 2023 opposition to a bipartisan resolution absolving the victims of the 17th-century witch trials in colonial Connecticut.

“Right,” Oliver said. “He voted ‘no’ because he believes in the ideals of America, which is also why — and this is true — last year, he was the lone ‘no’ vote in the state Senate, on a resolution exonerating the victims of the 17th-century Connecticut witch trials, partly because — and I quote — he did want to ‘paint America as a bad place with a bad history.’”

Again, the show’s studio audience could be heard laughing.

“I don’t know what’s weirder,” Oliver continued, “the fact that he did that or the fact that Connecticut didn’t bother to exonerate victims of witch trials until last year.”

Connecticut’s 2023 resolution on the colonial witch trials closely followed its neighbor, Massachusetts, which exonerated the last victim of the Salem Witch Trials in 2022.

Sampson responded to the segment through a social media post directed at “Last Week Tonight’s” 2.9 million-follower X account, where the state senator invited Oliver to host him on his national television show for a “debate on the merits of capitalism.”

A video of Oliver’s segment on hospice fraud featuring Sampson had more than 2.1 million views on Youtube as of Friday.

Posted by Hugh McQuaid

Financing Agreements Spur New Housing in Five Connecticut Communities

State housing agencies have recently signed financing agreements to create a total of 758 housing units across Connecticut, with more than half of them – 396 – being affordable for low- and moderate-income renters, the Department of Housing announced in August.

Another 18 units will represent permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness and people with disabilities in Westport, according to a press release from the Housing Department and Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.

The developments are expected to provide new housing opportunities for residents in Norwalk, Stamford and Westport in Fairfield County as well as Norwich and Waterford in New London County.

“We’re excited that these finance agreements are done, and construction can begin,” Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno said in a press release. “These units will become permanent homes for our residents who deserve high-quality affordable living. DOH will continue to work as fast as possible to ensure our families and individuals have affordable housing options in their own communities.”

The projects will be funded by a combination of $25 million in loans and grants as well as low-income housing tax credits, expected to generate nearly $100 million in private investment.

The nearly 400 affordable units will be earmarked for residents making at maximum 80% of area median income in a given community. About 360 of those units will be funded by the Build for CT program, which supports the creation of apartments designed to be affordable for middle-income residents.

In Westport, a project funded by the Department of Housing involves acquiring an unoccupied building and converting all but one unit to supportive housing, the first time a project like that has gone underway in the town.

Through the partnerships, South Norwalk will see 161 new units reserved for households earning a maximum of 60% of local median income and 155 units for those making a maximum of 80% of that income.

Stamford will see a redevelopment project begin with 61 total units, 19 of which will utilize vouchers to support very low-income households, while a Westport will start with the acquisition of a property at 122 Wilton Road. This rehabilitated and unoccupied building will include 19 total units serving individuals and families earning a maximum of 60% of the area’s median income.

In New London County, Norwich will see a former mill building converted into a 146-residential unit project, with 50 of those units limited to residents earning up to 80% of area median income. Meanwhile, the third phase of the Waterford Woods project will add 216 units with 44 of them reserved for households earning up to 80% of the area’s median income.

These investments come at a critical time as Connecticut has struggled with an extended housing crisis, in which high demand and limited supply have contributed to rising housing costs for many families.

Posted by Joe O’Leary

Gasoline and Home Heating Oil Prices are Way Down in Connecticut

As recently reported by Hearst CT Media, gasoline prices in Connecticut are now at least 40 cents per gallon cheaper than they were last year at this time.

And prices for home heating oil – one of the fuels of preference for Connecticut homeowners –are at their lowest in four years.

Both price drops are good news for consumers bothered by a summer of record heat and the high electricity bills that come with battling the costly effects of global climate change.

According to the Automobile Association of America (AAA), the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Connecticut was about $3.39 on the Thursday before the Labor Day weekend – down 41 cents, or almost 11%, from last year at this time. That’s about the same price for gas that people are paying in Wyoming and Maine. Connecticut prices are even down 16 cents a gallon from even just a month ago.

Connecticut gasoline prices spiked to $5 a gallon for regular unleaded in the summer of 2022, a few months after Russia invaded Ukraine and fears of supply disruptions spiked crude oil prices from $70 a barrel to $115 a barrel.

So why the drop now?

“Right now, inventories are good. We have more inventory than we did last year, so supply is less tight. We’re not seeing a fuel shortage,” AAA Northeast spokeswoman Lauren Fabrizi told Hearst CT Media. “Another reason is, despite the popularity of summer road trips, overall gas demand is down right now. That’s partly because daily driving habits have changed following the pandemic. For example, with more people working remotely, they’re not commuting as much.”

