This is huge! Tonight the Connecticut Senate unanimously passed S.B. 939 — the critical bill that would help ensure a great teacher in every Connecticut classroom.

This means that both of the Mind the Gaps bills (1014 and 939) have been successfully voted out of the Senate. But time is running out for the House to act and move these bills to the Governor’s desk. Don’t forget to contact your representative by clicking here.

ConnCAN CEO Alex Johnston just sent this email to ConnCAN supporters:

Dear Friend,

It’s indefensible. I just got off the phone with Dr. Michael Sharpe, who was up until midnight last night, crunching the numbers on Gov. Rell’s new budget proposal.

Dr. Sharpe runs Jumoke Academy in Hartford, a ConnCAN Success Story and one of the highest performing public schools in Hartford. This charter school is closing the achievement gap.

But the Governor’s latest budget proposal cuts charter school funding so deeply, that Dr. Sharpe doesn’t think he can reopen school this fall. And he isn’t alone – every charter school in Connecticut is now at risk.

We can’t let this happen. This is the moment to act. This is the moment, when you need to stand up and say that closing great public schools is unacceptable. Please, join me in writing Gov. Rell today.

Here are the facts: this budget proposal has singled out charter schools as the only type of public school to get a cut. We already knew that the Governor’s budget wasn’t funding the completion of new schools. But now, after months of our Mind the Gaps campaign and the support of the legislative leadership to restore the funding left out of the Governor’s original budget, the Governor’s latest proposal went even further in the wrong direction and cut 10 percent of each child’s funding in charter schools.

Charter schools like Jumoke Academy are lifting hundreds of children out of poverty. In the face of such a tough set of budget challenges, if anything, the state should be working to protect charter schools as a high performing investment, rather than singling them out for disproportionate funding cuts.

We need to answer this action with our voices. Please write Gov. Rell today.

And please also take a minute to pass this appeal on to everyone you know in Connecticut who cares about kids.

My Best,

Alex Johnston
Chief Executive Officer
ConnCAN

P.S. We are still working around the clock in the final days of the legislative session to bring data transparency and quality teachers to Connecticut schools – check in with www.pleasemindthegaps.org for realtime efforts to keep those bills on track to become law.

ConnCAN CEO Alex Johnston just sent this email to Mind the Gaps supporters:

Dear Friend,

I have some exciting news to share: our movement’s quest to bring transparency to Connecticut public schools just took a big step forward.

Late yesterday afternoon, after three months of advocacy and numerous twists and turns, the state Senate unanimously passed S.B. 1014 – a bill that requires the state education department to open up its stores of data to nonprofits and universities that can analyze and share it with the broader public.

Now, we need your help to ensure that this important education reform bill is passed in the House and signed into law. Even if you’ve written a letter before, please take a moment to send this updated letter to your representative in the House.

We also expect S.B. 939 to pass the Senate sometime today or tomorrow. S.B. 939 improves teacher quality by doing three crucial things: allowing experienced teachers from other states to teach in Connecticut, keeping Teach for America on a path to growth, and removing roadblocks keeping excellent math and science candidates out of the classroom.

We have just days left in the legislative session to get S.B. 1014 through the House and S.B. 939 through both chambers. It can happen – but we need your voice.

Will you take two minutes of your time today to write your state representative to ensure that the two chances we have to reform our public schools this legislative session become reality?

There is an education reform movement in Connecticut thanks to you – and we’re on the march to real change. Let’s make sure we complete the final leg of this year’s journey.

My Best,
Alex Johnston
Chief Executive Officer
ConnCAN