CT’s Free Community College Expanded

Connecticut students can apply to attend community college tuition-free this fall through the Mary Ann Handley Award, a newly expanded program designed to bridge the gap between federal and state aid.

The program is named after the late Mary Ann Handley, a former Democratic state senator from Manchester and a history professor at the community college now called CT State Manchester. Handley was a strong advocate for the community college system and the opportunities it offers Connecticut residents for higher education.

This year, state policymakers expanded the initiative named for Handley by removing several restrictions like requirements that students maintain continuous enrollment or complete their program in 48 months in order to maintain eligibility. The updated program no longer requires that students graduate from a high school in Connecticut to enroll.

To be eligible for the 2024-2025 academic year, participants must be enrolled in a degree or credit-bearing certificate program for at least six credits at any of CT State’s 12 campuses. Students must be Connecticut residents who either graduated from high school, completed homeschool, or received a GED.

They must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and accept all awarded financial aid. The Mary Ann Handley Award is designed to cover tuition costs leftover after financial aid is applied.

CT State President John Maduko emphasized the program’s importance in a press release earlier this year.

“Connecticut’s dedication to offering one of the nation’s most comprehensive free tuition programs not only underscores a commitment to breaking down financial barriers but also recognizes the pivotal role education plays in driving our economy and increasing personal prosperity,” Maduko said.

Applicants wishing to enroll in the program can visit ctstate.edu/apply to begin the application process and complete the FAFSA at FAFSA.gov using CT State’s federal school code, 007635. There is no separate application for the free tuition benefit; eligible students will be automatically considered.

Posted by Hugh McQuaid

CT Teachers Laud Democrats’ Education-First Priorities

The Connecticut Education Association recently released its Legislator Report Cards, an annual grading of every elected legislator in the state regarding voting records, advocacy for policies that benefit educational priorities and efforts to improve education in Connecticut as a whole.

With 24 Democratic State Senators in Connecticut, the CEA gave them high marks, with the average score among Democrats being a 90.5, considered an A grade in the report cards’ grading scales. Comparably, the 12 Republican State Senators in Connecticut fared worse, mustering a 70.2, equating out to a “C” grade – and barely over the margin preventing them from receiving D-grades.

The highest score for any legislator in these metrics was State Senator Jan Hochadel of Meriden, who received a 97 for her efforts over the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions to support policies including improving teacher salaries, fairer teacher discipline, improvements to teacher certification and enhancements to indoor air quality. The lowest score for any legislator went to State Senator Lisa Seminara of Avon, who scored a 55.9, considered a failing grade, regarding educational priorities.

In fact, the lowest score for any Democratic Senator was a solid B at an 85%, indicative of Democrats’ efforts to continually support education throughout the state. Legislators received support for their votes to improve the resources available to paraeducators, who assist teachers and educators in their day-to-day work; for preventing book bans in school libraries, keeping freedom of expression and interest alive for students statewide; and for their support of improved mandated reporting procedures, which will keep students safer around the state.

Efforts like these have helped make Connecticut a national leader in education, backed up by a recent report from WalletHub that the state placed second nationally in a ranking of the top-performing school systems in the nation, behind only Massachusetts. More work can be done, though, and legislators remain focused on issues such as a troubling achievement gap where students in different communities have different opportunities available to them.

Previous years’ votes under consideration included ones supporting play-based learning in classrooms, giving children more hands-on opportunities in their studies; supporting teacher recruitment and retention as the state experienced some staffing shortages; and funding the Education Cost Sharing system, adding funds to the Teachers Retirement Board for Retiree Healthcare and improving oversight on the Education Mandate Review Advisory Council.

“The most important thing our state can do is ensure that our education system has the support and resources to prepare every child in Connecticut for a successful future,”  said Hochadel about receiving the highest marks. “This means investing in our schools, empowering our teachers, and providing opportunities for all students to excel. These priorities have guided my work since taking office, and I’m honored that the CEA has recognized these efforts with this year’s report card.”

Posted by Joe O’Leary

Connecticut Continues to Rank Low in Vehicle Thefts

Recent articles about car thefts in Connecticut may seem alarming, and vehicle owners should always take steps to protect their important possessions. However, while the takeaways are important to consider, there’s more to the issue at hand – and the Nutmeg State far better than it may seem from all the noise.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, vehicle thefts increased about 1% nationwide from 2022 to 2023, with vehicle theft rates rising steadily over the last half-decade. These statistics, released in April, showed that Connecticut saw the third-highest increase in thefts from 2022 to 2023, up 33% in that time.

