Attorney General Blumenthal to Speak at Public Forum on No Child Left Behind and School Funding

Ridgefield, CT - On Wednesday, September 26, the Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee is sponsoring a forum entitled "Education: No Child Left Behind & School Funding". This non-partisan event will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the Dayton Room of the Ridgefield Public Library. The forum is free and open to the public.

The forum's keynote speaker will be Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. Connecticut became the first state to challenge the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law when it filed suit against the federal government in August, 2005. In the lawsuit, the State referred to the federal Department of Education's "rigid, arbitrary and capricious interpretation of the NCLB mandates." Since then, the State has been trying to get the federal government to fully fund NCLB requirements and to allow the State more control over test design. According to Betty Sternberg, who was State Education Commissioner at the time the lawsuit was filed, the federal authorities were actually encouraging states to "dumb down" the tests.

The forum will include presentations by two other panelists. Rosemary Frederick is a Ridgefield Special Education teacher and President of the NEA-Ridgefield. She will present the teachers' viewpoint on NCLB. The other panelist, Wendy Lecker, is an attorney and consultant in education finance. Ms. Lecker was a staff attorney at the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, a coalition of parents, school boards and advocacy groups that brought a successful lawsuit on behalf of New York City's public school children challenging the constitutionality of New York State's school funding system. She will discuss alternatives to property taxes as means for funding public education.

"This forum is very timely, since NCLB must be reauthorized by Congress this year," said Susan Cocco, Democratic Town Committee Chairman. "Our Board of Education had to make many painful budget cuts this year that would not have been necessary but for unfunded federal mandates such as NCLB."

After the panelist presentations, the floor will be opened to the audience for questions and further discussion. This is the sixth in a series of public forums called Advancing the Dialogue sponsored by the Ridgefield Democrats to promote discussion of important public issues.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm and coffee will be served. Anyone who wishes to learn more about the Forum may contact Paul Sutherland, at 431-2686 or click HERE.