But gasoline isn’t the only fuel that Connecticut consumers are saving on this fall.

Right now, prices for home heating oil – used by about 42% of Connecticut homeowners to heat their homes in the winter (along with natural gas and electricity) – are at their lowest levels in about four years.

Home heating oil is selling for as low as $2.59 a gallon in some places in Connecticut, though the statewide average is about $3.36 a gallon. Still, that’s significantly cheaper than the $4.28 a gallon a year ago in October 2023, or the $5.92 two years ago in October 2022.

Some home heating oil dealers are even offering “pre-buy” or “lock-in” contracts where customers can pre-buy a set amount of oil at a set price, and avoid the inevitable price hikes that come in the late fall and early winter due to supply and demand.

Posted by Lawrence Cook

Connecticut Schools Report Rising Test Scores, Declining Absenteeism

Chronic absenteeism declined in Connecticut schools last year as student test scores increased in mathematics, according to recent data released by the State Department of Education, which reflected a continuation of several consecutive years of improved student performance.

According to the Department of Education, chronic absenteeism declined from 20% in the 2022-23 school year to 17.7%. That one-year decrease of 2.3% represents more than 11,000 fewer students who missed 10% or more of school days in Connecticut in 2023-24. A total of 158 school districts, more than 80%, reported a decline in chronic absenteeism.

The Education Department said its home visitation initiative, the Learner Engagement and Attendance Program, has helped drive significant improvement in attendance six months after a visit. This program targets students with chronic absences and sends staff to visit the student’s home to communicate with parents and children about how they can get back into the classroom. The agency found a correlation between LEAP and double-digit improvements in student attendance rates six months after a visit.

Meanwhile, the statistics found chronic absenteeism in younger age groups decreased at a faster rate compared to upper grades, suggesting early engagement helped keep students in class.

While the report found absenteeism above the pre-pandemic rate of 12.2% during the 2019-20 school year, it was down six points from a peak of 23.7% in the 2021-22 school year. High-needs students were still seeing higher rates of absenteeism, but those rates have dropped from a peak of 34% of students missing 20% of classes in 2021-22 to 25.5% of students in 2023-24, a 8.5% decline in two years.

Student performance increased in nearly all mathematics metrics and several English language arts metrics. On average, student proficiency increased 0.5% from 59.7 to 60.2, according to the report.

While still below the state’s target performance in these metrics, the increase observed in the report represents a recovery of nearly two points from two years ago, showing year-over-year improvements.

In English language arts, test scores remained consistent with previous years’ performance, with younger grades seeing improvements in test-taking. In mathematics, all but the eleventh grade saw year-over-year improvement.

Additionally, educational performance in science proficiency saw year-over-year gains for all but the fifth grade, with proficiency rising to a grade of 61.8, just two points behind 2019 metrics.

In the report, the Education Department highlighted some of its strategies for encouraging students to return to classrooms. Those strategies included masterclasses to improve teachers’ reading instruction, investments in core student curricula, summer enrichment efforts, apprenticeship programs and dedicating resources to support students with disabilities.

Posted by Joe O’Leary

Youth Employment Program Helping Young Connecticut Residents Explore Careers

Gov. Ned Lamont highlighted Tuesday a significant funding increase for the Connecticut Youth Employment Program, which connects workers ages 14-24 to meaningful, career-oriented employment. This program allows participants to get real, hands-on career training, network with professionals in their field of interest – all while earning a paycheck.

Connecting people to the world of employment at a young age has a marked benefit on their development — from improving job readiness, to increasing leadership skills and strengthening their economic stability.

The Connecticut Youth Employment Program aims to help young people overcome common barriers to employment. Not only does it connect participants with career opportunities, the program covers participant salaries and expenses, such as uniforms or transportation.

According to the Governor’s Office, approximately 94% of youths participating in the program are high school students, 2% are in college, and 4% are not in school. Additionally, with a focus on disconnected and underserved young people, the program provides community support and resources.

“This program is an incredible asset both to our young people and their families, but also to local businesses,” said Sen. Julie Kushner, chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. “The next generation of workers are getting hands-on experience, learning alongside professionals in their fields and they are being compensated for their work. By learning workplace skills and expectations at a young age, these individuals will enter the workforce with a monetized skillset, leading them to higher wages and more job security.”

Young people who seek to enroll in this program should contact their local Workforce Development Board, contact information can be found at this link.

Posted by Garnet Laughlin