HARTFORD, CT – Hundreds of students, parents, and legislators rallied Wednesday at the entrance to the state Capitol to demand funding for two new charter schools.
Supporters of Danbury International Academy Charter School and Capital Preparatory Charter School in Middletown spoke about the frustration of waiting for funding for the two schools so that they could begin operations. Danbury’s charter was approved in 2018, while Middletown’s was approved in 2023.
“Our families have come before the legislature year after year to advocate for this option and for the opportunity to choose what is best for their children,” said Rep. Rachel Chaleski, R-Danbury. “Charters have been part of the state’s educational landscape for decades with the goal of raising student achievement in the lowest performing districts. Charter schools are public schools. If you claim to be pro-education and pro-public schools, then you support charter schools.”
Chaleski introduced a bill this session that would fund Danbury’s charter school. It was referred to the Appropriations committee in February where it awaits further action.
Several advocates spoke during the rally as well, arguing that the ability to choose the best education for their children is a fundamental right.
“When it comes to our children, we should never negotiate their safety, their education, or their overall well being,” said Gwen Samuel, an educational freedom advocate and community relations consultant. “There are over 489,000 children in Connecticut, and you are not going to tell me that one school model is going to meet every one of their individual needs. Whether it’s academic, or language barriers, they need access to the support systems to ensure they are successful.”
Danbury High School is the largest traditional high school in the state, with nearly 4,000 students. More than half of the student body is Hispanic, and parents spoke about the difficulties some of those students face in the city’s traditional high school.
Danbury also is home to more than 10,000 Brazilian residents, said Iandra Lopes, President of Brazilians of Connecticut. “We had a problem with our Brazilian kids, who could not speak English in school. We need to have a choice, for a school that can take care of them. We’re here to fight for the families and their children who are experiencing isolation, depression, and a sense of not belonging. These students, in overcrowded classrooms, have lost hope in a system that should be empowering them.”
According to the state Department of Education’s website, charter schools are publicly funded schools that are run independently of school districts and may also have a specialized focus. Charters are granted by the State Board of Education and schools may enroll students in Grades PK-12 as established in their charters.
The efficacy and equity of charter schools has been a constant source of debate ever since the first charter schools were approved in Minnesota in 1991. Connecticut followed suit with its own legislation authorizing charter schools in 1996. As of 2023, there are 21 charter schools across the state serving 11,000 children.
Proponents of charter schools argue that they can achieve better educational outcomes because they are allowed to operate independently of local school boards and establish their own curriculum. Charters also are allowed to limit their enrollment and can hire non-unionized staff.
Detractors say that the exclusive nature of these schools, which select their student body by lottery, leads to a multi-tiered public education system that hurts students left in traditional public schools because of the potential loss of funding when students leave for charters. They also argue that charter school attendees are “cherry-picked” by a lottery process that tends to favor more educated and affluent parents and their higher performing students by the nature of the involved application process.
“The question is, what are we doing to support all children?” Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Educators Association, said in an interview. “If a charter school opens in Danbury, that will impact 100 children. But there are still 14,000 kids in the Danbury public schools. 100% of those children deserve to be supported.”
Dias also noted the current challenges facing education funding throughout the state, and asked if this was the right time for new charter schools.
“Right now we’re in an environment where the governor has cut educational cost sharing (ECS) funding. If we can’t support the schools we have now, should we be adding more?” Dias said. “The issue is that the local government of Danbury hasn’t committed to funding their school system. Parents should be storming the Board of Education and demanding better resources instead of going to the legislature.”
