A group of students from New Haven high schools testified in Hartford Wednesday in favor of more state funding for education.
Students and advocates spoke at the public hearing to support SB 1511, An Act Concerning Disconnected Youth. The bill outlines recommendations from the 119K Commission’s Young People First report. They urged legislators to increase state education funding for schools and the state budget.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker joined more than 75 students from New Haven to speak to the state General Assembly’s Education Committee. Students joined education leaders on a train ride to the State Capitol to testify, while others joined virtually to give their testimony. Educators and students from other school districts also testified in support of the bill.
Several said their schools were subpar, with broken bathrooms, leaky roofs, no heat, and mice. Others spoke about their experiences with learning disruptions caused by teacher shortages, lack of resources, and even entire programs being cut.
Jonaily Colon is a high school student in New Haven. Colon said she and her peers worry about their health and safety because of the conditions of the buildings. She shared their experience with the poor quality of school facilities.
“As the result of underfunding, students I know like Fatima have to be concerned about dangerous leaks in the chemistry room each time it rains, putting students at risk when we work with chemicals that these leaks could damage,” Colon said.
Andy Chen is a high school student at Metropolitan Business Academy. Chen questioned the distribution of funding amongst schools. He said at his school, which is four floors, not all of the bathrooms are functioning. Chen, it's just one of several problems that distract them from their learning.
“Just a few weeks ago at Metropolitan Business Academy, we didn’t have working heat. As you guys might imagine, most kids don't show up to school with a full parka or any winter jacket. They show up in a hooded sweatshirt, and guess what? Many of us got sick,” Chen said
Recommendations to address the funding gaps include increasing the state’s annual foundation by a thousand dollars per student and updating the state’s per-student contribution in the Education Cost Sharing formula. Some suggested the state use part of its budget surplus to address these issues.
John Carlos Serana Musser is a high school student in New Haven. Musser is also a student representative on the New Haven Board of Education. He questioned the equity of public education within the state.
“This morning, we left behind schools that struggle with mold in their buildings, leaky roofs, and keeping teachers in their classrooms,” Musser said. “Now we come to the state government that sits on billions of dollars on-budget surplus that oversees one of the richest states, in one of the richest countries in the world, and ask, what will you do when you hear the stories of my fellow students?”
