The unfolding choice lottery scandal, focusing on Hartford’s Capital Prep, and coming on the heels of the Office of Child Advocate report on child abuse and neglect in the Hartford schools, strikes another blow both to community trust and to the regional confidence (or lack thereof) in Hartford’s ability to manage itself.  Very bad timing in budget season.

As Hartford’s fate becomes more and more linked to the willingness of state legislators to invest in it, and as Mayor Luke Bronin begins vetting law firms specializing in municipal bankruptcy (as reported by the Courant), the last thing Hartford needs is a front page scandal on government mismanagement in Hartford.  For those who missed the screaming headlines last week, it seems like we have yet another example of this.  Apparently, up to 40 percent of the incoming class of students at Capital Prep Magnet School sidestepped the lottery in 2013 and 2014.

The State Auditor’s report, beginning on page 12, has the details on the lottery.

For further context, the Courant also had a cogent editorial on the matter, which in the argument “Lottery Deceit Hurts Magnets”, correctly called the situation a betrayal of the public trust.  An op-ed by Rand Cooper also was illuminating.

A History of Mismanagement 

The State takeover of the Hartford schools in the late 1990s was one thing; the resignation and prosecution of former Mayor Eddie Perez was another. The alleged erasing and correcting of student answers on state tests at the Betances Early Reading Lab School was one thing; the use of dots on SAND School students’ shirts to brand their issues was another.  The accosting of a visiting student by former administrator Eddie Genao – at an event designed to understand the impact of systemic racism, no less – should have been sufficient scandal for the decade; the latest regarding “lottery fraud” better be the last.  Each of these incidents is an anomaly … but as they recur, doubts and distrust are raised.

As an independent partner working to cultivate more stakeholder involvement in education in Hartford, we can’t forget the litany of management errors over the past nine years that make it so hard for people to believe success is possible in our city.

Nor are we trying to forget those mistakes. They are signals of our current reality – the current status of our city. And, unfortunately, they are why 11 years into the reform launched by Mayor Eddie Perez, his Board, and Superintendent Adamowski, we are right back to talking about ways to keep kids safe and keep lotteries fair, instead of being at a point where we can talk about which four-year colleges and employers merit the application of our incredibly well-prepared high school graduates.

Clearly, Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez’s focus must be on management, similar to that of Mayor Bronin at City Hall this past year-and-a-half. But, we must also ask the question whether or not success in the current configuration is possible at all. If the District could focus 100 percent of its attention and higher percentage of its resources on the 10-15 chronically low-performing schools, could that give those schools a better chance? How could we restructure our system to allow for that?

We will revisit this question later on in the summer, as it may point the way forward in Hartford. One thing is being made clear yet again in Hartford, the way we have always done things can no longer be the way we do them.

For Hartford high school students, having no money and staring at the prospect of life-changing debt can mean not even attempting (much less going on to finish) college.  Many students consider just leaving when the pressures mount midstream.  The work of the Hartford Promise Scholars program is all about guaranteeing students with a 3.0 GPA and 93 percent attendance a path.  This year, 14 percent of Hartford high school seniors have earned these scholarships.  This is a major victory … but really just a start.

Hartford cannot stop here.  With the vast majority of Hartford Promise scholars presenting as low-income and first-generation college-going students, plainly, the scholarships of up to $20,000 are all about taking luck out of the equation, President Richard Sugarman of the Hartford Promise program told us in a recent interview.  Poor kids don’t need luck; they need ways to succeed.

The 113 Hartford Promise scholars this year were among 823 Hartford-resident students in the freshman class of 2013; 47 attended the seven traditional high schools, 51 attended 10 magnet schools, and 15 attended one charter school, Achievement First.

“Clearly, we want to grow the numbers,” President Sugarman said, as well as to push the numbers all the way through college graduation.  From the 2016 high school graduating class, he said, 95 percent of the Hartford college-going students are persisting through their first year of college right now.  That’s a very impressive data point.

For the future, President Sugarman said, “We plan to be very aggressive in developing fundraising,” because while this year’s 14 percent Hartford Promise contingent “is a big enough chunk to change culture and create expectations for success,” it will be the $50, $500, $5,000, and $50,000 donors who will open doors for more Hartford kids.  “We want to have many, many supporters.”  This is an important contribution, warranting support from any and all who care about our capital city, our region, and our state.