With a noticeable increase, Connecticut must be high on the national list of thefts experienced, right? Not quite. When sorted by theft rate, the Nutmeg State doesn’t reach the top 10 – or even the top 20. Connecticut is 34^th nationally, below the national average by a significant amount. Vehicle theft doesn’t discriminate, with Colorado, Nevada, the District of Columbia, Missouri and Texas all in the top 10.

So if Connecticut isn’t high when it comes to overall theft, why is it so high in the metrics? That’s because starting with a lower number causes any increases to be more noticeable. In Connecticut, 2022 saw just under 7,100 vehicles stolen; in 2023, that indicates about 9,400 vehicles were stolen when considering the growth in rating. That’s a mere fraction of theft rates seen in other states, including Washington, Illinois, Ohio and Georgia, all of which saw total theft numbers at least three times higher than Connecticut.

Vehicle theft is a national problem, one made worse by the NICB’s report on theft trends in May of this year. Due to social media trends informing many people of a design flaw with Kia and Hyundai vehicles, which can allow a potential thief easy access to bypass their security systems, a number of cars and trucks are at increased risk of theft. Hyundai and Kia models represented six of the top ten stolen vehicles in the United States in 2023, with those six models alone representing 17% of all stolen cars in the country.

Thieves are stealing cars in Connecticut, but they’re stealing cars nationwide. This isn’t an issue unique to our state; in fact, we’re better protected from its worst impacts, seeing lower rates of theft than more than half the country. What’s more, more than 85% of stolen vehicles are recovered by police or owners, with one-third of all auto thefts recovered within one day of their initial theft. This is a serious issue, one with victims who are right to feel violated or frustrated by the challenges this can cause; it’s also a national issue, and one that can be countered.

Protect your vehicle by locking it and keeping it secure, hiding valuables out of sight and not leaving keys in vehicles or leaving vehicles running unattended. If your vehicle is stolen, call your insurer and police immediately; the sooner you report theft, the higher the odds of recovery grow.

Posted by Joe O’Leary

Connecticut, the Homeowner’s Insurance Savings Capital of the World?

It turns out that not only is Connecticut the insurance capital of the world, it’s also one of the best places in America to insure your home, thanks to the strict oversight of the state Insurance Department when it comes to insurance companies requesting rate increases.

Researchers at the Harvard and Wharton business schools have determined that, nationally, when states exert strong oversight over insurance rate requests, homeowners are the winners. And when they don’t – as is the case in many midwestern and Southern states – homeowners are big losers.

The research and findings were highlighted in a recent New York Times news story, “Home Insurance Rates in America Are Wildly Distorted. Here’s Why.” https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/08/climate/home-insurance-climate-change.html?searchResultPosition=1

“This story really lets you peek behind the curtain of home insurance rates in America, and it’s nice to see that Connecticut residents are paying less for homeowner’s insurance than the average American. I give our state Insurance Department full credit for that,” said state Senator Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden, who is Senate Chair of the legislature’s Insurance and Real Estate Committee. “For those who sometimes complain about government oversight of private-sector businesses, this is one of those instances when the average person will say ‘Thank you for holding their feet to the fire.'”

Researchers determined that – even accounting for differences in home values and the traumatic effects of global warming on the creation of larger and more damaging storms — higher home insurance premiums were charged in states where regulators applied less scrutiny to requests for rate increases, and premiums decreased in states were regulators applied more scrutiny.

Connecticut is a “more scrutiny state.” In 2023, there were 132 homeowner’s insurance rate filings recorded, with an average requested rate increase of 11.1 percent. The average allowed by the state Insurance Department was 9.6 percent. Efforts to hold down homeowner’s rate increases saved Connecticut policyholders $24.76 million in 2023 and have saved state residents $115.64 million since 2012.

It’s pro-consumer decisions like this by Connecticut state government that allow Connecticut residents to pay home insurance premiums well below the national average. The average home insurance premium in Hartford County is $1,543, and rates have increased just 12.9% since 2020. But nationally, the average homeowner pays an insurance premium of $2,530, and has seen their rates increase 33% since 2020.

And rates are even higher in the states where Connecticut residents move to the most:

-In Coral Springs, Florida, the average homeowner insurance premium is $5,579 a year, and rates have increased 51% since 2020

-In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, premiums are $2,308 a year, and rates have increased 38% since 2020.

-In Dallas, Texas, premiums are $1,950 a year, and rates have increased 20% since 2020.

-In Fayetteville, North Carolina, premiums are $1,827 a year, and rates have increased 21% since 2020.

Posted by Lawrence Cook