Student Perspectives

At Bulkeley High School, we were able to meet last week with Hartford Promise Scholars Cavana Carey, Klay Clarke, Paola Garriga, Kerry Ann Genas, Destiny Gonzalez, and Rebecca Vazquez, who share a common characteristic: At one time or another, all went to Renzulli.

Here is a sampling of their views as to the thought and other processes concerning going to college:

Plan well but be flexible.  “You get motivated from others,” Paola Garriga told us, noting that she has evolved through aspirations of being a teacher or a pediatrician – but now is inspired toward fine arts.  People grow and make adjustments, especially in high school and college.  As senior class president, she is balancing helping other students with getting inspiration from them.  Her senior class vice president colleague (and fellow Hartford Promise Scholar) Rebecca Vazquez, works at Shop Rite now, but wants to take lessons from there and move up and on.  She will.

Money in the Bank Is Key.  “I’ve been counting on this since last year,” Cavana Carey told us.  She plans to attend Central CT State University, as it is the only college she can afford.  Her aunt, who has a broad human resources, psychology, and biology background, has helped her to love science.  She advises her younger peers, middle school students, to visit a variety of colleges and not get caught up in going to a place just to say you did.  As in basketball, you have to finish.

Disincentives about Destiny.  On reflection, when choosing a college or a college major – or taking on immense debt – “There is a fear of what you are doing for the rest of your life,” Destiny Gonzalez observed (she does her homework late at night because she is participating in three internships).

It’s Not Moot.  Klay Clarke recently won events at the Washington, D.C., moot court competition led by Bulkeley Teacher Justin Taylor.  Fearing law school debt, he says, he will likely choose another field.  “College is a gamble; so much debt with no job” after matriculation can be a devastating result, he said.

Here is the link to the District’s information on the Hartford Promise Scholars and, on a related note, here is the CT Mirror article on the graduation requirements of our state, as currently being sought.

The Bottom Line

These 113 students – and those who came before and are lining up – are the future of Hartford.  If you have the wherewithal, supporting the Hartford Promise Scholars can change lives.

Please consider banding together with a few friends and doing so.

In the red … or in the black, the Fiscal 2018 District budget puts Hartford at a crucial crossroads.  Jobs certainly will be lost as positions get cut, but many always are preserved because (through natural moves) attrition opens up staff opportunities for those who otherwise might be cut loose.  The numbers will constantly adjust.  But what are the most urgent issues?

Because our newsletter is not a book, we only can offer a partial list of what most warrants attention, drawn from the April 18^th Hartford Board of Education meeting on video here and also from this past Monday’s Board Finance Committee discussion.  Please look at the video and consider our synopsis of the foremost issues, here:

1. Collaboration with the State legislative delegation will be key.  HPS is tracking proposed bills and meeting with the delegation, which now includes Hartford Federation of Teachers’ VP Josh Hall, who succeeds new State Senator Doug McCrory in that General Assembly position.
2. Consolidation conversation must begin.  Board Member Juan Hernandez questioned when the agonizing efficiency effort will start, to reduce the numbers of facilities so as to raise school quality. If unattended, he advised, this unavoidable conversation will be back on the same table next year.
3. Public involvement and lack thereof, is not trivial.  As District Chief Financial Officer Paula Altieri pointed out at the Finance Committee meeting Monday, no community members were on hand to provide feedback (except Vanessa de la Torre of the Hartford Courant and us. Our view is that the media and us, the quasi-media, don’t really count!).  Will there be any further, well-publicized public hearings and meetings?
4. Big Question. Board Chair Craig Stallings spoke of having “hamburger money while looking at filet mignon needs,” and asked whether necessary services are getting lost.  Others at the table echoed that thought: Where are essential school services for students going?
5. The Detail. Here is the handout on the proposed HPS budget.

These considerations – and more – warrant attention at all policy making levels, especially within our State legislative delegation, which could and should be more involved in tackling education funding disparities as they affect small town and big city children – and their teachers.  The inability to derive reliable and equitable State funding for college and career readiness might be our state’s most distressing achievement gap.